That Is My Dream!
Details
That is My Dream
By: Langston Hughes
Illustrated By: Daniel Miyares
Kansas Notable Book 2018
“Dream Variation,” one of Langston Hughes's most celebrated poems, about the dream of a world free of discrimination and racial prejudice, is now a picture book stunningly illustrated by Daniel Miyares, the acclaimed creator of Float.
Langston Hughes's inspiring and timeless message of pride, joy, and the dream of a better life is brilliantly and beautifully interpreted in Daniel Miyares's gorgeous artwork.
Follow one African-American boy through the course of his day as the harsh reality of segregation and racial prejudice comes into vivid focus. But the boy dreams of a different life—one full of freedom, hope, and wild possibility, where he can fling his arms wide in the face of the sun.
By: Langston Hughes
Illustrated By: Daniel Miyares
Kansas Notable Book 2018
“Dream Variation,” one of Langston Hughes's most celebrated poems, about the dream of a world free of discrimination and racial prejudice, is now a picture book stunningly illustrated by Daniel Miyares, the acclaimed creator of Float.
Langston Hughes's inspiring and timeless message of pride, joy, and the dream of a better life is brilliantly and beautifully interpreted in Daniel Miyares's gorgeous artwork.
Follow one African-American boy through the course of his day as the harsh reality of segregation and racial prejudice comes into vivid focus. But the boy dreams of a different life—one full of freedom, hope, and wild possibility, where he can fling his arms wide in the face of the sun.
That is my dream! (an excerpt)
To fling my arms wide
In the face of the sun,
Dance!
Whirl!
Whirl!
Till the quick day is done.
Hughes's powerful vision, brought joyously to life by Daniel Miyares, is as relevant—and necessary—today as when it was first written.
Hardcover; 32 pages
ISBN: 978-0399550171
About the Author
James Mercer Langston Hughes (1902-1967) was a poet, novelist, biographer and a playwright. He is particularly known for his insightful portrayals of black life in America from the twenties through the sixties. In addition to the black dialect, he incorporated the rhythms of jazz and the blues into his poetry.
He published his first poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" in The Crisis magazine in 1921. His first book of poems, The Weary Blues, which includes the poem "Dream Variation," was published by Knopf in 1926.
In addition to writing a large body of poetic work, Hughes wrote eleven plays and countless works of prose, including the well-known “Simple” books.
Hughes earned several awards during his lifetime including: a Guggenheim fellowship (1935), an American Academy of Arts and Letters Grant (1947), and a Spingarn Medal from the NAACP (1960).
Langston Hughes died of complications of prostate cancer on May 22, 1967.
About the Illustrator
Daniel Miyares is the author and illustrator of Float, an ALA-ALSC Notable Children's Book of the Yea. He has written and illustrated several books including, Bring Me a Rock! Night Out and Hope at Sea. He also illustrated Surf's Up by Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander.
He lives in Lenexa, Kansas, with his wife, their two children and a dog named Violet.
Praise For That is My Dream!...
"A must-read illustrated poem that breathes new life into Hughes' "Dream Variation."
—Kirkus Reviews
"With luminous washes of watercolor and the lyrical language of Hughes’s 1924 poem as his text, Miyares (That Neighbor Kid) presents a resonant vision of an African-American boy who imagines a more just world."
—Publishers Weekly