Visiting Langston

by Willie Perdomo, Bryan Collier (Illustrator)

A wonderful picture book introduction to a legendary American writer

It's a special day when a little girl and her father go to visit the house where the great poet Langston Hughes lived―especially when the little girl is a poet herself!

This rhythmic tale is a wonderful introduction to the work and world of Langston Hughes, who was a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance and an American cultural hero.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, African American, Childrens, Family

32 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2002

About the author

Willie Perdomo is the author Where a Nickel Costs a Dime and Smoking Lovely, which received a PEN America Beyond Margins Award. He has also been published in The New York Times Magazine and Bomb and his children's book, Visiting Langston, received a Coretta Scott King Honor. He is a NYFA Arts Fellowship winner, Pushcart Prize nominee, a Urban Artists Initiative/NYC grant recipient and was recently a Woolrich Fellow in Creative Writing at Columbia University. He is currently Artist-in-Residence, Workspace, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. He is co-founder/publisher of Cypher Books.

Reviews

[Aolund · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. A poetic tribute to Langston Hughes, accompanied by Bryan Collier's always-gorgeous illustrations.

Themes: Writing, Poetry, Heroes, Black History
Age range: Preschool-School Age

[CH - Marvin Childress · Rating 3 out of 5]

Visiting Langston is picture book, where we follow an African-American pre-teen girl as she and her father visit the house of Langston Hughes in present day Harlem. The girl narrates this journey through a poem she has written. The illustrations by Bryan Collier are vivid; they look like oil painting cut-outs, overlaid to create a 3-dimensional tapestry.

I think this book could be used as an introduction to poetry for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades. Willie Perdomo has done a cool tribute picture book about a cool writer.

[Amy Layton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so sweet and so powerful.  I remember what it's like as an adult to meet people you hold in high esteem but that doesn't compare at all with how I felt as a child!  The excitement of our narrator shines through the text, and lingers once the text is finished.  

The narrative of this story is creative in so many ways--being written in verse, it eagerly channels Hughes' own work.  Collier's illustrations are just the same--they're realistic, yet enthusiastically capture both reality and childlike glee.  This is definitely a book I'd read to a class in February...or any other month!

Review cross-listed here!

[Nadia L. Hohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a poem about a girl visiting Langston Hughes’ House which I had the pleasure of financially supporting (in a small way) and also visiting for a book launch. Currently, the house has been repurposed by the owner but I am glad that I saw the place on which the book is based. The poem was about what Langston Hughes meant to this girl. I wish it was longer and more detailed. Otherwise, I love the mixed media art by Bryan Collier. Super detailed and lovely.

[Katelyn Reagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was very interesting because the story was told through a poem. It was different than other children's books that I have read, but I really enjoyed it. A little girl and her father go to visit Langston Hues house. She describes all of his successes and his music. Most importantly she tells why Langston inspires her everyday.

[Irina Bilyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Copyright date: 2002
Awards: Coretta Scott King Book award
Genre: POC, children’s picture book

This book was about a young girl who dreams to be just like Langston Hughes because they shared so much similarities, culture and the love for poetry. A great book for a future classroom to show the love of art in forms of poetry and music.

[Billy Noecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of a young girl that is going to get to visit the great poet, Langston Hughes. This book serves as an introduction the great American poet, Langston Hughes, through the eyes of a child poet who is eager to meet an idol.

[Maison Durr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visiting Langston was a fun read and after our summer final project I had some context that let me enjoy it even more. The book is historical fiction and was published in 2002 and won the Coretta Scott King Award.

[Ashlyn DeBoever · Rating 3 out of 5]

This non-fictional picture book has a 2002 copywrite date and won the Coretta Scott King Award. This picture book includes poetry that depicts the story of a young African American girl who goes to visit the home of poet Langston Hughes who expresses himself, his sad emotions and black inequality through his work. In my classroom, I would use this story to teach ideas of justice/equality and mental health which is portrayed through examining the deeper context of the book.

[Russell Moroye · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poetry picture book with a unique art style that depicts a young African American girl visiting the home of Langston Hughes. This could be a good introductory book for learning about the Harlem Renaissance and the inequalities he often wrote about.

[Julia Ziesing · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is from a young girl’s perspective comparing her own poetry to that of Langston Hughes. This could be used to introduce poetry or a unit on Hughes.

Six Traits +1 - Sentence Fluency

Guided Reading: Level E
ATOS: 1.3

[Becca Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was about a little girl who was influenced by Langston Hughes. She likes to write poems just like he did. She is so excited to go visit the house where Langston Hughes used to lived. It talks about what kinds of things Hughes created and where he lived.

[Ellice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This picture book tells the story of a young Black girl who visits Langston Hughes's house with her father. Though the story is about the girl, also a poet, I missed Hughes's own poetry the book--but I loved the rich, textured, collage illustrations.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about a young poet being taken by her father to visit Langston Hughes's house museum and being inspired.

Nice collage illustrations.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite work of poetry, but Brian Collier’s illustrations, as ever, steal the show. Would like to see how this was received by an actual class of students.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool illustrations and use of lines of Langston's Hughes' poetry.

[Sarah Denney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that this was like poetry. And it was written from the perspective of a little girl excited to go to Langston Hughs’ house!

[Rosalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a really quick read about a girl who visits the house where Langston Hughes once lived in. I think this is a good introduction book to the history about the Harlem Renaissance.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars for this picture book

[Daniel Kleven · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Coretta Scott King Book Award for Illustrator Honor book (2003) for Bryan Collier's amazing illustrations. A nice introduction to Langston Hughes for younger grades.

[lee! · Rating 4 out of 5]

sang like love cried like blues!

[Renee Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A poetic book on the legendary writer Langston.

[Aliyah Caldas]

Could be used for Black History Month. Also, a great piece for cultural diversity in my classroom. Illustrations go along with text well. Could tie into a history lesson. Could help with writing letters as a class assignment.

[Sophia Kanoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grade/interest level: Primary/learn to read (1st-3rd grade)
Reading level: Guided Reading Level G
Genre: Poetry and Picture Books

Main Characters: Little Girl, Her father, and Langston Hughes
Setting: Harlem, New York Langston Hughes old neighborhood
POV: From the Little Girl’s Perspective

Summary: Visiting Langston by Willie Perdomo Illustrated by Bryan Collier is poetry/picture book that describes a little girl’s adventure on her way to visiting Langston Hughes’s home in Harlem, New York. The whole story is a poem that is from the little girl’s perspective. This little girl is super excited to visit Langton Hughes’s home, she puts on her favorite pink blouse. Along the way to Langston’s Hughes house, she describes some of Langston Hughes’s work. Through each verse of the poem she describes Langston’s poetry and some of the subjects he wrote about such as jazz and his trip to Africa. This little girl also begins to feel a connection to Langston Hughes’s and describes herself as an influential poet. Each line of the poem is beautifully illustrated to truly capture the essence of the verse. Perdomo also provides a small biography about Langston Hughes in the beginning of the poem to inform the reader of his work and legacy. This book was awarded the Coretta Scott King Award Honor in 2003 for its illustrations done by Bryan Collier.

Classroom Uses/Theme: I would use Visiting Langston by Perdomo Illustrated by Bryan Collier in my classroom during a poetry study unit as a read aloud during the literacy block. I would use this book along with others in a text set describing and/or written by other poets such as Maya Angelou, Shel Silverstein, etc. as an introduction to famous influential poets and the works that they have created. I would also use this book as a way to teach different forms of poetry and patterns, with this particular poem being an example for having a rhyming pattern.

[Alyssa Doughty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book and it's illustrations. The pictures on each page incorporated cultural patterns into the background based on the main characters ethnicity which I've never seen before and thought was really cool. I love how Langston Hughes a famous poet inspired her to write and enjoy poetry as well.

[Jrowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perdomo, W. (2002). Visiting Langston. New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC.

Poetry
African American Literature Book Club (AALC)
2013 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award Winner

Illustrations were created with water color and collage and fill the pages of this book. Pages with illustrations "almost" filling page(s) include solid colors behind text. There is now white space.

The poetry consists of occassional rhymes and repetition and connects a modern day child, a young poet, to an important historical figure from the literary world of the Harmem Renaissance. Though there is not a lot of text, the book and its poetry do a good job of inspiring the reader to seek out additional information about Langston Hughes.

This book would be best followed by a reading of a poem actually written by Langston Hughes to make the author's intended experience complete.

[Kifflie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went back into the archive of Coretta Scott King Illustrator winners to find this one. "Visiting Langston" won an Illustrator Honor for 2002. This book was created to celebrate the one hundredth birthday of Langston Hughes.

Our young 2002 protagonist is a poet herself, and her father takes her to visit Langston's home in Harlem, where her dreams and inspirations are renewed. There is a lovely, female-empowering message in this story ("I love hip-hop/Hopscotch/And double-dutch/But I don't like/Catch-n-kiss/Too much"), and I just LOVE it that this girl's daddy is the one who is encouraging her in this journey.

Bryan Collier's illustrations just shine with life and color. The collages of Harlem scenes, past and present, create a lovely backdrop to this gorgeous book.

[Cierra Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Visiting Langston is a picture book written by Willie Perdomo for children 4 year of age to 9. This poem is to celebrate the African American poet Langston Hughes. This poem is about a little girl who visit Langston house with her father. The young girl is excited about the visit because she is a poet. The illustrations by Brian Collier are beautiful and show a wide range of bright and vibrant colors. The illustrations represent Harlem New York well. I would rate the book “Visiting Langston” five stars. The Harlem Renaissance was an important time in history for poetry; therefore, any child who enjoys poetry would love this era. This book would be great to introduce young children to the art of poetry.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published: 2002, Henry Holt and Co.
Age: 4-9

This book is a great introduction to a poetry or black history unit. A little girl is excited to visit Langston Hughes house with her dad because she is from Harlem and a poet just like Hughes. She wears her favorite pink blouse. The girl tells us not only about herself but about Hughes and who he was in rhyming verse. The beginning starts with a little biography with some dates. The illustrations complement the text well. Pictures hanging on the walls in the illustrations show that it is the Jazz Era. Bryan Collier uses watercolor and collage to make beautiful illustrations.

[Esther Choi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a little girl who is excited because her father is taking her to go to the house where Langston Hughes used to lived. The book is narrated by the little girl and the text is written in rhyme. It introduces the poet Langston Hughes and his role during the Harlem Renaissance. I think this book would work best with 2-3 grade during a poetry unit when the students learn about famous American poets/heroes.

Interest Level: Grades PreK - 3
Grade level Equivalent: 2.3
Lexile Measure®: Not Available
DRA: Not Available
Guided Reading: NR
Genre: Historical Fiction, Poetry and Rhymes
Theme/Subject: Literature, Literature Appreciation