Joyce Carol Thomas

Hush Songs
Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 2000
baby to preschool, ISBN 978-0786805624

Here are the hush songs that have gentled babies and comforted children for generations, from "Brown Baby" and "Scarlet Ribbons" to "Raisins and Almonds." Also included are three original hush songs by Joyce Carol Thomas: "A Song for You," with music by internationally famous gospel composer Steven Roberts; "The Angels’ Lullaby," with music by Dr. Olly Wilson, gifted professor of music; and "Petal Child," with music and lyrics by Joyce Carol Thomas.

The Bowlegged Rooster
illustrated by Holly Berry
Joanna Cotler Books, 2000
ages 4 to 8, ISBN 978-0060253776

Every bird who has a feather
Must learn to live
To live together

After baby rooster takes his first steppity-step-step out of the eggshell, he has so much to discover. There's Grandpa Goose's funeral and Bald-headed Buzzard dunking himself in the river, hoping for some feathers. Not to mention Crow's big wedding and a Christmas party with presents and good wishes for everyone. Life in the barnyard sure is more than just steppity-step-strut-strutting around!

Here are five high-spirited and playful tales that signify the important events in life: birth, death, baptism, marriage, and of course, rejoicing.

You Are My Perfect Baby
illustrated by Nneka Bennett
HarperCollins, 1999
ages baby to preschool, ISBN 978-0694010967

...with perfect arms and perfect lips
and tiny fingers
and perfect hips.

In tender verse, National Book Award winner Joyce Carol Thomas celebrates all that's precious about a new baby. Nneka Bennett's gentle illustrations interpret each line of verse with love and care. You Are My Perfect Baby is the perfect warm welcome for newborns.

I Have Heard of a Land
illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Joanna Cotler Books, 1998
ages 4 to 8, ISBN 978-0060234775

I have heard of a land
Where the imagination has no fences
Where what is dreamed one night
Is accomplished the next day

In the late 1880s, signs went up all around America— land was free in the Oklahoma territory. And it was free to everyone: Whites, Blacks, men and women alike. All one needed to stake a claim was hope and courage, strength and perseverance. Thousands of pioneers, many of them African-Americans newly freed from slavery, headed west to carve out a new life in the Oklahoma soil.

Drawing upon her own family history, Joyce Carol Thomas has crafted an unforgettable anthem to these brave and determined people from America's past.

Cherish Me
illustrated by Nneka Bennett
HarperCollins, 1998
ages baby to preschool, ISBN 978-0694010974

For children discovering their individuality, this beautiful poem celebrates uniqueness, love, and self-awareness.

Gingerbread Days: Poems
illustrated by Floyd Cooper
HarperTrophy, 1997
ages 4 to 8, ISBN 978-0064461887 (paperback)

Poems for each month of the year celebrate the themes of family love, individuality, and Afro-American identity.

Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea
illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Joanna Cotler, 1993
ages 9 to 12, ISBN 978-0060210878

A cycle of a dozen lyrical poems exploring issues of African-American identity through delicately interwoven images...Laden with meaning, the poetry is significant and lovely. Cooper's paintings, with vibrant, unsentimentalized characters in earth tone illumined with gold, are warm, contemplative'a beautiful complement to Thomas's eloquence.

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