Pass It On: African American Poetry by Wade Hudson

Pass It On: African American Poetry Reviews

• 
  Henessy Tolliver

  This book includes many short poems, that are all wonderful.
• 
  Brandy Mcdonald

  Pass It On: African American Poetry for Children written by Wade Hudson is a collection of poetry for children by African-American poets. The book beautifully introduces the what different cultures can bring to literary arts. This book has so many messages and valuable lessons to teach to young readers about African American culture. The topics vary from fun and care-free poems to others telling the story of struggles that African Americans have had to face throughout history. IN light of recent public event the opening to this collection really touched my heart. The collection begins with a lullaby from an African American mother to her baby. There are different poetry styles with in the collection. The poems are narrative, free verse, or lyrical. It would be great activity to have each student pick a style a write a poem about their own culture or family.
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  Savannah Martin

  This book talks about the African-American culture through poetry. This book was so meaningful due to the fact that it's helping keep the traditions alive for African-Americans. What I like about this book is the simple fact that it introduces us to the works of famous African-American writers. If I were to use this in my class I would focus specifically on the African-American tradition along with slavery, racism, and the civil rights.
• 
  Brandy

  A much more kid-friendly collection of poems focusing on the African American experience. My favorite poems include:
  - Wait Little Joe
  - Time to Play
  - Daddy’s Little Girl
  - To Catch a Fish
  - I Can
  - Midway
  - Harriet Tubman
  - The Dream Keeper
  - Listen Children
• 
  G.L.

  Powerful poems for all ages!!
• 
  Charissa

  This poetry book is REAL. And what I mean by that is, it talks about real problems and situations that happened to African American kids back then; it can count as a historical fiction and present-day, but also informational. At first I didn't think it could be a children's book because of the topics, but that's how children learn. The book starts off with an African mother saying a lullaby to her baby about people want to take him/her. This book ends with one of my favorite poems in the book about being black. It says that we have never hated black, we just have been embarrassed and mad to think it's not okay to be black, but we have always loved us. This book represents black boys and girls playing, daddy's girls, racism, etc; and it has great pictures to match the words. It is such a nice collection of great poems that accurately represent the culture and encourages being confident in being black.
• 
  Emma Hunter

  The pictures and poems express African American culture. The whole thing is wonderfully done!
  
  Lexile: NP
  GR: N/A
  Trait: Ideas
• 
  Megan Bernhard

  Pass It On is a collection of African-American Poetry for children selected by Wade Hudson. Each poem is accompanied by an illustration by Floyd Cooper that helps to draw the reader into the message the poems convey. For example the poem entitled Wait Little Joe pictures an enthusiastic depiction of Little Joe attempting to jump the ditch. This is one of the first poems in the collection and I was particularly drawn to it because I think everyone can relate to wanting to participate in an activity they are not yet ready for. The rest of the collection includes themes of play, family, and friendships. One poem from this collection that is an excellent example of using exact rhymes is The Sand-Man. This poem would be very good to use in the classroom to help teach rhyming patterns. The poem Midway is a good example of insight and images. With the help of the illustration I was able to conclude that this poem is a story being told to a young African-American by an elder, most likely a family member. Through the sound of the poem I am able to envision the events the poem talks about and I really was taken back by the way the author uses historical context to tell her story. I feel that the majority of the poems in this collection can help to deepen our awareness especially those of African-American children's feelings. My heart was truly warmed by the emotion I felt in the voice of these authors. I was touched by Daddy's Little Girl and I would dive deeper into the meaning of this poem by helping my students to understand their importance in the life of others. Another poem that stood out to me was Listen Children and I think this could also be used teach about love and understanding for one another.
• 
  Karin

  Short Response:
  Hudson, Wade. Pass It On: African American Poetry. Scholastic by arrangement with Just Us Books, 1998. 24 p. Gr. Pre-K-3.
  
  This book is a collection of poems by 14 of America's most notable African-American poets. Poem themes span time and place, ranging from Africa and African lullabies to simple childish games, slavery, racism, civil rights, and dreaming of the a future in which an African-American becomes the President. The book is a celebration of the African-American cultural experience. Artwork in the book includes muted, full-bleed, photo-realistic pastels on two-page spreads.
  
  Reader response/classroom connections: This book could be utilized in classrooms from grades Pre-K (perhaps utilizing only some of the simpler poems) and up. This book would be a wonderful addition to a unit focusing on multiculturalism and would, work well in a text set (perhaps with another poetry book illustrated by Floyd Cooper, 'Meet Danitra Brown' by poet Nikki Grimes [who is also featured in this 'Pass It On: African American Poetry collection'] along with 'I Love My Hair!' by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley and other non-fiction and poetry books that celebrate African American culture, especially during 'Black History Month'. Another valuable exercise would be choose a poem from the collection each day and ask students to research the poet who wrote that poem; the class could, over the span of the unit, construct their own short poetry journals of the various poets' work.
• 
  Becky

  What great poems for primary students. Not only do some of the poems teach the students of today some history but they are also relatable. The poems in this anthology are not the typical poems students are taught in school, so it is a great way to introduce younger students to a variety of poetry elements. Upper primary students would probably enjoy using these poems as inspiration for their own poems. The poets in this anthology are famous writer/poets that the students would enjoy studying. Al...more What great poems for primary students. Not only do some of the poems teach the students of today some history but they are also relatable. The poems in this anthology are not the typical poems students are taught in school, so it is a great way to introduce younger students to a variety of poetry elements. Upper primary students would probably enjoy using these poems as inspiration for their own poems. The poets in this anthology are famous writer/poets that the students would enjoy studying. Also, it would be a great book to connect with a social studies unit. (less)
• 
  Katie

  Beautifully written poetry by some of the greats... Langston Hughes, Nikki Grimes... Some are lighter some carry more meaning and stories of struggle. Could bring about some great class discussion. Also great for read alouds.
• 
  Libby In Libraryland

  Poems in this collection that fed my interest in African-American poetry include "Wait Little Joe" by Lessie Little Jones, "Daddy's Little Girl" by Lindamichellebaron, and "Listen Children" by Lucile Clifton.
  
  
• 
  Kristen

  Sixth grade +.
  
  A collection of poems by various authors. Some deal solely with African-American history/life. Others are for children in general.
  
  Several touching poems dealing with childhood and history. Amazing artistry!
• 
  Cheryl

  I loved the rhythm of some of these poems, couldn't help but hear the melody.
• 
  Aska

  African-American Poetry for Children
  
  Time to Play - Nikki Grimes
  To Catch a Fish - Eloise Greenfield
  Langston Hughes
  
  Harriet Tubman - Eloise Greenfield
  
• 
  Allie

  Easy to read African American poetry.
• 
  Jessica

  This collection of poems includes beautiful illustrations and short poems that might appeal to children. Some are historical, some are more current, and some are just silly. This would be a good book for a multicultural and/or poetry unit with students.