Perfect Harmony: A Musical Journey with the Boys Choir of Harlem

by Charles R. Smith Jr., Charles Smith

A collection of poems that capture the feelings and expression of music in some of its forms.

32 pages, Hardcover

Published July 8, 2002

About the author

Charles R. Smith Jr. is an award-winning author, photographer, and poet with more than thirty books to his credit. His awards include a Coretta Scott King Award for illustration for his photographs accompanying the Langston Hughes poem "My People" and a Coretta Scott King Honor for his biography of Muhammad Ali, Twelve Rounds to Glory. He is the author of Rimshots, Hoop Kings, Hoop Queens, Tall Tales, Short Takes, Diamond Life, and I Am America. A father of three himself, Charles brings his love of basketball and baseball right down to the toddler set in Let's Play Basketball! and Let's Play Baseball! His recent work celebrates subjects he's been interested in since he was a kid, such as The Mighty 12, which honors Greek gods and goddesses. He currently lives in Poughkeepsie, NY, with his wife, Gillian, and their three kids. You can visit him online at www.charlesrsmithjr.com.

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had beautiful pictures and the poetry was fun, but there was almost no information about the Boys Choir of Harlem! I wanted to learn more about them--even a page of information at the back of the book would have sufficed. Instead all I have is a jazzy book of poems about singing, without any context to relate them to the pictures of these boys. I thought that was a super weird omission on the author's part.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! you can almost feel the excitement and the energy of the Boys Choir of Harlem as you read the poems in this book. The author, Charles R. Smith, has used poetry and music to make the book sing. There is a useful glossary of music and poetry terms at the back of the book.