Exquisite: the Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks

     Slade, Suzanne and illustrator Cabrera, Cozbi A. Exquisite: the Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks. Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2020. Ages 6-9.



This is a biography of Gwendolyn Brooks written by Suzanne Slade, an author who has written over 150 children's books. As an engineer, Slade enjoys writing about STEM topics and relevant historical figures like Brooks. Slade and illustrator Cabrera were awarded the 2022 Norman A. Sugarman Children’s biography for this work. They incorporate Brook’s own words and poems into the biography, exposing young readers to in-text citations and Brooks poetry. 

Told in a chronological story narrative, Gwendolyn Brooks grew up on the southside of Chicago in a very poor family who valued literature and poetry. Her father would read out loud for the family on a nightly basis. At the young age of 7, Brooks started playing with words and creating her own poems. Her poems highlight the hardships and joys of living during the great depression, writing about poverty, hunger, and not fitting in. Despite all the hardships she faced, Brooks passion of poetry pushed her to continue writing until Brooks became the first Black American Woman to win the Pulitzer award.  

The illustrations that accompany the story are vibrant acrylic illustrations with hues of pinks, blues, greens, and yellows highlight the hopes and disillusionment of Brooks childhood. Cabrera's attention to detail captures Brooks’ imagination and will enchant young readers with his usage of colors. Some additional reference materials included in this work are an author's note, a timeline of Brooks’ life, and a source citing where Brooks’ quotes came from. This showcases the author's care and attention to detail when putting together this biography. This work does a great job exposing young readers to Brooks’ poetry and can be used as a research aid or to inspire young readers to play with language. While it does a great job detailing Brooks' life, it does not display many of her poems, so readers may want additional resources with Brooks’ poetry.  

 

 

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