Harlem Renaissance Party

Gr 1–4—Accomplished artist, educator, and activist Ringgold gives readers a grounding in the Harlem Renaissance in this follow-up to her Dinner at Aunt Connie's House (Hyperion, 1993). Narrator and aspiring author Lonnie travels back in time with his uncle to meet the artists, musicians, and writers who reinvigorated African American culture in the early 20th century. As W.E.B. Du Bois comments when they see him at The Crisis magazine headquarters, "We black folk had a new desire to create as though we had just awakened from a deep, deep sleep." While visiting 1930s Harlem, the pair eat breakfast with Jack Johnson, watch a Marcus Garvey parade, and "cut a rug" at the Savoy Ballroom. At the Schomburg Library, they encounter Zora Neale Hurston, Carter G. Woodson, and Lonnie's hero, Langston Hughes. Back matter includes a glossary of terms and brief biographies of the legendary giants that Lonnie meets at the party. Ringgold's colorful acrylic illustrations will acquaint a new generation with cultural icons of the Harlem Renaissance. Librarians will want to follow up by sharing complementary titles in their collections, such as David Roessel's Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes (Sterling, 2006) and Dennis Brindell Fradin and Judith Bloom Fradin's biography Zora!: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston (Clarion, 2012).—Toby Rajput, National Louis University, Skokie, IL