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Brown Angels: An Album of Pictures and Verse
Join acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers in a heartwarming celebration of African-American childhood in words and pictures. Sharing favorites from his collection of long-forgotten turn-of-the-century photographs, and punctuating them with his own moving poetry, Mr. Myers has created a beautiful album that reminds us that "the child in each of us is our most precious part."
40 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1993
1 person is currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Walter Dean Myers
232 books1,184 followerspseudonyms:
Stacie Williams
Stacie Johnson
Walter Dean Myers was born on August 12, 1937 in Martinsburg, West Virginia but moved to Harlem with his foster parents at age three. He was brought up and went to public school there. He attended Stuyvesant High School until the age of seventeen when he joined the army.
After serving four years in the army, he worked at various jobs and earned a BA from Empire State College. He wrote full time after 1977.
Walter wrote from childhood, first finding success in 1969 when he won the Council on Interracial Books for Children contest, which resulted in the publication of his first book for children, Where Does the Day Go?, by Parent's Magazine Press. He published over seventy books for children and young adults. He received many awards for his work in this field including the Coretta Scott King Award, five times. Two of his books were awarded Newbery Honors. He was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award and the Virginia Hamilton Award. For one of his books, Monster, he received the first Michael Printz Award for Young Adult literature awarded by the American Library Association. Monster and Autobiography of My Dead Brother were selected as National Book Award Finalists.
In addition to the publication of his books, Walter contributed to educational and literary publications. He visited schools to speak to children, teachers, librarians, and parents. For three years he led a writing workshop for children in a school in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Walter Dean Myers was married, had three grown children and lived in Jersey City, New Jersey. He died on July 1, 2014, following a brief illness. He was 76 years old.
Stacie Williams
Stacie Johnson
Walter Dean Myers was born on August 12, 1937 in Martinsburg, West Virginia but moved to Harlem with his foster parents at age three. He was brought up and went to public school there. He attended Stuyvesant High School until the age of seventeen when he joined the army.
After serving four years in the army, he worked at various jobs and earned a BA from Empire State College. He wrote full time after 1977.
Walter wrote from childhood, first finding success in 1969 when he won the Council on Interracial Books for Children contest, which resulted in the publication of his first book for children, Where Does the Day Go?, by Parent's Magazine Press. He published over seventy books for children and young adults. He received many awards for his work in this field including the Coretta Scott King Award, five times. Two of his books were awarded Newbery Honors. He was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award and the Virginia Hamilton Award. For one of his books, Monster, he received the first Michael Printz Award for Young Adult literature awarded by the American Library Association. Monster and Autobiography of My Dead Brother were selected as National Book Award Finalists.
In addition to the publication of his books, Walter contributed to educational and literary publications. He visited schools to speak to children, teachers, librarians, and parents. For three years he led a writing workshop for children in a school in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Walter Dean Myers was married, had three grown children and lived in Jersey City, New Jersey. He died on July 1, 2014, following a brief illness. He was 76 years old.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
March 17, 2017
This book has a special place in my heart. It encompasses memories from my childhood, my love of poetry, vintage photography, and history.
When I bought this book a long time ago, I was immediately touched by the photos of various old fashioned African American children taken at least a century ago. I wondered who they were, where they lived, and what ultimately happened to them. A couple of the baby photos were my favorites. They both look like serious miniature adults. Later the poems moved me.
The author Walter Dean Myers writes at the book's beginning that over time he discovered and purchased many vintage photographs of African American children at antique shops, flea markets, auction houses, and from museum collections. So like me the children in his book are unknown to him, lost to history. In the cases of some of the poems, he succeeded in matching the mood of a poem with a photograph(s). He uses both standard English and black slightly southern dialect. Why he did this is probably because many of the children in the photos more than likely lived in the southern US because the majority of the photos were taken a few decades prior to the great migration of many African Americans from the agrarian South to the industrial North.
There are other personal reasons I love this book which are related to my own family history and childhood. I won't mention them here since I planned only a short review
This book with both its photos and sometimes jaunty and dancing poems are so touching to me. If you love old photography and verse which are a celebration of African American life and just life and childhood in general, I recommend this award winning book.
Love That Boy, which is one of the poems contained in Brown Angels, can be read at the link:
https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/love-...
When I bought this book a long time ago, I was immediately touched by the photos of various old fashioned African American children taken at least a century ago. I wondered who they were, where they lived, and what ultimately happened to them. A couple of the baby photos were my favorites. They both look like serious miniature adults. Later the poems moved me.
The author Walter Dean Myers writes at the book's beginning that over time he discovered and purchased many vintage photographs of African American children at antique shops, flea markets, auction houses, and from museum collections. So like me the children in his book are unknown to him, lost to history. In the cases of some of the poems, he succeeded in matching the mood of a poem with a photograph(s). He uses both standard English and black slightly southern dialect. Why he did this is probably because many of the children in the photos more than likely lived in the southern US because the majority of the photos were taken a few decades prior to the great migration of many African Americans from the agrarian South to the industrial North.
There are other personal reasons I love this book which are related to my own family history and childhood. I won't mention them here since I planned only a short review
This book with both its photos and sometimes jaunty and dancing poems are so touching to me. If you love old photography and verse which are a celebration of African American life and just life and childhood in general, I recommend this award winning book.
Love That Boy, which is one of the poems contained in Brown Angels, can be read at the link:
https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/love-...
August 10, 2016
Beautiful. I'm white, and I still fell in love with every one of these children. And I've often enjoyed Myers work and wish he were more widely read. Of course, one of his poems is famous enough to have inspired Love That Dog which is, imo, another five-star book.
May 1, 2024
🔥💥📷💥🔥Students in our classroom are asked to wear attire that is appropriate for this special collectible edition; instructors are requesting students support each other through these reading sessions. 💕🤳Students practice poses for promotions using images inside of this classic storybook. 👊🏾👊🏾https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2021
This children’s book reminds me of looking through a family photo album. The book contains sepia and black and white photos of brown children from the early 20th centuries. They are photos Walter Dean Myers collected during his lifetime.
The photos inspired he poems Myers pens for the book. This is an excellent book to start conversations about family history, Black history and poetry.
I will return to this book again!
The photos inspired he poems Myers pens for the book. This is an excellent book to start conversations about family history, Black history and poetry.
I will return to this book again!
March 16, 2011
This "album of pictures and verse" was created from pictures of children Walter Dean Myers found in the corner of an antique shop. Intended for all ages, Mr. Myers' poems describe each picture with eloquence, detail and sometimes humor. There were times when reading this that I smiled at the expressiveness of the children and the poetic commentary linked to that particular photo. It was interesting to note that one particular picture is of a young girl African-American girl posing with a caucasian doll. His pride in his heritage is evident and I loved the cadence of the verses. Using this in the classroom as a resource for a non-rhyming poem is a thought, or as a jump-start to researching one's own family pictures.
August 25, 2012
What a lovely book, mostly in sepias, grays and blacks, with the occasional, gorgeous and welcome sip of color. The spacious layout on lots of open space on ivory paper is good ground for Myer's tender poems. A sample, "Summer," that is so much better read out loud...
I like hot days, hot days
Sweat is what you got days
Bugs buzzin from cousin to cousin
Juices dripping
Running and ripping
Cath the one you love days
Birds peeping
Old men sleeping
Lazy days, daisies lay
Beaming and dreaming
Of hot days, hot days,
Sweat is what you got days
...especially "Lazy days, daisies lay." The stars of the book are the children that populate the photographs, almost all in portraits.
I like hot days, hot days
Sweat is what you got days
Bugs buzzin from cousin to cousin
Juices dripping
Running and ripping
Cath the one you love days
Birds peeping
Old men sleeping
Lazy days, daisies lay
Beaming and dreaming
Of hot days, hot days,
Sweat is what you got days
...especially "Lazy days, daisies lay." The stars of the book are the children that populate the photographs, almost all in portraits.
March 28, 2011
Can't believe I've never added this to my virtual bookshelf! This remains one of my best loved collections of poetry. It's absolutely beautiful, and my memories of having the poems read to me by my parents or my sister are some of my favorites. "Love That Boy" is a classic, but it doesn't mean the other peoms in this book aren't marvelous as well.
January 29, 2016
This is a beautiful book of black children from years past. Walter Dean Myers has made it a project of his to collect these old photos and he's done a magnificent job of it in this book. I frequently had it on display in my library and it was always an "attention getter."
April 30, 2018
Brown Angels: An Album of Pictures and Verse, is a book of poetry that is dedicated to African-American children from many years ago. This poetry book has won many awards, including "The library of Congress Children's Book", "The American Library Association Notable Children's Book", "New York Public Library Book For The Teen Age", and more. The age group intended for this book is from the ages of three years old and up. Brown Angels: An Album of Pictures and Verse, is creatively put together. Walter Dean Myers, the author, is known for having great novels, so when I saw that this was Myers' work, I knew that it would be great to read. Each page consist of different poems and different photos of African-American children in their little suits and dresses from the 1920's. I enjoyed reading through this book because it was sort of like a history lesson and I felt like I was looking through a vintage photo album. I enjoyed seeing the beautiful outfits that each child was wearing. What amazes me the most was that Walter Dean Myers talked about having to go to flea markets, museums, antique shops, and auction houses, just to find these photos. These are actual photos of people that came before us! The poems were also great to read. This book may be appealing to younger readers because all of the photos are of little children. They get to see what children their age looked like back then. It would also be appealing to adults as well because of the history, and the photos are intriguing. If I was working with children I would use it to show how some poems look and let them enjoy the photos. I would recommend reading this book, it's amazing. Date Reviewed: April 20, 2018
September 20, 2019
When I first read this lovely book of poetry, I didn't know about the photographer Richard Samuel Roberts from Columbia, South Carolina. Myers used many of his pictures including my favorite, the little boy with the chicken - his pet?? - I wonder.
Sharon Creech hadn't written Love That Dog either, with Myers' poem, "Love That Boy," as one of her central lures for Jack and poetry.
Confluence of the stars. . . ahhhhhh. . .
Sharon Creech hadn't written Love That Dog either, with Myers' poem, "Love That Boy," as one of her central lures for Jack and poetry.
Confluence of the stars. . . ahhhhhh. . .
November 16, 2023
A poem from this collection ("Love That Boy") is the key poem in Sharon Creech, Love That Dog, and both are part of Wit & Wisdom 4th grade. This book was originally designed to pair pictures and poems together, and I highly recommend engaging the original book that way (rather than just looking up the poem online, or reading the text of the poem alone). The pictures add considerably to the text. I loved this book!
June 8, 2017
Read with my son after reading "Love That Dog" by Sharon Creech in which she focuses on Walter Dean Myers and his poem "Love That Boy." The full poem is recorded in this album of pictures and verse. I have loved other novels by Myers but this is my first introduction to his poetry.
July 29, 2020
This picture book of poetry has pictures of lovely children from long ago. Just as the children were different from one another, the poems here vary, with some sounding much like jump-rope jingles, and others very serious statements about the potential of the children in their time. Recommended.
June 25, 2019
Beautiful pictures and cute, children-appropriate poems to accompany them.
August 2, 2021
I was deeply moved by the words and images. Walter Dean Myers is a genius.
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November 14, 2022Great book. If you are a teacher and introduce poetry, pair this with Love That Dog--perfect pairing.
November 27, 2022
What a lovely collection of poems and pictures celebrating the beauty of blackness for young listeners, and with rhymes that my six-year-old loved and was repeating throughout bedtime.
January 25, 2011
My favorite poem from this book is "Love That Boy" which Sharon Creech included as a key poem in her book, "Love That Dog." I can imagine Mr. Walter Dean Myers reading this poem to a bunch of kids at an elementary school or a library, exuding all of the warmth and over-flowing love he has for his own son. His voice comes out of this poem, so even though I have never seen or heard him, I can still strongly imagine this.
I can imagine children pouring over the wonderful portraits of the anonymous African American children and their families in these black and white photographs from around the turn of the last century. The majority of these, the author found and collected from antique shops. Perhaps elementary age students (2nd grade and up) could make their own poems about the children in the photographs or bring in personal photos and write poems about their own families. These could then be made into a class book or produced as a gift for the winter holidays, Mother's Day, or an early Father's day present. I would Walter Dean Myers’s book, Angel to Angel: A Mother’s Gift of Love, as a companion book. Like Brown Angels book, Angel to Angel is another book featuring Mr. Myers’s poetry about families accompanied by antique photographs of African American children and their families from his collection.
I can imagine children pouring over the wonderful portraits of the anonymous African American children and their families in these black and white photographs from around the turn of the last century. The majority of these, the author found and collected from antique shops. Perhaps elementary age students (2nd grade and up) could make their own poems about the children in the photographs or bring in personal photos and write poems about their own families. These could then be made into a class book or produced as a gift for the winter holidays, Mother's Day, or an early Father's day present. I would Walter Dean Myers’s book, Angel to Angel: A Mother’s Gift of Love, as a companion book. Like Brown Angels book, Angel to Angel is another book featuring Mr. Myers’s poetry about families accompanied by antique photographs of African American children and their families from his collection.
March 7, 2011
Published in 1996 by HarperTrophy
Interest Level: 4th-6th Grade
Myers uses his personal collection of photos from the turn of the 20th century to display various poems about subjects that he sees reflected in the images he has selected. Profound pictures are used that make the reader curious to Myers' intention as well as who the subjects of the photo is. Additionally, the short poems allow for the photographs to carry a deeper meaning. Each page is like a scrapbook of a family that moves through everyday life as an African-American. Written from an insider's perspective and definitely full of cultural nuances; this book is recommended as an example of poetry and image as well as the scrapbook style of presentation.
Interest Level: 4th-6th Grade
Myers uses his personal collection of photos from the turn of the 20th century to display various poems about subjects that he sees reflected in the images he has selected. Profound pictures are used that make the reader curious to Myers' intention as well as who the subjects of the photo is. Additionally, the short poems allow for the photographs to carry a deeper meaning. Each page is like a scrapbook of a family that moves through everyday life as an African-American. Written from an insider's perspective and definitely full of cultural nuances; this book is recommended as an example of poetry and image as well as the scrapbook style of presentation.
December 3, 2012
Brown Angels is a collection of poems that reflect the attitudes and values of African American’s during the 1900’s. The book is filled with numerous pictures of African American children and each poem correlates with a child’s picture. The poems The subgroup represented in this book are African American Slaves The genre of the book is poetry as well as historical fiction. This book is written from the perspective of someone who has researched and gathered poems that reflected the attitudes and beliefs of many African Americans of the past. The language of the poems does reflect that of the historic African American culture.
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May 13, 2013Brown Angels: An Album of Pictures and Verse is a poetry book by Walter Dean Myers, that is 70 pages. It details the stories of different children through various poems that the author wrote. The book itself is a collection of pictures of African American children throughout a period of decades, dating back to a hundred years ago. Overall, I enjoyed this book because it was an easy read, and I enjoyed looking at the vintage photos of these children. I would recommend this book to anyone who needs a nice poetry book to read.
April 16, 2016
Gorgeous photographs flanked by poems about the African American experience at the turn of the century. (Guess we now need to clarify which turn, although, in my mind this clearly means the change from the nineteenth to the twentieth century.) Loved the pictures but poetry has never really been my thing. However, this would make for a lovely gift, an important addition to a school library, or an ideal coffee table browser.
May 19, 2016
"Why do I love children? I think it is because the child in each of us is our most precious part. Children remind us of a time of innocence, a time of giving, and an unfettered love of life."
This collection of brief poems and beautiful photographs from the early twentieth century joins a long history of photography in African American-authored picture books for children (and adults). My favorite poems are "Love That Boy" and "Pride."
This collection of brief poems and beautiful photographs from the early twentieth century joins a long history of photography in African American-authored picture books for children (and adults). My favorite poems are "Love That Boy" and "Pride."
November 18, 2011
Walter Dean Myers uses old photographs of African American children from the 1920's to provide visuals to the poetry that is presented. Myers finds photo's in antique shops and, although nameless, the children bring a great deal of joy to the verses and are a treat for the reader.
January 14, 2008
I loved this book and got it for my mom for Mother's day one year...and went back and got myself one
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September 11, 2009JAR 8115Mye
July 1, 2010
The pictures taken of children in the early days of photography have to be seen to appreciate.
February 23, 2019
This book is short and sweet. I loved the poems in this book & the Pictures that went along with it. Whenever I re-read this book it just takes me back to my childhood :)
October 23, 2012
Interesting old photographs and lovely poems.
March 12, 2014
Lovely old photographs, but the poems are not as strong.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews