Poetry book share - Hip Hop Speaks to Children

Book Title: Hip Hop Speaks To Children	Author:  Nikki Giovanni
Illustrator:  Various	Awards NAACP Image Award NCTE 2009 Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts
Book Type:  Poetry Anthology	Approx. Reading Level: grade 3 and up
Age of Content Appropriateness: K-12	Date Published:2008
Genre and Topic: Poetry- African American, hip-hop,	Personal Rating of the Book:  beyond 5
ISBN: (13 or 10 digit)- 978-1-4022-1048-8

Summary-  When you open this book you open a world of city life through music and rhythm.  Nikki Giovanni has collected poetry from the likes of Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes as well as contemporary hip-hop and rap artists like Queen Latifah and Kanye West.  The poems are full of movement and rhythm that will give students a way to connect with poetry like no other book could.  The illustrations are colorful,  busy and beautiful.  There is a CD included containing readings by the original artists as well as readings by the editor, Nikki Giovanni.  The whole book is quite an experience.  This is not your Grandma’s poetry!

Ideas on Using this Book

• The book comes with a CD which is a compilation of the poets reading their work as well as Nikki Giovanni doing readings.   This CD has recordings made by Langston Hughes which was so interesting and exciting to me to hear his voice.  I’ve read his poetry and this added a whole new dimension to what I know about him.  There is also a track of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a Dream” speech. 
• Ego- Tripping by Nikki Giovanni- a video of various images related to the poem- it is the same track that is found on the CD that comes with the book.
• Nikki Giovanni on Hip Hop Speaks to Children- This video is of Nikki Giovanni  introducing the book.  It would be good for teachers to review before using the book in the classroom. 
• Reading Rockets video featuring Nikki Giovanni discussing writing and children’s books and her poetry.  She refers to Harry Potter in this.  This would be a great teacher reference to get excited about using her poetry in the classroom.
• There is so much in this book that could be used for movement, music class, language arts and history.  I can see this being useful across grade levels to inspire and delight students while connecting them with poetry through popular culture.

Vocabulary

• deferred- page 12- putting something off for later.  This is part of the poem “Dream Boogie” by Langston Hughes
• stereotypes- page 17 – a preconceived notion about how someone will act based on something superficial like skin color or gender- This is part of the poem, “Ladies First” by Queen Latifah.
• Rosa Parks- page 38- a civil rights activist who refused to give up her seat on a bus in 1955. She is often referred to as “the first lady of civil rights.”

6 + 1 Trait to Focus on

One Trait of the 6+1 Traits to Highlight When Using the Book – This book is so full of all the traits that it is hard to focus on just one.  I would say that presentation is a great one.  The choice of poetry is wonderful as are the illustrations.  The illustrations are bold and colorful and full of action.  The poems help the reader experience what life in the city might be like through the songs and words of people who experience it firsthand. The book also has the CD to add to the experience which creates another way of connecting with the poems.  The whole package is impressive from cover to cover.  

Harlem Hopscotch

Harlem Hopscotch by Maya Angelou

One foot down, then hop! It's hot.

 Good things for the ones that's got.

Another jump, now to the left.

 Everybody for hisself.

In the air, now both feet down.

 Since you black, don't stick around.

Food is gone, the rent is due,

 Curse and cry and then jump two.

All the people out of work,

 Hold for three, then twist and jerk.

Cross the line, they count you out.

 That's what hopping's all about.

Both feet flat, the game is done.

They think I lost, I think I won.

Here is an illustration from the book 

• Concerns with This Book: (if any)- in certain districts, parents may not feel comfortable with the idea of hip-hop being used in the classroom due to the perception of it being to advanced or street-wise for their kids.  The selections  in this book do not have inappropriate material and the teacher using it may want to share some of the videos I linked to above with parents so they can understand the nature of the poetry.