Uptown - by Bryan Collier (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Coretta Scott King Award-winning illustrator Bryan Collier discovers the vibrant world of Harlem, New York, as seen through the eyes of a little boy.

"Uptown . . .
Harlem, New York.
Chicken and waffles.
Jazz.
Home."

Uptown is a rich mix of flavors, colors, sounds, and cultures that come together to create a vibrant community like no other in the world. Seen through the eyes of one little boy who lives there, the details of life in Harlem are as joyous as a game of basketball on a summer's afternoon and as personal as a trip to the barbershop where old-timers reminisce.

Bryan Collier's spare, poetic text and beautiful, intricate illustrations evoke every aspect of Harlem, from the legendary Apollo Theater to chocolate-colored brownstones, weekend shopping on 125th Street, and the music of Duke Ellington.

Uptown is the winner of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award.

Review Quotes

"Collier's evocative watercolor-and-collage illustrations create a unique sense of mood and place. Bold color choices for text as well as background pages complement engagingly detailed pictures of city life." --School Library Journal

"...both text and art capture a child's sense of perspective and imagination." --Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Bryan Collier won the Coretta Scott King Award for illustration and the Ezra Jack Keats Award for new talent for Uptown, the first picture book he both wrote and illustrated. He also won a Coretta Scott King Best Illustrator Honor for Visiting Langston, written by Willie Perdomo.