Spin a Soft Black Song: Poems for Children

by Nikki Giovanni, George Martins (Illustrator)

Spin a Soft Black Song is an illustrated poetry collection from Caldecott Honor and Langston Hughes Medal award-winning author Nikki Giovanni.

With black-and-white art from George Martins, this revised edition of the classic collection features thirty-five poems for and about black children--written from their perspective--celebrating the energy and joy of young life within their own communities.

Genres: Poetry, Childrens, African American, Picture Books

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni Jr. was an American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. One of the world's most well-known African-American poets, her work includes poetry anthologies, poetry recordings, and nonfiction essays, and covers topics ranging from race and social issues to children's literature. She won numerous awards, including the Langston Hughes Medal and the NAACP Image Award. She was nominated for a Grammy Award for her poetry album, The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection. Additionally, she was named as one of Oprah Winfrey's 25 "Living Legends". Giovanni was a member of The Wintergreen Women Writers Collective.
Giovanni gained initial fame in the late 1960s as one of the foremost authors of the Black Arts Movement. Influenced by the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement of the period, her early work provides a strong, militant African-American perspective, leading one writer to dub her the "Poet of the Black Revolution". During the 1970s, she began writing children's literature, and co-founded a publishing company, NikTom Ltd, to provide an outlet for other African-American women writers. Over subsequent decades, her works discussed social issues, human relationships, and hip hop. Poems such as "Knoxville, Tennessee" and "Nikki-Rosa" have been frequently re-published in anthologies and other collections.
Giovanni received numerous awards and holds 27 honorary degrees from various colleges and universities. She was also given the key to over two dozen cities. Giovanni was honored with the NAACP Image Award seven times. One of her more unique honors was having a South America bat species, Micronycteris giovanniae, named after her in 2007.
Giovanni was proud of her Appalachian roots and worked to change the way the world views Appalachians and Affrilachians.
Giovanni taught at Queens College, Rutgers, and Ohio State, and was a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech until September 1, 2022. After the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, she delivered a chant-poem at a memorial for the shooting victims.

Reviews

[tristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely sweet. I felt like I was being tucked into bed

[Patricia Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spin a soft black song is a 57 page book filled with a collection of different forms of poetry including narrative,concrete, and cinquain.This book is appropriate for ages primary to advanced. This book should be read because it explores some of the activities of the black community. Although it is written for black children i think all children should read it so that we might get to know each others culture.
Most of the poems have a flat characters as they do not alter their personality. There is no single plot to the book yet each poem has a single flat plot. Each poem tells its story in a few lines. Alliteration, free verse, meter, imagery, and simile are all used in this compilation of poems. 'james snowball stand' is free verse and begins with "snowballs are fun when the streets are covered with the white liquid" , the middle says, "but they mean that much more to me the climax begins with when james puts raspberry and cherry and ends ,"on them in july". This type of poetry is recurring throughout the book. Imagery is used when telling about the street and the side walk in the boy in the barbershop, personification is present in this book as well.There are many styles in Spin a soft black song and some poems my need to be read several times to fully understand it. Some of the content may conjure up memories of the past while some of the word choices help to enhance the meaning. Artistic elements are all there in each poem. Space is shown in 'mrs. martha jean black'. The three characters are in the middle of the picture which draws our attention to them, color of black and white shows saturation and hue. Line is shown in the poem somethings are funny like that and texture is shown in the poem George. I give this book a star rating of four.

[Chrisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The poems have a voice from the child's perspective. I would have liked my son to have read them to me, and they were easy enough for him to read, that I think I'll have him do that, because the poems are written from the point of a child's mind, not like the traditional nursery ryhms that have been read TO children by parents since I can remember.

[Hyacinth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book. It took me back to memories of my childhood. The illustrations were realistic and warm. I would love to cuddle up with my hands and read this book to them. I love that it was Black without being militant. There is a time and place for everything but this was just sweet, warm and fuzzy.

[Megan Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book of African American poetry written from a child's point of view. I thought the author did a good job capturing the essence of each individual child. This would be good for older children. They could take a poem of their choice and interpret it with movement or sound in small groups.

[Robert Airhart II · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful poems that resonate with children. Nikki Giovanni has a rare talent for expressing circumstances of childhood and offering understanding, encouragement, and affirmation.

[Nicole Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a mother, I really loved the poems surrounding young newborns and toddlers in this collection.

[Dietrich West-Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the poems are thoughtful but I think the most of the poems are for adults. But some were cute not her best work.

[Steph Lovelady · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming collection of poems, originally published in 1971, narrated from the perspective of various African-American children, from babies to elementary school age. My edition (1984) had pen and ink illustrations accompanying some of the poems. Some of the titles could be in any collection of poems for young children, "Mommies," "Daddies," "Let's Take a Nap," though they contain sweet details such as a mother's endearment "Chocolate Drop" to address her preschooler that remind you of the primary intended audience.

Others poems are more sharply poignant for minority communities, such as "Poem for Rodney": people always ask what/am i going to be/when I grow/up and i always just think/i'd like to grow/up.

This one was one of my favorites, which should appeal to anyone who's cared for a baby, "Poem for Ntombe Iayo (at five weeks of age)": who them people think/they are putting/me down here on this floor/i'll just lay here stretching/my arms and maybe i'll kick/my legs a li'l bit/why I betcha i'll just get up from here and walk/soons i get big."

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not really like his book. I was looking forward to reading it because it has a nice reputation, but I did not understand many of its poems. I like that most of the poems were written from the perspective of children. I did not like the foreword, it sounded angry. I would use some of these poems as brain breaks or to inspire a project for the children to write or create an art project for.

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/bo...
Interest Level
Grades 3 - 5
Reading Level
Grade level Equivalent: 4.5
Lexile® Measure: Not Available
DRA: Not Available
Guided Reading: Not Available
Genre
General Fiction
Theme/Subject
Character and Values
African American
Friends and Friendship

[Elines Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is filled with a collection of poems written from the perspective of a child. While the book in its entirety did not have a specific plot, the individual poems themselves told a story. Overall I felt the energy and joy that the poems had to offer. However, there were some that I had to re-read a few times to really understand the meaning. Yet, great one for children and adults.

[Jess (Jess.Keep.Reading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
A collection of poems from the perspective of a child.

I was introduced to this collection via The Well Read Black Girl anthology by Glory Edim and had to pick it up. Published in the 1980s, some of the language and prose are transferable to present day. I can imagine a child reading along and seeing themselves reflected in these poems and the illustrations.

[C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection was on3of5h3 first poetry books purchased for my children. I enjoyed revisiting this collection.