Uptown

by John Steptoe

One day John asks his friend Dennis, "What are we gonna do when we grow up?"The two boys walk through Harlem, Manhattan's UPTOWN, and try to decide. In their uptown world, they see junkies, cops, Brothers, karate experts, and hippies, and they wonder what it might be like to be one of these men.John Steptoe, who was born in 1950, has written a powerful and realistic book, illustrated with his magnificent full-color paintings.Mr. Steptoe received the Society of Illustrators Gold Medal for STEVIE, his first book for children. STEVIE was also chosen as an ALA Notable Children's Book.

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Picture Books, Historical Fiction

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1970

About the author

John Steptoe was an award-winning author and illustrator of children's books from New York City. He began working on his first children's book, Stevie, while still a teenager and achieved great success during his tragically short career, encouraging the advancement of African American culture by producing work about the African American experience that children could appreciate. Recipient of two Coretta Scott King Awards and two Caldecott Honors, Steptoe was posthumously honored by the creation of the John Steptoe New Talent Award, an award designated annually by the Coretta Scott King Award Task Force. Steptoe's best known work is Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, for which he won his second Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award.