Danitra Brown Leaves Town
by Nikki Grimes
Illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Danitra Brown Leaves Town is a collection of poetry about the summer two close
friends, Danitra and Zuri, must spend apart. It's the second of the Danitra Brown books.
At first, Zuri is mad at Danitra for being so happy about spending the summer away but
then Zuri learns she can still have fun and begins to notice other friends and to see
herself as okay as a separate person from her best friend, the splendiferous Danitra.
The poems include "letters" back and forth between the girls that show a lovely contrast
between urban fun and rural fun as we see Zuri street dancing, ball playing in the big
city setting and Danitra dancing under the stars, climbing trees, gardening, and enjoying
a lazy summer day at a backyard family reunion. This is a great book about friendship
and a nice comfort for children facing time away from their best friends. Floyd Cooper's
pastel illustrations bring a glow of vitality to the characters - I especially loved the
spread showing Zuri imagining herself in faraway places. |
The Reviewer |
Jan
Fields |
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NOTE:
Reviewer Jan Fields is the editor of Kid Magazine Writers
emagazine and has written dozens of stories and articles for
the children's magazine market. |
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