What do you think?
Rate this book
Soul Looks Back in Wonder
"The selections are uniformly uplifting, with affirming messages about the heritage, strength and dreams of African Americans." —Publishers Weekly
In this compelling collection of words and pictures, the voices of thirteen major poets, including Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, and Walter Dean Myers, rise in response to the dazzling vistas and emotionally vivid portraits of award-winning artist Tom Feelings. A unique and moving collaboration that celebrates the sustaining spirit of African creativity.
In this compelling collection of words and pictures, the voices of thirteen major poets, including Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, and Walter Dean Myers, rise in response to the dazzling vistas and emotionally vivid portraits of award-winning artist Tom Feelings. A unique and moving collaboration that celebrates the sustaining spirit of African creativity.
40 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1993
374 people want to read
About the author
Tom Feelings
29 books7 followersTom was a skilled cartoonist, illustrator, teacher, and activist for the African-American experience. For a time, he served in the Graphic Arts division of the U.S. Air Force. He created the cartoon Tommy Traveler in the World of Black History in 1958, received a Caldecott Honor in 1972, and two Coretta Scott King Awards in 1979 and 1994.
For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/tom-feel...
For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/tom-feel...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
June 29, 2017
Soul Looks Back in Wonder is an illustrated collection of poems that celebrate the African-American spirit and are dedicated to "our precious young African sisters and brothers, who are our today and our tomorrow." The poems by thirteen major poets, such as Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, and Walter Dean Myers, were written to accompany Tom Feelings' stunning collage illustrations:
Since I don't read poetry on a regular basis, I probably don't know how to appreciate it properly. Still, I found most of the poems evocative and thought-provoking (and they match the illustrations beautifully!), and three of them really spoke to me: Darryl Holmes' "Look at Us," Langston Hughes' "To You," and Maya Angelou's "I Love the Look of Words."
Here's my favorite:
Since I don't read poetry on a regular basis, I probably don't know how to appreciate it properly. Still, I found most of the poems evocative and thought-provoking (and they match the illustrations beautifully!), and three of them really spoke to me: Darryl Holmes' "Look at Us," Langston Hughes' "To You," and Maya Angelou's "I Love the Look of Words."
Here's my favorite:
"To You" by Langston Hughes
To sit and dream, to sit and read,
To sit and learn about the world
Outside our world of here and now --
Our problem world --
To dream of vast horizons of the soul
Through dreams made whole,
Unfettered, free -- help me!
All you who are dreamers too,
Help me to make
Our world anew.
I reach out my dreams to you.
September 19, 2022
I just happened to see this book that included some of my favorite poets after I had completed a goal, so I bought the book for my reward. There are some wonderful poems, my favorite being the one by Angelou. The illustrations by Tom Feelings are wonderful!
August 21, 2019
A book of poems about creativity in African American culture.
I read this book as part of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards 50th anniversary challenge promoted through the LA Public Libraries.
I read this book as part of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards 50th anniversary challenge promoted through the LA Public Libraries.
August 20, 2014
I can not remember where I came across this title, but it arrived in my reserve selections at the library and I have loved reading it, taking in the beauty and texture of the illustrations, and immersing myself in the verse.
I think the best way for me to review this gem and remind myself of its contents is simply to include the introduction printed before the first poem......
Tom Feelings selected drawings of people he sketched while in Ghana and Senegal, West Africa; Guyana, South America; as well as the United States. He blueprinted his finished line drawings onto sepia-toned sheets, and worked colour into the figures with coloured pencils. He then cut out and cemented down various shapes in coloured papers - textured, flat, plain, marbleised, as well as wallpaper - to create the final overall collage effect. Some stencilled cut outs were spray painted; for instance the art for Haki R Madhubuti composed "Destiny" was spray painted on silver paper.
This is the first book Tom Feelings has done in full colour.
And from Tom Feelings:
Today - the present- is a dangerous place for children of African descent children of the sun. They are standing between childhood and adulthood, midway between the past and the future, pulled away from their center. They are removed from the benefits of ancient initiation rites - rites of passage designed to ease young people into manhood and womanhood, into the responsibilities and protection of full communal life. Too many teenagers are growing up in an environment where indifference and hostility are bullets aimed straight at the core of their spirits.
For four hundred years African creativity has been struggling to counter the narrow constraints of oppression, to circle it, turn it around, to seek order and meaning in the midst of chaos. My soul looks back in wonder at how African creativity has sustained us and how it still flows - seeking, searching for new ways to connect the ancient with the new, the young with the old, the unborn with the ancestors. Our creativity, moving, circling, improvising within the restricted form of oppression, reminds us that we must remain responsible to each other - we are not only individuals, but part of a collective that shares a common history and future. This book is a part if that flow if creativity.
The artists who came together to create Soul Looks Back In Wonder understand that one way to protect our positive hopes for the future is for young people to see their own beauty reflected in our eyes, through our work. And so this book is for our precious young African sisters and brother, who are out today and tomorrow...........
Published in 1993, nearly 20 years have gone by, so much has not changed, and so much can easily be translated here to the Australian experience.
Absolute favourite for me is the final poem by Mari Evans, Who Can Be Born Black
WHO CAN BE BORN BLACK
Who
can be born black
and not
sing
the wonder of it
the joy
the challenge
And/to come together
in a coming togetherness
vibrating with the fires of pure knowing
reeling with power
ringing with the sound above sound
above sound
to explode/in the majesty of our oneness
our comingtogether
in a comingtogetherness
Who
can be born
black
and not exult!
I think the best way for me to review this gem and remind myself of its contents is simply to include the introduction printed before the first poem......
Tom Feelings selected drawings of people he sketched while in Ghana and Senegal, West Africa; Guyana, South America; as well as the United States. He blueprinted his finished line drawings onto sepia-toned sheets, and worked colour into the figures with coloured pencils. He then cut out and cemented down various shapes in coloured papers - textured, flat, plain, marbleised, as well as wallpaper - to create the final overall collage effect. Some stencilled cut outs were spray painted; for instance the art for Haki R Madhubuti composed "Destiny" was spray painted on silver paper.
This is the first book Tom Feelings has done in full colour.
And from Tom Feelings:
Today - the present- is a dangerous place for children of African descent children of the sun. They are standing between childhood and adulthood, midway between the past and the future, pulled away from their center. They are removed from the benefits of ancient initiation rites - rites of passage designed to ease young people into manhood and womanhood, into the responsibilities and protection of full communal life. Too many teenagers are growing up in an environment where indifference and hostility are bullets aimed straight at the core of their spirits.
For four hundred years African creativity has been struggling to counter the narrow constraints of oppression, to circle it, turn it around, to seek order and meaning in the midst of chaos. My soul looks back in wonder at how African creativity has sustained us and how it still flows - seeking, searching for new ways to connect the ancient with the new, the young with the old, the unborn with the ancestors. Our creativity, moving, circling, improvising within the restricted form of oppression, reminds us that we must remain responsible to each other - we are not only individuals, but part of a collective that shares a common history and future. This book is a part if that flow if creativity.
The artists who came together to create Soul Looks Back In Wonder understand that one way to protect our positive hopes for the future is for young people to see their own beauty reflected in our eyes, through our work. And so this book is for our precious young African sisters and brother, who are out today and tomorrow...........
Published in 1993, nearly 20 years have gone by, so much has not changed, and so much can easily be translated here to the Australian experience.
Absolute favourite for me is the final poem by Mari Evans, Who Can Be Born Black
WHO CAN BE BORN BLACK
Who
can be born black
and not
sing
the wonder of it
the joy
the challenge
And/to come together
in a coming togetherness
vibrating with the fires of pure knowing
reeling with power
ringing with the sound above sound
above sound
to explode/in the majesty of our oneness
our comingtogether
in a comingtogetherness
Who
can be born
black
and not exult!
June 8, 2020
Here is the introduction:
Today - the present - is a dangerous place for children of African descent, children of the sun. They are standing between childhood and adulthood, midway between the past and the future, pulled away from their center. They are removed from the benefits of ancient initiation rites - rites of passage designed to ease young people into manhood and womanhood, into the responsibilities and protection of communal life. Too many teenagers are growing up in an environment where indifference and hostility are bullets aimed straight at the core of their spirits.
For four hundred years African creativity has been struggling to counter the narrow constraints of oppression, to circle it, turn it around, to seek order and meaning in the midst of chaos. My soul looks back in wonder at how African creativity has sustained us and how it still flows - seeking, searching for new ways to connect the ancient with the new, the young with the old, unborn with the ancestors. Our creativity, moving, circling, improvising within the restricted form of oppression, reminds us that we must remain responsible to each other - we are not only individuals, but part of a collective that shares a common history and future. This book is a part of that flow of creativity.
The artists who came together to create Soul Looks Back in Wonder understand that one way to project our positive hopes for the future is for young people to see their own beauty reflected in our eyes, through our work. And so this book is for our precious young African sisters and brothers, who are our today and tomorrow
- Tom Feelings
The book is beautifully illustrated and emphasizes the beauty of brown skin tones, especially dark brown skin, giving it warmth and love.
All the poems were great and the standouts to me were:
Boyz n Search of Their Soular System by Eugene B. Redmond
I Love the Look of Words by Maya Angelou
I am the creativity by Alexis De Veaux
And
Under the Rainbow by Lucille Clifton
Well worth the read.
Today - the present - is a dangerous place for children of African descent, children of the sun. They are standing between childhood and adulthood, midway between the past and the future, pulled away from their center. They are removed from the benefits of ancient initiation rites - rites of passage designed to ease young people into manhood and womanhood, into the responsibilities and protection of communal life. Too many teenagers are growing up in an environment where indifference and hostility are bullets aimed straight at the core of their spirits.
For four hundred years African creativity has been struggling to counter the narrow constraints of oppression, to circle it, turn it around, to seek order and meaning in the midst of chaos. My soul looks back in wonder at how African creativity has sustained us and how it still flows - seeking, searching for new ways to connect the ancient with the new, the young with the old, unborn with the ancestors. Our creativity, moving, circling, improvising within the restricted form of oppression, reminds us that we must remain responsible to each other - we are not only individuals, but part of a collective that shares a common history and future. This book is a part of that flow of creativity.
The artists who came together to create Soul Looks Back in Wonder understand that one way to project our positive hopes for the future is for young people to see their own beauty reflected in our eyes, through our work. And so this book is for our precious young African sisters and brothers, who are our today and tomorrow
- Tom Feelings
The book is beautifully illustrated and emphasizes the beauty of brown skin tones, especially dark brown skin, giving it warmth and love.
All the poems were great and the standouts to me were:
Boyz n Search of Their Soular System by Eugene B. Redmond
I Love the Look of Words by Maya Angelou
I am the creativity by Alexis De Veaux
And
Under the Rainbow by Lucille Clifton
Well worth the read.
October 12, 2017
Now is a time, maybe more than ever, that the African-American spirit needs celebrating. And Soul Looks Back in Wonder accomplishes this. Illustrator Tom Feelings reached out to many amazing black poets to contribute to this anthology, and none of them let the readers down. The poems contained within exult and celebrate blackness, they detail the struggles and strife that African-Americans have dealt with since their forefathers were forcibly taken to America centuries ago, and they tell the story that so often isn't, because as Feelings writes in his intro, “Today - the present - is a dangerous place for children of African descent, children of the sun.” And this is great for obvious reasons, but also because modern poets tend to be relatable to modern audiences but not to young audiences. Not this book. This book, in fact, was curated carefully *for* young audiences, and speaks to childhood dreams and sorrows that the black writers who penned them experienced themselves.
I find it somewhat frustrating when children’s poetry is sort of lumped all together and seen as immature and always humorous. It’s true that kids like humorous poetry, but that doesn’t mean they hate everything else. I honestly can’t fathom kids disliking this book, and thinking about children not being able to access it, quite frankly, makes me very upset. It’s filled with heartwarming tributes to children who may be questioning their very value on this earth right now because of our political climate. Consider this bit from Mari Evans’ “Who Can Be Born Black”:
“Who
can be born black
and not
sing
the wonder of it
the joy
the
challenge”
Where else are kids seeing messages like that? I certainly don’t know. This book has them in spades, though, and the influence it could have is endless. I don’t think there’s an age group that wouldn’t benefit from reading this.
I find it somewhat frustrating when children’s poetry is sort of lumped all together and seen as immature and always humorous. It’s true that kids like humorous poetry, but that doesn’t mean they hate everything else. I honestly can’t fathom kids disliking this book, and thinking about children not being able to access it, quite frankly, makes me very upset. It’s filled with heartwarming tributes to children who may be questioning their very value on this earth right now because of our political climate. Consider this bit from Mari Evans’ “Who Can Be Born Black”:
“Who
can be born black
and not
sing
the wonder of it
the joy
the
challenge”
Where else are kids seeing messages like that? I certainly don’t know. This book has them in spades, though, and the influence it could have is endless. I don’t think there’s an age group that wouldn’t benefit from reading this.
December 10, 2012
Soul Looks Back in Wonder was written by Tom Feelings and I am glad I choose this book because it was a very powerful piece. This book contains a collection of Tom Feelings art and he has poetry to go along with every piece of art. Not only does he have poetry to go with the paintings, he has well renowned writers such as Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes lends their talents to go with his beautiful art. Langston Hughes wrote a poem specifically for this book because every other used something that was already published. Every piece of art that Tom Feelings has drawn is done very beautifully and they all seem to go with the flow of the poems. I can see why this book won a Coretta Scott King Award because there is just so much beautiful art and poetry done so well and all done by African Americans.
This book is a good book because of the beautiful art, well written poetry, and both seem to just inspire something about one self. This may be a book aimed toward young children, but it can speak to all audiences. All of the poetry was done masterfully, but the Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Mari Evans, and Alexis De Vaux poems really stuck out to me. Langston Hughes poem made me want to help a child with their dreams; Maya Angelou did a real good job with personification, Mari Evans made me realized how proud I am to be African American , and Alexis De Vaux gave creativity a vibrant life. I want children to get the same things from this book that I am getting and I believe they can and will.
This book is a good book because of the beautiful art, well written poetry, and both seem to just inspire something about one self. This may be a book aimed toward young children, but it can speak to all audiences. All of the poetry was done masterfully, but the Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Mari Evans, and Alexis De Vaux poems really stuck out to me. Langston Hughes poem made me want to help a child with their dreams; Maya Angelou did a real good job with personification, Mari Evans made me realized how proud I am to be African American , and Alexis De Vaux gave creativity a vibrant life. I want children to get the same things from this book that I am getting and I believe they can and will.
January 23, 2011
"Soul Looks Back in Wonder" combines the poetic talents of great African American writers such as Maya Angelou and Walter Dean Myers with the beautiful collage illustrations of Tom Feelings. Feelings describes African Americans' past, in a forward of the book, as a time when their creativity was stiffled. Now, where it was once oppressed, creativity is overflowing through visual art, music, and dance. This book was written, according to Feelings, because African American children of today need to have a strong hope for the future. They need to know that together, they can reverse the destruction and capture tomorrow. My favorite phrase from the book is, "I am the creativity keeping my people alive." Some of the themes I found in this book are togetherness, human connection to nature, cultural pride, community, and the belief that the past can keep you strong. Another beautiful book and an important one to add to a classroom or school library.
March 15, 2021
Soul Looks Back in Wonder is a book of poetry with 13 different poems from African American poets and illustrated by Tom Feelings. This poetry book is for adolescent readers and most of the poems are free-verse poems that are untraditional and don't rhyme. The theme of all of the poems in this book is embracing the beauty of being African American which is brought to life through the illustrations. Each spread is dedicated to a poem with a beautiful illustration spread out across both pages. This book won the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrators which is an award that celebrates outstanding African American illustrators of books that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and human values.
February 17, 2023
Soul Looks Back in Wonder
by Maya Angelou
This book is a collection of inspirational and descriptive poetry. Found in a first grade classroom. The book adds to the wonder and strength of black history. Showing the personal struggle, dreams, and ideas of black poets through out the world.
The art work is beautiful, showing traditional influences and inspiration from the meaning of the poetry. The book shows the true nature of historical perspective.
A good connective resource for students, of African heritage. It also shows other cultures and histories that may not be known by students outside the African heritage. The book shows a very brief explanation of the poets and their struggles.
March 6, 2024
This is one of the hippest picture books I've ever read, and I am here for it. It combines poems (fairly sophisticated poems, many of them) by Black poets with amazing illustrations that give an Afrofuturist 60s/70s vibe. Together, they instill a sense of Black strength, creativity, and power. So good.
September 29, 2018
“Education is an important element in the struggle for human rights. It is the means to help our children and people rediscover their identity and thereby increase self-respect. Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.”
- Malcolm X
- Malcolm X
August 12, 2018
The poems and the illustrations are equally wonderful. I bought this book in hardcover many, many years ago. I just reread it. Still powerful.
April 2, 2020
Breathtaking artwork alongside soul-moving poetry.
December 15, 2021
A small dip into beautiful truths.
October 23, 2021
I didn't love this. I can't decide if it's me or if there really are flaws to this. So I will state my opinion and acknowledge that it could just be I'm not the audience for this and that's okay.
I thought this was a really great idea that struggled with execution. Of course these are all classic poets and I liked that the selections chosen were ones that may not be as common, but they didn't really seem to be selected with a picture book audience in mind. Also the art, while lovely, was very heavy and dark and didn't seem to help young eyes with the poetry. It could be that this style of art while popular at the time is just somewhat dated now.
I dunno. It's an award winner so it could be it's just me. That's okay.
I thought this was a really great idea that struggled with execution. Of course these are all classic poets and I liked that the selections chosen were ones that may not be as common, but they didn't really seem to be selected with a picture book audience in mind. Also the art, while lovely, was very heavy and dark and didn't seem to help young eyes with the poetry. It could be that this style of art while popular at the time is just somewhat dated now.
I dunno. It's an award winner so it could be it's just me. That's okay.
September 29, 2017
I loved the collection of poems this book has. There are so many talented writers in this book and their poems are beautiful. They are uplifting and encouraging to the reader. The positivity and the good vibes I get when I read through the poems creates an amazing reading experience. The poems are touching and definitely something I would use for a read aloud and discussion starters. Great book!
December 23, 2023
Tom FeeLings pictures definiteLy jumped off the page. One picture of the Sun seemed to shine so bright, I was bLinded! 😄. TruLy. It was very reaListic, beautifuLLy provocative with deep earth tones and texture. The poems, aLL thought-provoking and reminiscent of the BLack Arts Movement styLe of writing. Good coLLection of poets. Book pubLished in 1993.
January 24, 2020
This collection of African-American poets is worthy. The artwork is enchanting. One feature that troubled me though is the protruding foreheads as though the people have a knot or swollen forehead. I didn't like that and how each person's face seems melancholy. Still the artwork is beautiful!
June 18, 2019
A collection of short poems for young Africans & African Americans.
June 27, 2020
More than anything else, I enjoyed reading about how much passion Tom Feelings put into this. He’s been so many places and done so many things!
August 11, 2021
Felt absolutely mesmerised by the artistry and color of the art. Beautiful, welcoming and warm
January 20, 2022
It's a beautiful, thought-provoking book, but as others have said it seems to be marketed to younger picture-book readers, although it really is for older children.
December 9, 2014
Soul Looks Back in Wonder is a collection of poems by various writers meant to inspire younger generations of African American children and remind them of their roots. Illustrator, Tom Feelings, illustrates all of the poems. Much of the artwork throughout the book is very abstract, meshing shapes, designs, outlines, and images in a way that symbolizes the ideas of the poems. While the poems use poetic abstract language, the illustrations are similarly poetic. The abstractness between the relationship of the illustrations and the poetic words pulls the audience to deeper thinking to discover the underlying messages that each offers. Feelings uses similar techniques in the illustrations throughout the book, many of which include African people and backgrounds incorporated with lines, circles, and other shapes. Feelings uses lots of colors throughout the book, but brown remains the most dominant color, incorporated on every page, and in some illustrations, takes up the majority of the entire picture. The repeated and dominant use of the color brown symbolically relates to the theme of African culture, which the book celebrates. Overall, while this book is rich in culture, it is very abstract and I do not think many younger readers will be drawn to it. The figurative language and abstract illustrations make it very difficult to discern what is going on. This would be a good book to teach about abstract poetry and art. As a class, you might choose one specific poem to evaluate and talk about. Afterwards, students might be encouraged to write their own abstract poem and draw an abstract picture to go with it.
Feelings, T. (1993). Soul Looks Back in Wonder. New York, NY: Dial Books.
Feelings, T. (1993). Soul Looks Back in Wonder. New York, NY: Dial Books.
Read
November 24, 2015Title: Soul Looks Back in Wonder
Author: Maya Angelou
Publisher and Date: Puffin Books, 1999
A collaboration of poems by African American poets that help pass on their heritage of strength, endurance, beauty, love, knowledge, and creativity to the next generation. Artist Feelings invited poets whom he admired to compose original, short verses for these drawings, with breathtakingly rich and powerful results. A tribute to African-American creativity, the collection should appeal to the sensibilities and imaginations of many readers, regardless of ethnic background. A never-before published poem by Langston Hughes, written to accompany Feeling's 1962 poster for the Congress of Racial Equality, is included.
Activity: During black history month, students will split into pairs or groups of 3 and do a project presentation where they will chose a poem to decode, research information on the poet, and a draw a picture to go with the poem.
Author: Maya Angelou
Publisher and Date: Puffin Books, 1999
A collaboration of poems by African American poets that help pass on their heritage of strength, endurance, beauty, love, knowledge, and creativity to the next generation. Artist Feelings invited poets whom he admired to compose original, short verses for these drawings, with breathtakingly rich and powerful results. A tribute to African-American creativity, the collection should appeal to the sensibilities and imaginations of many readers, regardless of ethnic background. A never-before published poem by Langston Hughes, written to accompany Feeling's 1962 poster for the Congress of Racial Equality, is included.
Activity: During black history month, students will split into pairs or groups of 3 and do a project presentation where they will chose a poem to decode, research information on the poet, and a draw a picture to go with the poem.
Read
November 28, 2015Here is the story of Jack and his famous house as only award-winning artist Jeanette Winter could present it. The words of the classic nursery rhyme appear in a charming rebus puzzle, with added verses that place Jack's house on a hilltop. Witty paintings bursting with color and action show the satisfying havoc wreaked by the series of animal and human visitors who come up the hill. Young readers will delight in reciting the words of this cumulative rhyme that has entertained children for centuries. And with each turn of the page, they'll revel in the drama that unfolds in the lively and beautifully crafted art.
Activity: I could read the book the class when teaching about poetry. This book rhymes and builds on previous stated sentences. The repetition could help the students remember the words based on memory, and then associate the word when reading. This will also teach students about rhythm.
Activity: I could read the book the class when teaching about poetry. This book rhymes and builds on previous stated sentences. The repetition could help the students remember the words based on memory, and then associate the word when reading. This will also teach students about rhythm.
Read
November 30, 2015A collaboration of poems by African American poets that help pass on their heritage of strength, endurance, beauty, love, knowledge, and creativity to the next generation. Artist Feelings invited poets whom he admired to compose original, short verses for these drawings, with breathtakingly rich and powerful results. A tribute to African-American creativity, the collection should appeal to the sensibilities and imaginations of many readers, regardless of ethnic background. A never-before published poem by Langston Hughes, written to accompany Feeling's 1962 poster for the Congress of Racial Equality, is included. During black history month, students will split into pairs or groups of 3 and do a project presentation where they will chose a poem to decode, research information on the poet, and a draw a picture to go with the poem.
December 6, 2015
Soul Looks Back is written and illustrated by Tom Feelings. It was a collective about poems that have the most to do with nature and blackness. But the pictures were hands down the best in this book. The colors were bright and the pictures told a different story. Although you can’t see any emotion on any of their faces you know what they are feeling. The pictorial style is so simple but some of the images just have more complexity to them than anything. The talents of the poem writers really come through with the illustrations. The illustrations make it better because they get the point of the abstract language in the poems. Some of the poets are big time heavy hitters like the famous Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou. Having a collection of poems is good because hopefully the students can find one that they care about to ignite their passion.
April 21, 2016
Feelings paid homage to a number of African American poets with this book, creating a picture to go with each poem. The goal of the book was to express African creativity, and to invoke positive feelings and hope in young African Americans. Each poem can be interpreted how the reader wishes, and the illustrations give a peek into how Feelings interpreted them. Collage and paint looked to be the medium for the pictures, and a vast majority of them had a large amount of brown in each. Dashes of other colors were used, like orange, purple, bright green, but brown was the main color seen throughout. The illustrations set somewhat of a somber mood in a way, but the overlying theme of the book was to encourage African Americans to believe in their beauty and worth. Bursting with works from many famous African America poets, this would be a valuable book to have in the classroom library.
April 16, 2013
Soul Looks Back in Wonder, edited by Phyllis Fogelman and illustrated by Tom Feelings, is a book that contains a number of poems by famous African Americans. The illustrations were created using colored pencils and cut-out paper shapes. Feelings uses dark colors with the occasional green or yellow for contrast but despite the lack of color, the images are fantastic. Each one tells a different story, and they have to, since the text is short and simple. I really enjoyed the artwork and the support it lent to the poems; I think elementary students would really enjoy this book. I would use it as part of a poetry unit because it can help expose students to poetry by famous writers and get them interested in this type of writing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews