Best Selling Books by Arnold Adoff

Through poems and poetic prose pieces, acclaimed children''s author Arnold Adoff celebrates that uniquely American form of music called the blues. In his signature “shaped speech” style, he creates a narrative of moments and joyous music, from the drums of the ancestors, the red dirt of the plantations, the current of the mighty Mississippi, and the shackles, blood, and tears of slavery. Each chop of the ax is a beat, each lash of the whip fashions another line on the musical staff. But each sound also creates the chords and harmonies that preserve the ancestors and their stories, and sustain life, faith, and hope into our own times.

This collection of poems, told from the perspective of a young girl, celebrates family life throughout the yearly cycle of seasons.

Malcolm X lived in difficult times - when some thought that black people were inferior to white people. But Malcolm believed that black people should stand up for their rights and he preached this belief everywhere he went. His message became popular because it was one of hope and pride. But it also became dangerous, because some people didn''t agree with him. In 1965, one of these people shot and killed him. Even though his life was cut short by hatred, Malcolm X''s ideas still affect people of all races. Here is his amazing story. An ALA Notable Children''s Book

Describes in verse the life of brown-skinned momma, white-skinned daddy, their children, and assorted relatives.

A six-year-old boy who wants to grow up fast learns a lesson about patience from his grandmother.

Reflections on the poet''s love of food and eating.

Poems about the experiences and feelings of young athletes involved in various sports.

A young girl describes the joy and pride that running gives her.

Presents twenty poems in the forms of letters to friends, family, and others.

Selection of essays and extracts from books presenting a chronology of influential Negro thinking ranging from the 19th century to the present.

A big sister helps her little black brother realize his identity.

A collection of poems about the sense of touch including a baby''s foot in one''s palm, peach fuzz on the lip, and the forehead against a cold window.

"Adoff addresses his poetry to modern, urban teens in a gritty, hip-hop style. He manages to create poetry from the universal concerns of love and loneliness, the specific teen concerns of acne and braces, and unpleasant realities like selling and taking drugs."--Booklist. "Telling, recognizable, and readable....Intriguing."--Bulletin of the Center for Children''s Books.