Parents' Guide to

My People

By Patricia Tauzer, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 5+

Photos bring sparkling tone to simple poem of celebration.

Book Langston Hughes Poetry 2009
My People Poster Image

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age 6+

Based on 1 parent review

Lenore63
Lenore63 Parent of 13 and 15-year-old
February 13, 2010
age 6+

The is exactly what he says. "My People"

Langston Hughes had alway been one of my flavorite Author. Most of his work has been towards the older crownd. However, I find to be right on time for both young and older groups. Some picture are self explaminatory.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

In the late 1920s, Langston Hughes wrote this simple short poem to celebrate African American people. The photographs in this book translate his words into pictures and add to the celebration. Most are head shots showing smiles, eyes, and hopeful, happy faces. At the end, a message from the photographer explains just how he made the choices he did when choosing photographs to illustrate the poet's words.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

The poem is simple and short, and the photographs are expressive. Taken together, they create a wonderful reminder of just how special and unique people are. While these photos are all of African American people, since that is whom Langston Hughes celebrates in his poem, the message applies to us all.

Sepia-toned photographs against a black background create a warm and happy tone for this poem of celebration. The artist hoped to show that "like any group of people, black people come in all shapes, sizes, shades, and ages, and that each of us is unique." The poem has been broken into short phrases that dance boldly across the black background in over-sized white or sepia letters.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the art. Why do you think the illustrator used sepia-toned photographs against a black background rather than printing the pages in color? How does that affect the way you see the faces?

  • The illustrator adds strips of photos inside the covers and along the edges of some of the pages. Why do you think he did that? How does it help you understand who he means when he says, "my people"?

Book Details

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