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Nikki Grimes does not consider herself a bonified storyteller, but, as she told an audience recently at the Library of Congress, she is happy to own the title Poet. Born and raised in New York City, Nikki began composing verse at the age of six and has been writing ever since. A prolific artist, she is the author of many award-winning books for children and young adults including the novel Jazmin's Notebook, (Dial) a Coretta Scott King Award Honor Book and Bank Street College Book of the Year, the popular poetry collection Meet Danitra Brown, (Lothrop) an ALA Notable and Coretta Scott King Honor Book, Hopscotch Love (Lothrop); Aneesa Lee & The Weaver's Gift, an American Bookseller Pick of the List, (Lothrop); From A Child's Heart (just Us Books), a book of prayers; A Dime A Dozen, My Man Blue (Dial); Come Sunday (Eerdmans) an ALA Notable; At Break of Day (Eerdmans); and Is it Far to Zanzibar? ( HarperCollins). Other works include Stepping Out With Grandma Mac and Shoe Magic (Orchard), A Pocketful of Poems (Clarion), Wild, Wild Hair (Scholastic), Portrait of Mary (Harcourt Brace), a work of adult fiction on the life of Jesus' mother, and Malcolm X: A Force For Change (Fawcett), a YA biography which was an NAACP Image Award Finalist for 1993. In addition to her work for children, Ms. Grimes has written articles for such magazines as Essence, Today's Christian Woman, and Book Links. An accomplished and widely anthologized poet of both childrews and adult verse., Grimes has conducted poetry readings and lectures at international schools in Russia, China, Sweden and Tanzania, while shortterm mission projects have taken her to such trouble-spots as Haiti. Crossing borders artistically as well as geographically, Nikki once sang on the stage of the Stockholm Philharmonic in Sweden, (where magazines refer to her as a singer who also writes!) sang and danced her way down the east coast of China, and has published and exhibited her photography both here and abroad. During the 1970's, Nikki coproduced and hosted The Kid's Show on WBAI FM in New York. Later, during a six-year-stint in Sweden, she hosted their radio program for immigrants, Gränslöst, and another for Swedish Educational Radio A forthcoming poetry title is include Under the Christmas Tree (HarperCollins). You can visit Nikki's Web site at www.nikkigrimes.com. |
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At Break of Day Price: $17.00 "Grimes captures the essence of a father/son relationship, with its mutual love and admiration, while also conveying the unique status o this particular father/son dynamic. Her lyrical gifts are everywhere in abundance, set out with a deceptive simplicity that evokes an oral tradition." Publisher's Weekly |
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Price $16.99 |
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Price $16.99 "This is almost like a play for 18 voices, as Grimes (Stepping Out with Grandma Mac, not reviewed, etc.) moves her narration among a group of high school students in the Bronx..." Kirkus Reviews WINNER OF THE 2002 CORETTA SCOTT KING AWARD FOR WRITING |
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C is for City Price: $9.95 "'A is for arcade or ads for apartments.../B is for butcher or/breakfast with bagels/or block-party bands/out on hot summer nights. C is for city/or cabbies named Clarence/or cool cats who chat/under boulevard lights.' Many of the arresting images reflect the ethnic, religious, and economic diversity of urban life....it is always interesting and right on target for the audience." School Library Journal |
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Price $15.00 "Fourteen short poems narrated by an African-American girl that concentrate mostly on preparing for and going to church with family and friends. From her mother's gentle wake-up call to her bedtime prayers, LaTasha is caught up in the spirit of the Paradise Baptist Church. Sunday is a long day filled with different experiences, and readers share this appealing child's observations on all of them..." School Library Journal |
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Danitra Brown Class Clown Price: $16.99 Nikki Grimes's heroine returns for a third outing, this time as Danitra Brown, Class Clown. In the rhyming text, best friends Danitra and Zuri start a new school year, but with different attitudes-one full of excitement and one with trepidation. E.B. Lewis's illustrations show the range of emotions elementary school children feel." Publishers Weekly |
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Dark Sons Price: $15.99 "Grimes contrasts the Biblical story of Abraham's son Ishmael with present day Samuel's trying to cope with divorce and his father's remarriage. Conveyed almost entirely in prose poems, the work gives deeper meaning to both stories... The strength of the poetry along with this assumption that religion and a relationship with God are an integral part of life distinguishes and illuminates the narrative." Kirkus Reviews |
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A Day With Daddy Price: $3.99 |
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A Dime a Dozen Price: $17.99 "Written in the first-person voice of an African-American girl, these 28 poems celebrate family, culture, writing, and the spirit of a creative, introspective child." School Library Journal |
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Price: $15.95 "Grimes has composed prayerful verses to give voice to the subjects in pastel drawings (done between 1985- 1992) by the African-American artist Brenda Joysmith, who paints a pretty world of healthy and well-groomed children. Youngsters are shown nestled close to their parents, bending their heads together with playmates, and lost in comtemplation or daydreaming." School Library Journal |
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Price: $14.95 "These twenty-two poems were written to depict the various faces of love within an African-American community, but truly their appeal is universal." Children's Literature |
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Price: $14.99 (OUT OF STOCK) "Twelve joyous poems about growing up are filled with music, laughter, and love. Simple childhood pleasures such as running, playing, reading, and remembering are touched on with insight and humor...A harmonious blend of words and pictures." School Library Journal |
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Price: $15.99 "With exhuberance, passion, perception, and wit, fourteen-year-old Jazmin Shelby fills her notebook with glimpses of her life, neighborhood, family, and dreams in Harlem in the 1960's.... Secondary readers will delight in her candor and imagination." Starred Review, School Library Journal |
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Price: $6.99 "A series of simple poems tells a friendship story in the voice of Zuri Jackson, who admires her spirited buddy, Danitra Brown. Their relationship is upbeat but unsentimental." BookList |
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Price: $6.99 "This against-the-odds book from Grimes (Jazmin's Notebook, 1998, etc.) tells of an African-American boy living in a neighborhood that cuts him no slack, and the man who helps keep his feet grounded and his self-esteem steady against the occasional buffeting of his peers." Kirkus Reviews |
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Price: $16.99 "It's bad enough that Xavier's new stepbrother, Chris, has moved into Xavier's
room, but now it looks like he's also trying to steal Mami by being the perfect
kid.
Chris's "Mr. Perfect" act may fool grown-ups, but Xavier can see
straight through it.
He promises himself that he'll never become real brothers with such a fake.
No brothers allowed! Ever!
. . . right?
In twenty powerful poems, two strangers learn to become brothers. Nikki Grimes
captures the struggles-and eventual sweetness-of bringing together
a family. |
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Price: $16.00 "Grimes boils poetry down to its essence in this picture book homage to words--a must-read for aspiring poets and writers" Starred Review, Publisher's Weekly |
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Price: $15.99 "Eight-year-old Paris Richmond has never had it easy. Her white father walked out on the family; her black mother tends to drink when she's lonely. Only Paris's older brother Malcolm is a constant, even when they are sent to live with an awful foster mother. When the children run away, Family Services separates them and Paris must face a strange new foster family and a new school on her own. Grimes has created a real little girl whose growth is perfectly paced and believable. The characters around her are not all perfectly realized, but Paris's story is touching and worth a place in most collections. " Kirkus Reviews |
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COMING SOON "Using their footwear as points of departure, Grimes presents a cycle of poems about kids' everyday lives and dreams for the future." School Library Journal |
COMING SOON "There are no hugs and kisses and no endearments from Grandma Mac. Her words are cold and gruff, and they can hurt. But these poems in her 10-year-old granddaughter's voice reveal how much the girl resembles her grandmother: scrappy and strong, adventerous and reserved, irritable and intimate....The touching poems will leave readers thinking about love not spoken, the spaces between the words." Starred Review, Booklist |
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Price: $15.95 "In 1988, poet Grimes was part of an artists' tour of China, performing, reading, traveling, and teaching. Young, whose family comes from China, always sketches what he sees when he returns to visit. Grimes constructs a travelogue of small poems, each with an introduction accompanied by her tourist photos. Young's lively and evocative black-and-white drawings, which are from the same time period-just before Tiananmen Square-are well-matched with the verse, some rhymed, some not... it opens up possibilities for history, culture, and poetry classes for middle grades." Kirkus Reviews |
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Price: $16.95 "Talkin' is a well-conceived, well-executed, handsomely illustrated, fictionalized account of the life of the first black female licensed pilot in the world. . . . Skillfully drawn and occasionally photographic in their realism, the pictures perfectly match each speaker's recollections." Starred Review, School Library Journal |
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Price: $15.99 In sixteen extraordinary poems that range in form from a haiku to a rebus to a riddle, Nikki Grimes reminds us how wonderful it is to feel thankful, and how powerful a simple "thank you" can be. |
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Price: $16.99 Pooling their rather considerable talents, an acclaimed poet and an award-winning artist create a tender ode to new babies. The text, rich in imagery and lyricism, welcomes a new child into the world, giving a taste of the pleasures that lie ahead: "Welcome to the warm circle of your daddy's arms, the slippery kisses of your giddy grandmother, and the cool tickle of Mommy's nose rubbing against your belly button." Equally moving are the watercolor and collage depictions of a clearly smitten mother and father caring for their baby. Child Magazine Child magazine's Best Children's Book Awards 2006 |
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Price: $16.00 "Fourteen graceful poems portray a small boy's relationship with his prayerful father. Whether the narrator is at bat for his team, coming home from school, helping to weed a garden, or being tucked in at night, he "hears" his father praying. Each poem in a different cadence fits the mood of the experience." Kirkus Reviews |
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Price: $16.99 "When Gorilla goes walking, the neighbors laugh and stare at her tailless rump and her very proud air. " Gorilla is an affectionate, jealous, lovable cat who constantly wants to play with Cecilia. Experience their unique relationship through Nikki Grimes's lyrical poetry and Shane Evans's vibrant art work. Readers will fall in love with Gorilla and wish they could bring her home with them! |
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Price: $3.99 "Tisa Walker dreads Monday mornings. 'School was not the problem./She liked going there./But Monday was the day/Mommy braided Tisa's hair.' She hides, but every week her mother finds her, combs and carefully braids her long, thick hair into 20 elaborately plaited braids. Grimes uses her beautiful poetic touch to narrate this story told in easy-to-read rhyming couplets." School Library Journal |
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Aneesa Lee and the Weaver's Gift NO LONGER AVAILABLE "Thirteen interrelated poems celebrate a girl's love of weaving. Aneesa Lee, herself a tapestry of black, white, and Japanese heritage, pursues the art with an all-consuming passion." School Library Journal A 1999 PARENTS' CHOICE® GOLD AWARD WINNER |
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Danitra Brown Leaves Town NO LONGER AVAILABLE "Fans of this author-illustrator team's Meet Danitra Brown will welcome their latest effort... Grimes's poems read and flow well, and Cooper's paintings simply burst with energy and expressiveness." Kirkus Reviews |
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NO LONGER AVAILABLE "Thirteen brief, playful poems give us a glimpse at life in rural Tanzania, including its offshore island, Zanzibar. Spiced with Swahili words, Grimes' verses introduce a jam-packed bus, animals, foods, the marketplace, and several mischievous children." Kirkus Reviews A 2000 PARENTS' CHOICE® GOLD AWARD WINNER |
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NO LONGER AVAILABLE The award-winning author of From a Child's Heart retells the story of Mary, using everyday, down-to-earth language based on the Scriptural events. Through Nikki Grimes's vibrant narrative--presented in a stunning, two-color format--Mary's life is made startlingly fresh, deeply human, and inspiring. |
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NO LONGER AVAILABLE "Grimes offers glimpses of Christmastime from a child's eyes, in the form of 23 poems that shine with all the hallmarks of the season. Her text is universal in sentiment, but telling in its detail, as when a child waits for her candle to be lit at a Christmas Eve service or dreams of joining the skaters she watches, carving figure eights in an ice rink." Publishers Weekly |
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Author Current Location: California Honorarium:
NOTE:
SCHEDULES Includes 3 assemblies. Presentations per day: Three maximum. Sorry no classroom visits. Program Description ASSEMBLY PRESENTATIONS SMALL FRY In this 45 minute presentation,
(including a question and answer session) Grimes shares poetry, as well
as the real-life stories behind writing her alphabet book, and the popular
title Wild, Wild Hair. This story hour includes slides and complete
readings of Wild, Wild Hairand C is for City. MEET DANITRA BROWN In this 45 minute interactive
poetry presentation, (including Q&A) Grimes discusses the process of developing
characters like LaTasha, Danitra, Damon and Aneesa Lee, tells the reallife
stories behind some of the poems readers have come to know, and shares
the choreography of a poem from My Man Blue. Books: Meet Danitra
Brown; Come Sunday; From A Child"s Heart; My Man Blue; Aneesa Lee & The
Weaver's Gift. JAZMIN & COMPANY This 45 minute presentation
(including Q&A) focuses on the importance of voice in poetry and fiction.
Weaving together poetry and prose, Grimes discusses the difference between
autobiography and autobiographical fiction, tracing the development of
her own voice while suggesting ways students can develop theirs. Books:
Hopscotch Love, A Dime A Dozen, Jazmin's Notebook; Stepping Out With
Grandma Mac. HANDOUTS & GIVEAWAYS These include bookmarks and/or postcards for students, as well as poetry idea sheets for teachers and poster(s) for the school. |
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