27. Hip Hop Speaks to Children: a celebration of poetry with a beat

I've got to admit, I have not yet read every single page of this book; it is so full of amazing lyrics, poems, and illustrations that it would take me days to absorb it all. From what I have read, I am impressed.


This book was edited by Nikki Giovanni, famed poet, writer, and activist. In the book she compiles over 50 artist's and poet's works. It is the 'celebration of poetry with a beat'. Giovanni even included a CD for children to hear actual performances of the work. In her introduction, Giovanni explains that as long as people have been telling stories, there is rhythm, rap, and hip hop. She validates the art form by connecting it to roots from the past and relating it to poetry. She makes sure to distance this art form of 'true hip hop' from what is on music videos.

"Don't be fooled by the rap videos out there that exaggerate and show bad behavior. Those videos can be embarrassing and are not real...

Genuine hip hop is bold, boastful, and brave...it makes us throw our heads back with laughter, not hang our heads in shame."

What a powerful message for kids who can so easily consume the media without critically questioning it. This book is a celebration of the true hip hop and rhythmic poetry that empower children to value themselves and their communities, reaching far in life to fulfill their dreams. It features the inspiring words of such artists as Mos Def, Tupac Shakur, Maya Angelou, Queen Latifah, Common, Langston Hughes, W.E. DuBois, etc. 

There were 5 illustrators who worked on the book, though you never know who did which illustrations. Altogether, though, I can say that the illustrations range from collage with intricate lines of motion to sharp, acrylic paintings to cartoon-like colored pencil drawings. Each illustration fits the poem that it corresponds to, thus creating a seamless collaboration of text and images. I could keep delving into the illustrations for hours to come, since each one has lots of intricate elements going on. The colors are vibrant...the mood is joyful and rhythmic. Movement is often depicted with characters in the middle of action. These are not songs of sadness, they are songs of power and hope.

In my classroom, I would certainly not attempt to read the book from cover to cover. I would pick the works that were most relevant to our unit of study. This book is such a great resource since I am always looking for poetry to connect with our units. I love using poetry because it evokes such emotions and allows for deep conversations as to the meaning. Their interpretations are often much more insightful than mine! Plus, just connecting the idea of poetry to hip hop might spark a burgeoning interest in poetry that a child never had before. And if it can get kids to write, sign me up!