Maya Angelou for Children – Set of 2

Description

Maya Angelou is gone but her literature lives on. Here are two of her books for children:
“Life Doesn’t Frighten Me” and “Poetry for Young People by Maya Angelou”

“Life Doesn’t Frighten Me”
Shadows on the wall
Noises down the hall
Life doesn’t frighten me at all”
Maya Angelou’s brave defiant poem celebrates the courage within each of us young and old. From the scary thought of panthers in the park to the unsettling scene of a new classroom fearsome images are summoned and dispelled by the power of faith in ourselves.

Angelou’s strong words are matched by the daring vision of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat whose childlike style reveals the powerful emotions and fanciful imaginings of childhood. Together Angelou’s words and Basquiat’s paintings create a place where every child indeed every person may experience his or her own fearlessness.

In this brilliant introduction to poetry and contemporary art brief biographies of Angelou and Basquiat accompany the text and artwork focusing on the strengths they took from their lives and brought to their work. A selected bibliography of Angelou’s books and a selected museum listing of Basquiat’s works open the door to further inspiration through the fine arts. Full color.
32 pages Ages 6-9

“Poetry for Young Children”
Twenty-five of her finest poems capture a range of emotions and experiences from the playful “Harlem Hopscotch” to the prideful “Me and My Work” to the soul-stirring “Still I Rise.” While her writings deal with the historic struggles of African-Americans they all resonate with spiritual strength and hope for the future that everyone can relate to. A special inclusion in this volume is “A Brave and Startling Truth ” written to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the United Nations.

Award-winning artist Jerome Lagarrigue masterfully illustrates each verse with evocative stunning pictures. Dr. Edwin Graves Wilson the Provost Emeritus of Wake Forest University and a longtime colleague of Dr. Angelou has written the book’s introduction the introductions to the individual poems and the annotations.” (publisher)

48 pages
Reading Level- 6.5
Interest level – Grades 6-8
Target Age – 8 years and up