This book is a treasure and  introduces readers to the many outstanding women of the Harlem Renaissance. Nikki Grimes combines poetry from the Harlem Renaissance with her own poetry to create a story of a  girl discovering forgotten African American women poets .  What makes this collection unique is that Grimes uses the Golden Shovel method to create her own poems while also introducing other forms of poetry. The Golden Shovel method is where you take a short poem in its entirety, or a line or words from a poem, to create a new poem using those words from the original. At the end of the book, Grimes provides a biography about each  woman recognized in the book. It gives this collection further authenticity to read about the inspiring stories of these women and the impact they made during that time. 

Merit: The gorgeous illustrations add another layer of beauty to this poetry collection.

Verdict: This is one of those books we should have in all of our school libraries.. 

Thank you Netgalley and Bloomsbury Children's Books for the e-ARC.

This is a striking book. The illustrations are jaw droppingly beautiful, they are pure art in their own right. The collection of work from female poets of the Harlem Renaissance is also well done. The combination of those poems and illustrations could have been enough for a beautiful book. Grimes, however, takes the work further with her "golden shovel" poetry. It adds a layer of interest and development to the work that would have been  missing otherwise. 
"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

An essential, timely collection from Nikki Grimes. Full of fascinating, beautiful poetry. Will be a first purchase for my library's collection.

My favorite study in college was the writers of the Harlem Renaissance. This collection took me back to that time but in such an important way. The women of that time were not given the space to let their work shine. I loved becoming familiar with these women and seeing the world through their eyes. I loved even more the connection that Nikki was able to make to the past and present by using the Golden Shovel method in her poems. This collection does the important work of highlighting the Black women writers of the Harlem Renaissance but also connecting them to the struggles that still persist today for those women.

Nikki Grimes raises up the women poets of the Harlem Renaissance in such a beautiful and eloquent way. We often remember men poets of that era, but very rarely do we remember, recognize, and relish the words of women like Gwendolyn Bennett, Mae V. Cowdery, Blanche Taylor Dickinson, and other countless women poets. 

This book teaches you of various poem styles that these women tackled gracefully, all while soaking in the meaning and voice of each and every one of them. For each poem that is featured in this book, Nikki Grimes uses the Golden Shovel form to create her own poem. If you do not know, the Golden Shovel is where you take a short poem in its entirety, or a line from a poem (known as a striking line), then you create a new poem using those words from the original. This is what makes the book so unique. She is voicing the outstanding poems from outstanding women of the Harlem Renaissance and she, too, is creating breathtaking poetry. I loved that at the end she gives a biography to learn about each and every woman recognized in this book. It was inspiring to hear their stories and learn more about them and the impact they made during that time.

This book is absolutely tremendous! I read Nikki Grimes' One Last Word a few years ago and I was really impressed by the poetic form, but it felt a bit uneven. This collection uses that same poetic form and completely blew me away. Every single poem is so strong and the source material Grimes is working from is incredible. I am absolutely going to look up every single one of these poets and read more of their work! This book features quite a few illustrations that are absolutely breathtaking, and most of them are absolutely lovely. There were a few that are still to come, and the illustrator bios are also TK so I will 100% be picking up the print version to see who did my favorite illustrations and read more about the amazing contributors. Everything about this is so wonderful, I can't wait until it hits shelves and I can book talk it into the hands of every kid I see.

I viewed this book with my 10 year old. We loved the illustrations and learning how to create Golden Shovel poems. We tried to create a Golden Shovel poem from a few of the poems shared in the book.

A great companion to One Last Word focusing on female poets of the Harlem Renaissance. Grimes use of the golden shovel format is used well; paying tribute to the original poem while also creating something new.

Great book of poetry celebrating African American women. Love the format, the illustrations that are in the ARC were wonderful and the new format of poems Grimes uses is great. Includes resources and short biographies at the end.

First sentence from the preface: For centuries, accomplished women, of all races, have fallen out of the historical records. In the music realm, for example, we’ve long known and lauded the name and compositions of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but few are familiar with his equally gifted sister, Maria Anna Mozart, an accomplished instrumentalist and composer in her own right. In the sciences, we were taught the names of astronauts like John Glenn, but few could recite the names of early NASA scientists, mathematicians, and engineers like Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Christine Darden, who helped to make Glenn’s successful orbit of the earth possible. It took the Oscar-nominated Hollywood movie Hidden Figures, based on a book by Margot Lee Shetterly, to bring these groundbreaking women to light. Going further back in time, Hatshepsut, the only female pharaoh, all but disappeared from history until recent years. It should come as no surprise, then, that the names of gifted, even prolific, women poets of the Harlem Renaissance are little known, especially as compared to their male counterparts.

Premise/plot: Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance is a companion to her poetry collection, One Last Word. In this collection--told within a framework of a young girl discovering women poets of the Harlem Renaissance--readers read classic poems from the Harlem Renaissance and new poems by Nikki Grimes. Grimes uses the poetic format Golden Shovel.

It includes poems by the following writers: Mae V. Cowdery, Helene Johnson, Alice Dunbar-Nelson, Clarissa Scott Delany, Angelina Weld Grimké, Gertrude Parthenia McBrown , Anne Spencer, Jessie Redmon Fauset, Ida Rowland, Esther Popel, Effie Lee Newsome, Georgia Douglas Johnson, Blanche Taylor Dickinson, Lucy Ariel Williams, and Gwendolyn Bennett.

My thoughts: I loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, LOVED this collection. I loved reading the older poems. I loved Grimes' new poems as well. I'd describe the collection as exquisite, compelling, wonderful.

I read an ARC of the book. (It's not due to be published until 2021 according to GoodReads). My favorite poem is Prelude by Lucy Ariel Williams.

   "I know how a volcano must feel with molten lava Smoldering in its breast. Tonight thoughts, wild thoughts, Are smoldering In the very depths Of my being. I would hold them within me If I could. I would give them form If I could. I would make of them Something beautiful If I could. But they will not be formed; They will not be shaped. I must pour them out thus, Like molten lava. Shape them into beautiful dreams If you can. I know how a volcano must feel."

Thanks Net Galley for the eARC of this book. This books is simply breathtaking. Nikki Grimes combines poetry from the Harlem Renaissance with her own poetry to create a beautiful story of a young girl discovering the women poets that are featured. The poetry is deeply moving and addresses feminism and often forgotten African American poets. The preface does a great job setting up the book by showcasing examples of how women of all races are often over looked in historical accounts and the arts. The poems are accompanied by breathtaking artwork. It is shorter in length but I really enjoyed taking my time reading each of the poems and taking in the lines one by one.  My favorite poems were " Mother to Daughter" and "Four Walls".

4.5 stars rounded up.

The creativity here was incredible! Nikki Grimes highlighted female poets during the Harlem Renaissance and created her own  poetry using a method called Golden Shovel Poetry. 

Grimes explains that this form of poetry is to take a prominent inspirational line or lines and then craft your own poetry using those words. I have never read anything like it! 

The Artwork included is STUNNING.

My favorite poem was by Esther Popel titled "Flag Salute".

Included at the end were biographies highlighting the titles and works by the original poets with each telling stories in and of themselves!

Recommend to anyone interested in poetry, Art, and/or seeking inspiration because this book had all of these elements!