What do you think?
The Sweet and Sour Animal Book
Newt
Newt, newt
What can you be?
Just
A salamander, child.
That's me!
In 26 never-before-published short and wonderfully clever poems, Langston Hughes takes children through both the alphabet and the animal world. From Ape to Zebra--with bees, camels, fish, and even a unicorn in between--he paints a picture of each animal with just a few simple, but telling, words.
Hughes also knows what makes children
What use
Is a goose
Except to quackle?
If a goose
Can't quackle
She's out of whackle.
The publication of a new manuscript by Langston Hughes is an important event in American literature. But when you add the fanciful three-dimensional animals built especially for this book by first and second graders from the Harlem School of the Arts, an introduction for children by entertainer and
humanitarian Ben Vereen, and an afterword for older children and adults that delves into the work Hughes did for and with children, you have an instant classic. Oxford is proud to bring this new Hughes manuscript to life, and to share with children and adults alike the exhuberant, wise, and funny
world of animals as seen by an American literary genius.
Newt, newt
What can you be?
Just
A salamander, child.
That's me!
In 26 never-before-published short and wonderfully clever poems, Langston Hughes takes children through both the alphabet and the animal world. From Ape to Zebra--with bees, camels, fish, and even a unicorn in between--he paints a picture of each animal with just a few simple, but telling, words.
Hughes also knows what makes children
What use
Is a goose
Except to quackle?
If a goose
Can't quackle
She's out of whackle.
The publication of a new manuscript by Langston Hughes is an important event in American literature. But when you add the fanciful three-dimensional animals built especially for this book by first and second graders from the Harlem School of the Arts, an introduction for children by entertainer and
humanitarian Ben Vereen, and an afterword for older children and adults that delves into the work Hughes did for and with children, you have an instant classic. Oxford is proud to bring this new Hughes manuscript to life, and to share with children and adults alike the exhuberant, wise, and funny
world of animals as seen by an American literary genius.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published December 15, 1994
About the author
Langston Hughes
591 books2,237 followersThrough poetry, prose, and drama, American writer James Langston Hughes made important contributions to the Harlem renaissance; his best-known works include
Weary Blues
(1926) and
The Ways of White Folks
(1934).
People best know this social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist James Mercer Langston Hughes, one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry, for his famous written work about the period, when "Harlem was in vogue."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langsto...
People best know this social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist James Mercer Langston Hughes, one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry, for his famous written work about the period, when "Harlem was in vogue."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langsto...
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 9, 2020
Well, I don't know about this. Apparently back in the 1930s Langston Hughes wrote a children's alphabet book, and it was never published. Then in the 1990s, someone (Nancy Toff, executive editor of Oxford children's books, to be precise) found this book, and organized the first, second,and third grade children of Harlem School of the Arts to create illustrations for it, with crayons and paints and modelling clay and paper. The illustrations are charming and often quite ... crooked? (It took me a while to figure out how the newt was a newt. And I'm not sure what that lumpy thing is on a few pages. But it's cute!) They may serve as inspiration for the child reader to create their OWN menagerie of alphabet animals!
The text sometimes has inaccuracies, such as
Which isn't true at all, owls CAN see in daylight. And sometimes the text is very dated, such as:
which is a bit jarring and not something I would be happy to read aloud in an alphabet book. Yes, I know, realities of life and we've all got to eat and all that, but still, I like my alphabet books to be cozy and happy.
There are also very cute passages, such as:
which could spur a fun conversation with the child reader.
I'm trying to decide which audience will really be charmed by this book. I think children may be a little confused, and the rhythm of the words might not be catchy enough to grab them. And parents of young children may feel inspired by the arts project, but also a bit dismayed at the inaccuracies.
Probably the key audience is existing Langston Hughes fans. This will be a treasure for them.
The text sometimes has inaccuracies, such as
But daylight changes
All of that -
By day an owl
Is blind as a bat.
Which isn't true at all, owls CAN see in daylight. And sometimes the text is very dated, such as:
Quail
Are happy,
And fleet on their feet --
Till the hunter
Comes gunning
For something to eat!
B-O-O-M
which is a bit jarring and not something I would be happy to read aloud in an alphabet book. Yes, I know, realities of life and we've all got to eat and all that, but still, I like my alphabet books to be cozy and happy.
There are also very cute passages, such as:
X,
Of course,
Is a letter, too.
But I know no animal
Starts with an
X.
Do you?
which could spur a fun conversation with the child reader.
I'm trying to decide which audience will really be charmed by this book. I think children may be a little confused, and the rhythm of the words might not be catchy enough to grab them. And parents of young children may feel inspired by the arts project, but also a bit dismayed at the inaccuracies.
Probably the key audience is existing Langston Hughes fans. This will be a treasure for them.
November 29, 2012
The ABC book The Sweet and Sour Animal Book was written by Langston Hughes and the artwork was done by students from the Harlem School of Arts. This was a unique ABC book because every letter in the book represents an animal and every animal has a poem written by Langston Hughes. These were poems Hughes wrote specifically for this book. None of these poems have been published in any other volume of his works. Every poem is nice and short, and most are rather humorous, so children and even adults will enjoy them. The artwork that the children did for this book is also very interesting. They used various methods to depict the animals in the book. Some were made from clay, some were made from paper mache, and some were paintings that children had drawn. I also like that every child that contributed artwork to the book was acknowledged in the back of the book. This book would be a good choice for teachers to introduce young children in 3rd to 4th grade to the poetry of Langston Hughes.
Teachers ought to have young children read this book because not only does it help with ABC’s, but it also introduces them to the poetry of Langston Hughes. Even though these poems are short, they do reflect the way that Hughes wrote most of his poetry. Also, teachers can also use this book to get their children into art because all of the artwork was done by children. This book can be used in a variety of ways, and not many books can say that, but this one certainly can.
Teachers ought to have young children read this book because not only does it help with ABC’s, but it also introduces them to the poetry of Langston Hughes. Even though these poems are short, they do reflect the way that Hughes wrote most of his poetry. Also, teachers can also use this book to get their children into art because all of the artwork was done by children. This book can be used in a variety of ways, and not many books can say that, but this one certainly can.
January 11, 2015
Langston Hughes is one of my favorite poets. Certainly there is nothing in here that is as profound as much of his best known poetry, but then it's meant to be a fun alphabet book for children using rhyme and poetry. I like the use of language and rhythm throughout. The other thing that made this book very interesting is the artwork which was created by children at the Harlem School of the Arts. All in all, I liked the book.
July 3, 2020
This is a wonderful children's book with an Introduction by Ben Vereen and an Afterword by George P. Cunningham; Illustrations by students from the Harlem School of the Arts.
July 17, 2022
I was captivated by the children’s art in this book, and found the verses quite delightful.
August 26, 2023
Cute, but honestly the children's art is better than the poems.
January 30, 2018
Charming.
February 28, 2009
Genre: Picture Book
Reading Level: K-4
Theme: Animals, Alphabet
Curricula Use: Read Aloud
Literary elements: Poetry
Text & Pictures: Incredible illustrations beautiful poetic text.
Summary: One of the finest and most prolific authors of our time, Langston Hughes' forgotten manuscript of alphabet and poetry was transformed by the incredibly talented students at Harlem School of the Arts.
Reading Level: K-4
Theme: Animals, Alphabet
Curricula Use: Read Aloud
Literary elements: Poetry
Text & Pictures: Incredible illustrations beautiful poetic text.
Summary: One of the finest and most prolific authors of our time, Langston Hughes' forgotten manuscript of alphabet and poetry was transformed by the incredibly talented students at Harlem School of the Arts.
April 24, 2013
a new favorite langston hughes
March 6, 2015
An alphabet book about animals. The beautiful artwork that decorates the pages of this book was created by students at the Harlem School of Arts.
August 5, 2011
Fun poems. The "illustrations" done by various children can be a bit odd.
December 25, 2015
A cute children's abc book filled with Langston Hughes' Ogden Nash style poems.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews