Harlem at Four

by Michael Datcher, Frank Morrison (Illustrator)

A stunning picture book comprising two incredible stories—the first part chronicles the adventures of a four-year-old Black girl named Harlem, while the second part describes the history of Harlem the neighborhood. From a New York Times bestselling author and a critically acclaimed illustrator.

In this beautiful picture book in two parts, meet the girl and the neighborhood. Part one follows the adventures of a little girl named Harlem and her single father as they go on a museum “playdate” with painters Romare Bearden and Jean-Michel Basquiat, listen to John Coltrane records, and conduct science experiments in their apartment ("The volcano erupts /Red lava on Valentine’s Day!").

Part two takes us back to the fourth year of the twentieth century in Harlem the neighborhood. Here, we are introduced to Philip A. Payton Jr., aka Papa Payton, whose Afro-American Realty Company gave birth to the Black housing explosion, helping to start America's Great Black Migration. Because of Papa Peyton, Black families—like Harlem and her father a century later—could move to Harlem and thrive and flourish.

This is a completely unique, absolutely gorgeous picture book by a New York Times bestselling author and a Coretta Scott King Award-winning illustrator that weaves together the lives of a modern Black family and a historically Black neighborhood in New York City.

Genres: Picture Books, Poetry, History, African American, Family, Childrens, Cultural

48 pages, Hardcover

Published September 19, 2023

About the author

Michael Datcher, a journalist and spoken-word poet, has written for Vibe, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun, and Buzz.
A former Pacific News Service correspondent, Michael Datcher has contributed essays to a number of anthologies.

Reviews

[Marisa Gettas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story meant to be read outloud. The illustrations are stunning!

[Bailey Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harlem at Four is a beautiful, poetic, heartwarming, educational, unique, imaginative, and relatable story! This book is truly full of heart! I adore that this story has two parts. The first is depicts a lovely father daughter relationship. It is truly the sweetest. This is my favorite part of book because it still includes culture, education, and wonderful depiction of Harlem.......but that relationship will capture your heart! It is just so cute! I loved everything about it! The illustrations really brought this precious father daughter bond to life! The second part gives some historical background on how Harlem was transformed during the black migration. It also includes information about some of the most influential people who have lived in Harlem. I truly enjoyed this part of the book as well! This book is amazing!

[Debra Hines · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautifully illustrated picture book is packed with history about Harlem. At first read, it is as lovely story about a father and his daughter exploring the famous Harlem neighborhood and is an homage to black pride and parenthood. After a second and third read, and after reading the background knowledge included in the two page glossary at the end of the book about the many historical references included in the book, it becomes an essential reference book for black culture centered in Harlem. One minor quip- in the first section each line is begun with a capital letter, causing the reader to stop at the end of each sentence when in fact, the flow of the sentence often continues onto the next page. Once I discovered this and read accordingly, the book made more sense. Recommended in Learning for Justice magazine.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous illustrations prove that Frank Morrison is the right person to paint this story a the love between a father and a daughter and their community. The author's note at the beginning offers really good insight into the story and what it means and helps explain why there are two stories in this one picture book. The first, is the a story of fatherly love that challenges racist stereotypes about absent Black fathers. It is a celebration of modern Harlem. The second story looks at the history that made Harlem what it is today, set in 1904 it talks about the father of Harlem who laid the ground work for the Harlem Renaissance. Moving and touching and joyful.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book in two,parts filled with gorgeous, bright, colorful illustrations celebrating a lovely heartwarming Black father-daughter relationship in part one, and depicting the history of Harlem in part two. Really well done.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both an homage to his young daughter, Harlem, as she navigates the world around her at the tender age of four, and to the portion of New York City known as Harlem that the father and daughter explore together, this picture book is filled with tender observations of the cherished person and place. While some of the line breaks in the minimal text are a bit strange and interrupt the text's flow, this title deserves acclaim because of its unique approach to its subject matter and the relationship between the father and his offspring. It's clear that they share many interests and spend quality time together and wouldn't want to be doing anything else anywhere else in the world. The separate sections link present day with the past--Harlem in 1904, describing some of its features and the influential individuals who made it their home, offering youngsters a brief history lesson. The textual tidbits and visual references are expanded upon in the back matter in thumbnail sketches in a section entitled "The Incredible People, Places, and Things in Harlem at Four. The text is supported but also almost overshadowed by the splendid artwork, created with oil paint and spray paint, depicting people, places, and things of significance, even street scenes, to those who walked the terrain of this special place, some having moved there from the South and others having been there all along, drawing inspiration from the place. To gaze at some of the paintings that bedeck the pages is to feel immersed in all that Harlem is, was, and might be.

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an ode to Harlem, both the city and the girl named Harlem, age four. This book shares the relationship of a father/daughter pair in the day-to-day life in Harlem. The city seems part of them.

The artwork is amazing. Frank Morrison's artwork feels like jazz with so much motion. It's like jazz on a street corner warming you up inside walking around the lonely city. It's oil paint and spray paint on an illustrated board. The book drips with the feel and color of Harlem. I love all the graffiti pages in the book.

This book was fun. We see modern Harlem and then the last few pages are dedicated to the beginning of Harlem. Year four after it was founded. I never thought to ask how Harlem came to be. Philip A. Payton owned some buildings in 1904 and he was willing to rent to black people during the great black migration when 6 million people moved from the south to the north. I never knew about any of that. It makes sense that someone had to make an opening. It's been a hub for famous people for many decades now.

Great book. I think kids will enjoy this for the art alone. The book is told in a sort of poem, almost like haiku.

[Read Ribbet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adult author Michael Datcher takes on the challenge of creating a picture book after the suggestion of his daughter. He creates a story in two parts both focused on Harlem. The first part tells the story of a four year girl named Harlem as she celebrates her culture and community with her father. The narrative feels poetic like free verse. The second part tells the story of Harlem the community created in 1904. The reader learns of the influence of Philip Payton who created a real estate company that allowed African Americans to buy homes in Harlem which was critical in facilitating the Great Black Migration from south to north. The book is masterfully illustrated by award winning artists Frank Morrison drawing on his background as a graffiti artist. Datcher adds a two-page glossary of people, places and things mentioned in the book from the Harlem community.

[Victoria Horn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was absolutely in awe of these illustrations, but I don’t think the text is very digestible for little minds. With a bit more context within the text itself, rather than an index at the back, this could be a wonderful junior nonfiction book about the Harlem Renaissance and its implications for our current time, but the two-part format left both halves feeling disjointed. The text itself was sparse yet wordy, making for a more poetic approach that I could appreciate as an adult poet, but I couldn’t help thinking that it would be confusing for children Harlem’s age, the child for whom and about whom the book was written. Definitely worth a read for the illustrations alone, and I love the ode to present Black fathers as a direct contrast to the absentee-father stereotype that plagues the Black community even today.

[Gps · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is beautifully illustrated, and is told quite poignantly, but it is not clear to me what the audience is for this book. The notes at the end explain the references, but those references are way beyond the understanding of children younger than 5th grade it would seem to me. In some ways, perhaps the book is thoughtful paean to the father's life with his child, and how he explains life in Harlem, in all its aspects to her.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

the juxtaposition of a little girl named Harlem (aged 4) and Harlem the place is interwoven in a story that links generations to a place and struggle. This book gives a brief history of Harlem and the reason why so many African American families located there. A powerful look at the forces that have shaped the current issues still being addressed through a social justice perspective.

[Margaret Boling · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/3/2024 ~ As a picture book, this title has a split personality - the first half is an homage to Black fatherhood and the author's little girl at four years old (named Harlem). The second half is an homage & brief history of Harlem the neighborhood. As a work of art, the book is stunning, with Frank Morrison's classic elongated paintings.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was about Harlem at 4:00, but it's actually his daughter Harlem at age 4 and the Harlem Renaissance in 1904. The daddy/daughter activities were great but the two parts of the book didn't flow for me. Morrison's illustrations are so inviting as always.

[Denise Lauron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up from the library on a whim.

I enjoyed the book. The illustrations and the explanations were wonderful! I particularly enjoyed the glossary in the back which gave a better description of the events mentioned in the main text.

I highly recommend this book.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous art and a cool blending of the past and present. The ending felt a bit abrupt; I wanted more.

[Olivia Zerger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations - not for storytime

[Syntha Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious Author's note and beautifully illustrated by Morrison, someone please give him all the awards

[Kaprisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was a really good experience read little ones will love

[angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

homage to his daughter and neighborhood
beautiful illustrations and nonlinear narrative

[Miss Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

An elementary and up picture book about a child who lives in Harlem NY at the age of four and all eh whimsy and a second story of the birth of the city of Harlem.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as an adult reader for the AR Diamond Book Award.

[Y.Poston]

a beautiful Daddy-Daughter celebration of history focusing
on place and people, namely, Harlem and all of its ascendant artists
that constituted the Harlem Renaissance

[Cindi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful art. Good story.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tale of two Harlems is an interesting concept, but the poetic style and cultural allusions might sail over the heads of many young listeners and inexperienced readers for whom these linguistic pyrotechnics are too advanced, especially for those in the early stages of language acquisition. That said, the engrossing illustrations provide plenty to marvel at for readers of all ages.

[Shaylie Dobbs · Rating 2 out of 5]

#recent

The illustrations were super cute, however the content confused me a tad. I just think this book could trip students up. It was very wordy.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will read any book illustrated by Frank Morrison–his work is stunning. And this book is a perfect companion to his illustrations as it is a beautiful homage to the author’s daughter and Harlem.