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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 Book

Amistad/HarperTrophy
August 2005
Soft Cover Picture Book
0060753110
[Ages 8 - 10]
More at Amazon.com
Excerpt
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The Reviewer

Jan Fields
Reviewed 2005
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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