What do you think?
Rate this book
There Was a Party for Langston
New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jason Reynolds’s debut picture book is a snappy, joyous ode to Word King, literary genius, and glass-ceiling smasher Langston Hughes and the luminaries he inspired.
Back in the day, there was a heckuva party, a jam, for a word-making man. The King of Letters. Langston Hughes. His ABCs became drums, bumping jumping thumping like a heart the size of the whole country. They sent some people yelling and others, his word-children, to write their own glory.
Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, and more came be-bopping to recite poems at their hero’s feet at that heckuva party at the Schomberg Library, dancing boom da boom, stepping and stomping, all in praise and love for Langston, world-mending word man. Oh, yeah, there was hoopla in Harlem, for its Renaissance man. A party for Langston.
Back in the day, there was a heckuva party, a jam, for a word-making man. The King of Letters. Langston Hughes. His ABCs became drums, bumping jumping thumping like a heart the size of the whole country. They sent some people yelling and others, his word-children, to write their own glory.
Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, and more came be-bopping to recite poems at their hero’s feet at that heckuva party at the Schomberg Library, dancing boom da boom, stepping and stomping, all in praise and love for Langston, world-mending word man. Oh, yeah, there was hoopla in Harlem, for its Renaissance man. A party for Langston.
Audio CD
First published October 3, 2023
11 people are currently reading
1345 people want to read
About the author
Jason Reynolds
77 books10k followersJason Reynolds is an American author of novels and poetry for young adult and middle-grade audience. After earning a BA in English from The University of Maryland, College Park, Jason Reynolds moved to Brooklyn, New York, where you can often find him walking the four blocks from the train to his apartment talking to himself. Well, not really talking to himself, but just repeating character names and plot lines he thought of on the train, over and over again, because he’s afraid he’ll forget it all before he gets home.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 356 reviews
October 23, 2023
Why am I even surprised? Jason Reynolds has done it again. And this picture book was absolutely amazing. It is a love letter to Langston Hughes, but also an appreciation to words, to the library, and to some of the greatest writers of our time. I think that what worked so well about this picture book is not just Jason Reynolds words, but the Pumphrey family illustrations. The illustrations gave the worst movement, which is very important when you understand the backstory of this picture book. Jason Reynolds originally came up with the idea when he saw a picture of two of his favorite poets dancing together in honor of Langston Hughes. So when you read this picture book, you’re not only getting an appreciation of words, but also the movement of words as it applies to the picture that Jason Reynolds stumbled across. To be honest while reading this book, I almost felt a certain rhythm or cadence to the text in collaboration with the pictures that made me want to get up and move. That is the sign of a well written, well illustrated, and a great collaboration between author and illustrator. I’m hoping to see more from the three of them in the future, but Jason Reynolds is stepping into a new format of children’s literature that I think he will excel in. He’s one of the greatest children’s author of our time, and at this point, I don’t think there is much that he can’t do or achieve when it comes to children’s literature. If you haven’t picked this one up, I implore you to pick it up and read it as soon as possible.
May 29, 2023
In 1991 the New York Times photographer Chester Higgins Jr. went to a party. A bash. A celebration. The kind of party they’d talk about for decades to come. The New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture was celebrating the opening of their brand new Langston Hughes Auditorium and they were doing it with a star studded celebration full of famous writers. *CLICK* Higgins got a shot of Maya Angelou dancing with Amiri Baraka as a crowd circled them. Beneath their feet, the scattered ashes of Langston Hughes himself. There have been lesser images that have inspired plays, novels, even films. For author Jason Reynolds, it would become a format he’s never published before: Nonfiction Picture Book. And why not? Having conquered middle grade and young adult fiction, picture books were perhaps a logical next step for him. One can imagine that it would have been near impossible for him to resist too. Literary heroes dancing on the ashes of their own literary heroes? A great book for children is one where you read it and find yourself wondering, “How is it possible that this book wasn’t made before now?!?” It’s the feeling you get when you turn that last page and find yourself saying aloud, “There you are. What took you so long to get here?” Even better if precisely the right author is paired with precisely the right illustrator along the way. In There Was a Party for Langston you aren't merely bathed in that feeling. You are suffused.
“There was a party for Langston at the library.” And who better to receive such praise? Langton Hughes, “the king of letters”, who could write stories and rhymes. This was a party for “the word-making boy, who had grown up to be a word-making man, and had now become the word-making king.” He’d influenced two of the people at the party in particular. Folks like Maya Angelou, who “could make the word WOMAN seem like the word MOUNTAIN.” Folks like Amiri Baraka, who “Could make the word BLACK echo into the future and way back into the past …” He wrote these two into this world and they danced together, over him, over his words, for him. “Where the books were listening, just like you.”
The subtitle of this book is “King of Letters”. Now this is not the first Langston Hughes picture book I’ve ever seen. It’s just the only one I’ll ever be able to remember. Jason Reynolds is one of our most preeminent authors for kids and that’s a testament to the ways in which he’s capable of stringing words together. So to make this book work he had to do two things at once. First, he had to figure out its form. Second, he had to fill it with the right words in the right places so as to invoke the right feelings. In terms of form, Jason turns back to that photograph. That’s his climax right there. He just has to get the reader to that point. That means laying a bit of groundwork. You’ve gotta set the scene first and foremost (the library party), then explain who the party is for (Langston) and his story. Always returning back to the party, Jason zigs zags in an out of the scene, showing the writer’s influence on everything from Martin Luther King Jr. to Harlem to the flames of book banners’ fires (though, to be fair, I think it may be the Pumphreys who are doing a lot of the historical heavy-lifting in these scenes). Back at the party he zeroes in on Maya, then Amiri, then the two of them, at last, dancing. THEN back to Langston again! That’s a surprise but it works. With a final back-up into that library party at long last, it’s this constant push and pull, reminding you of the central story while also pulling in history from every possible corner, using the characters he has at hand. It’s adept is what it is. And in a mere 56 pages at that.
Then there’s that language I alluded to. You know, I always feel badly when I see a contemporary illustrator work on a book about a professional artist. I see it as a sort of a no-win situation. If the artist completely replicates the work of the artist then it’ll be judged for its accuracy. If they don’t, even if that’s on purpose, same. I never seem to feel the same way when it comes to writers writing about writers, though. Maybe I should. The principle remains, but I only ever remember that when I read great writing. In this book Jason Reynolds is playing with his words, partly in homage but mostly because it's what he himself does best. The party at the center is a “fancy-foot, get-down, all-out bash.” “Don’t nobody dance like a word maker.” And, of course, my favorite part of the entire book is when Amiri is described as a man who at the party, “Came to offer his rickety radio heart to Langston...” If I’ve failed to convey this properly, let me just say it out loud: In writing There Was a Party for Langston, Jason Reynolds is clearly having the time of his life.
In an interview about the Schomburg Library party, Jason Reynolds once said to Publishers Weekly, “We think of libraries as sacred spaces. For me at least, I don’t know what’s more sacred than people paying tribute to one of the greatest word-makers of our time, but also people enjoying themselves. Kids having fun is sacred. They should be able to do that at the playground or in the library.” It's no coincidence that “Fun” is precisely what sets There Was a Party for Langston apart too. Inspired by a moment of pure literary joy, don’t assume for a second that the tone of this book was a given. For decades upon decades the bulk of historical or nonfiction books for kids about our African-American past have been overwhelmingly bleak. There’s a reason there’s been such a huge push for #Blackjoy in titles for kids. Things have been getting a little better, but a lot of time “joy” can translate into blandly positive aphorisms. Our kids? They deserve better. They deserve joy with bite. Books that have the smarts and the fun mixed in together. So what There Was a Party for Langston does is manage to tell a fun story (party in the library – woot!!) while also flashing back to three different histories (Langston, Maya, Amiri). There are allusions to history and pain but such allusions are not the focus of this book. This is a book about a friggin’ party in a friggin’ library and for that to work you need art that exemplifies that enthusiasm.
I’ve been saying for years that when paired with the right author, the Pumphreys would launch their careers stratosphere-wise. Until now they’ve only ever done their own books, which is fine and all but some of the greatest picture books in the world only happened when the right combination of wordsmith and paint-wielder were brought together. Alone, the Pumphreys books are sweet and kind. Sometimes they involve animals that die in unfortunate ways, but even those books are more “nice” than anything else. These are artists that require a bit of a spark to ignite. Reynolds, similarly, has struggled in the past with writing for younger audiences. While he thrills when it comes to middle grade and teen readers, his Stuntboy graphic novels were an odd aberration in an otherwise illustrious career. Those books didn’t seem to know how to speak to younger readers, which is so strange to say about the guy who brought us Ghost. Stuntboy, ultimately, talked down to its child audience. There Was a Party for Langston, in contrast, not only respects its younger young readers but gives them something bigger and wider and deeper to consider. And the Pumphreys, whose talents have just been waiting in the wings for the right project, suddenly find themselves handed a challenge worthy of their skills. Not simply to bring the words of Jason Reynolds to life but to encompass what he, Reynolds, and a host of other Black writers of American literature have brought to the literary scene/sphere/canon. Daunting and necessary.
About the art Jason Reynolds (I’m just going to keep quoting him here since he has a way of writing my reviews for me) says, “You write enough to lob the ball so that the illustrator has just enough space to do their dance.” Mixed-metaphors aside, it’s such a relief for him to say this. Right off the bat, Reynolds understands the role of the author. In a truly great picture book pairing, the author and artist work together in tandem. I could say something about jazz riffs here but that feels a bit too obvious. Many picture books have a magnificent text with so-so pictures or amazing art with blah text (see: celebrity authors). Even great writers working with great illustrators have to create magic with one another, a fact made all the more difficult when you realize that most authors are kept at arm’s length from their illustrators by their editors. The reasons for this are obvious. The last thing an artist needs is some nitpicky author peering over their shoulder remarking things like, “I never thought her teeth would look like that.” So how to collaborate? You do what Reynolds says here. First, you trust the artist. Then, you give them places to play. You leave ideas wide open. That way, when Jason describes Langston as, “The man who wrote Maya and Amiri into the world,” he’s given the Pumphreys the space to turn each writer’s body into the very letters of their own names.
Look at the publication page and the art of this book is described as having been, “created with handmade stamps and edited digitally.” That’s a whole lotta stamps but it’s a technique the Pumphreys have perfected over the years. No one’s art looks like their art. It’s utterly unique in this sense. When you see a Pumphrey book, you know that they’re the only ones that could have made it. But until now I’d never had such a clear sense of how adept they could be at design and typography. Reynolds has indeed given them an immense amount of space, allowing them to play with the visual nature of language in ways they’ve never been able to before. Here’s where I got a bit confused about how much collaboration took place in this book. Whose idea was it to take the words of Langston Hughes and turn them into Martin Luther King Jr.’s podium or to take the words “Freedom stands up and laughs in their faces” and turn them into a magnificent, “HA”? I think it had to be the Pumphreys who put the great authors of the past and had them peer out from their books at the partygoers, allowing the book to show off everyone from W.E.B. Dubois to Octavia Butler (and extra points for the inclusion of Ashley Bryan, by the way). What I really loved as I read, though, was that just as Jason Reynolds is delighting in language and the characters are whooping it up at the party, so too are the Pumphreys just having the time of their lives playing with working words and letters into spaces and shapes in innovative, enjoyable ways. Theirs is a visual poetry perfectly in sync with the text. THAT is what we are talking about when we talk about the great picture books. This linking. This fun.
Langston Hughes wrote for kids, you know. During the era of McCarthyism when he was blacklisted, he wrote quite a few books for kids (the story of blacklisted children’s book creators is worth a book of its own, you know). I found a fair number of those books back when I worked for New York Public Library in the Schomburg’s library collection. Apropos. Considering the times in which he lived, I don’t know if Langston would have written for kids had he not been put into that position. I do know that for all his talents, he never had a chance to create a book like There Was a Party for Langston himself. Interestingly, it’s a nonfiction book, though there seems to be some confusion about that. How can a book that’s true be this enjoyable? But bereft of fake dialogue, based on a true incident in history, and full only of facts and true opinions, this is as real as it gets, folks. With a single photograph you get a truly great picture book pairing and the start of a beautiful collaboration. Because if he could have seen it, even Langston would concede that there's no way to improve upon this. To life! To joy! To books! And more like this, please.
“There was a party for Langston at the library.” And who better to receive such praise? Langton Hughes, “the king of letters”, who could write stories and rhymes. This was a party for “the word-making boy, who had grown up to be a word-making man, and had now become the word-making king.” He’d influenced two of the people at the party in particular. Folks like Maya Angelou, who “could make the word WOMAN seem like the word MOUNTAIN.” Folks like Amiri Baraka, who “Could make the word BLACK echo into the future and way back into the past …” He wrote these two into this world and they danced together, over him, over his words, for him. “Where the books were listening, just like you.”
The subtitle of this book is “King of Letters”. Now this is not the first Langston Hughes picture book I’ve ever seen. It’s just the only one I’ll ever be able to remember. Jason Reynolds is one of our most preeminent authors for kids and that’s a testament to the ways in which he’s capable of stringing words together. So to make this book work he had to do two things at once. First, he had to figure out its form. Second, he had to fill it with the right words in the right places so as to invoke the right feelings. In terms of form, Jason turns back to that photograph. That’s his climax right there. He just has to get the reader to that point. That means laying a bit of groundwork. You’ve gotta set the scene first and foremost (the library party), then explain who the party is for (Langston) and his story. Always returning back to the party, Jason zigs zags in an out of the scene, showing the writer’s influence on everything from Martin Luther King Jr. to Harlem to the flames of book banners’ fires (though, to be fair, I think it may be the Pumphreys who are doing a lot of the historical heavy-lifting in these scenes). Back at the party he zeroes in on Maya, then Amiri, then the two of them, at last, dancing. THEN back to Langston again! That’s a surprise but it works. With a final back-up into that library party at long last, it’s this constant push and pull, reminding you of the central story while also pulling in history from every possible corner, using the characters he has at hand. It’s adept is what it is. And in a mere 56 pages at that.
Then there’s that language I alluded to. You know, I always feel badly when I see a contemporary illustrator work on a book about a professional artist. I see it as a sort of a no-win situation. If the artist completely replicates the work of the artist then it’ll be judged for its accuracy. If they don’t, even if that’s on purpose, same. I never seem to feel the same way when it comes to writers writing about writers, though. Maybe I should. The principle remains, but I only ever remember that when I read great writing. In this book Jason Reynolds is playing with his words, partly in homage but mostly because it's what he himself does best. The party at the center is a “fancy-foot, get-down, all-out bash.” “Don’t nobody dance like a word maker.” And, of course, my favorite part of the entire book is when Amiri is described as a man who at the party, “Came to offer his rickety radio heart to Langston...” If I’ve failed to convey this properly, let me just say it out loud: In writing There Was a Party for Langston, Jason Reynolds is clearly having the time of his life.
In an interview about the Schomburg Library party, Jason Reynolds once said to Publishers Weekly, “We think of libraries as sacred spaces. For me at least, I don’t know what’s more sacred than people paying tribute to one of the greatest word-makers of our time, but also people enjoying themselves. Kids having fun is sacred. They should be able to do that at the playground or in the library.” It's no coincidence that “Fun” is precisely what sets There Was a Party for Langston apart too. Inspired by a moment of pure literary joy, don’t assume for a second that the tone of this book was a given. For decades upon decades the bulk of historical or nonfiction books for kids about our African-American past have been overwhelmingly bleak. There’s a reason there’s been such a huge push for #Blackjoy in titles for kids. Things have been getting a little better, but a lot of time “joy” can translate into blandly positive aphorisms. Our kids? They deserve better. They deserve joy with bite. Books that have the smarts and the fun mixed in together. So what There Was a Party for Langston does is manage to tell a fun story (party in the library – woot!!) while also flashing back to three different histories (Langston, Maya, Amiri). There are allusions to history and pain but such allusions are not the focus of this book. This is a book about a friggin’ party in a friggin’ library and for that to work you need art that exemplifies that enthusiasm.
I’ve been saying for years that when paired with the right author, the Pumphreys would launch their careers stratosphere-wise. Until now they’ve only ever done their own books, which is fine and all but some of the greatest picture books in the world only happened when the right combination of wordsmith and paint-wielder were brought together. Alone, the Pumphreys books are sweet and kind. Sometimes they involve animals that die in unfortunate ways, but even those books are more “nice” than anything else. These are artists that require a bit of a spark to ignite. Reynolds, similarly, has struggled in the past with writing for younger audiences. While he thrills when it comes to middle grade and teen readers, his Stuntboy graphic novels were an odd aberration in an otherwise illustrious career. Those books didn’t seem to know how to speak to younger readers, which is so strange to say about the guy who brought us Ghost. Stuntboy, ultimately, talked down to its child audience. There Was a Party for Langston, in contrast, not only respects its younger young readers but gives them something bigger and wider and deeper to consider. And the Pumphreys, whose talents have just been waiting in the wings for the right project, suddenly find themselves handed a challenge worthy of their skills. Not simply to bring the words of Jason Reynolds to life but to encompass what he, Reynolds, and a host of other Black writers of American literature have brought to the literary scene/sphere/canon. Daunting and necessary.
About the art Jason Reynolds (I’m just going to keep quoting him here since he has a way of writing my reviews for me) says, “You write enough to lob the ball so that the illustrator has just enough space to do their dance.” Mixed-metaphors aside, it’s such a relief for him to say this. Right off the bat, Reynolds understands the role of the author. In a truly great picture book pairing, the author and artist work together in tandem. I could say something about jazz riffs here but that feels a bit too obvious. Many picture books have a magnificent text with so-so pictures or amazing art with blah text (see: celebrity authors). Even great writers working with great illustrators have to create magic with one another, a fact made all the more difficult when you realize that most authors are kept at arm’s length from their illustrators by their editors. The reasons for this are obvious. The last thing an artist needs is some nitpicky author peering over their shoulder remarking things like, “I never thought her teeth would look like that.” So how to collaborate? You do what Reynolds says here. First, you trust the artist. Then, you give them places to play. You leave ideas wide open. That way, when Jason describes Langston as, “The man who wrote Maya and Amiri into the world,” he’s given the Pumphreys the space to turn each writer’s body into the very letters of their own names.
Look at the publication page and the art of this book is described as having been, “created with handmade stamps and edited digitally.” That’s a whole lotta stamps but it’s a technique the Pumphreys have perfected over the years. No one’s art looks like their art. It’s utterly unique in this sense. When you see a Pumphrey book, you know that they’re the only ones that could have made it. But until now I’d never had such a clear sense of how adept they could be at design and typography. Reynolds has indeed given them an immense amount of space, allowing them to play with the visual nature of language in ways they’ve never been able to before. Here’s where I got a bit confused about how much collaboration took place in this book. Whose idea was it to take the words of Langston Hughes and turn them into Martin Luther King Jr.’s podium or to take the words “Freedom stands up and laughs in their faces” and turn them into a magnificent, “HA”? I think it had to be the Pumphreys who put the great authors of the past and had them peer out from their books at the partygoers, allowing the book to show off everyone from W.E.B. Dubois to Octavia Butler (and extra points for the inclusion of Ashley Bryan, by the way). What I really loved as I read, though, was that just as Jason Reynolds is delighting in language and the characters are whooping it up at the party, so too are the Pumphreys just having the time of their lives playing with working words and letters into spaces and shapes in innovative, enjoyable ways. Theirs is a visual poetry perfectly in sync with the text. THAT is what we are talking about when we talk about the great picture books. This linking. This fun.
Langston Hughes wrote for kids, you know. During the era of McCarthyism when he was blacklisted, he wrote quite a few books for kids (the story of blacklisted children’s book creators is worth a book of its own, you know). I found a fair number of those books back when I worked for New York Public Library in the Schomburg’s library collection. Apropos. Considering the times in which he lived, I don’t know if Langston would have written for kids had he not been put into that position. I do know that for all his talents, he never had a chance to create a book like There Was a Party for Langston himself. Interestingly, it’s a nonfiction book, though there seems to be some confusion about that. How can a book that’s true be this enjoyable? But bereft of fake dialogue, based on a true incident in history, and full only of facts and true opinions, this is as real as it gets, folks. With a single photograph you get a truly great picture book pairing and the start of a beautiful collaboration. Because if he could have seen it, even Langston would concede that there's no way to improve upon this. To life! To joy! To books! And more like this, please.
October 27, 2023
I would give the illustrations a 5. Pumpherys are on point. But I feel the skeleton of this story is not intact. Most children I know will not walk into this with a working knowledge of Hughes, Angelou and Baraka. It feels self-indulgent and doesn’t feel authentic for small children.
As a work of art honoring three stellar poets, it works, but will just be confusing to most of my students. (It will most likely go on to win a Caldecott)
As a work of art honoring three stellar poets, it works, but will just be confusing to most of my students. (It will most likely go on to win a Caldecott)
December 31, 2023
This book may just be perfection. All of it–the words, the story, the inspiration, and the art.
First, we have Jason Reynolds’s verse, written with a rhythm that is screaming to be read aloud (I can’t wait for the audiobook). The story is a celebration of Hughes about a celebration of Hughes, so the love is truly emanating off the pages. And the story of Reynolds’s inspiration is just so wholesome and a snapshot into history that deserves this book.
Second, the cherry on top is the pieces of art that illustrate Reynolds’s words. The Pumphrey brothers use handmade stamps to create spreads that complete the book into the complete package that it is. I loved how they included Hughes’s words and Reynolds’s words within the art as well.
I highly recommend reading Betsy Bird’s Goodreads review because she is so much more articulate and detailed than I am about this book in all of its glory.
Review with teaching tools: https://www.unleashingreaders.com/26910
First, we have Jason Reynolds’s verse, written with a rhythm that is screaming to be read aloud (I can’t wait for the audiobook). The story is a celebration of Hughes about a celebration of Hughes, so the love is truly emanating off the pages. And the story of Reynolds’s inspiration is just so wholesome and a snapshot into history that deserves this book.
Second, the cherry on top is the pieces of art that illustrate Reynolds’s words. The Pumphrey brothers use handmade stamps to create spreads that complete the book into the complete package that it is. I loved how they included Hughes’s words and Reynolds’s words within the art as well.
I highly recommend reading Betsy Bird’s Goodreads review because she is so much more articulate and detailed than I am about this book in all of its glory.
Review with teaching tools: https://www.unleashingreaders.com/26910
October 24, 2023
The more I sit with this book, the more brilliant it becomes in my mind. At first, I didn’t know how to react to it. While I adore it as an adult, I didn’t know if this was one of those books that appeals to adults more than kids simply due to the overwhelming number of allusions in the story. That lack of prior knowledge might mean kids will miss the genius of the story.
But…
As teachers, this book can be a fantastic teaching text. On allusion. On the Harlem Renaissance. On Black excellence.
Or…
Kids could just read it on their own and relish in Jason Reynolds’ words with swagger and soak it in for the fun of it.
However kids experience the book, it is bound to be memorable either way.
But…
As teachers, this book can be a fantastic teaching text. On allusion. On the Harlem Renaissance. On Black excellence.
Or…
Kids could just read it on their own and relish in Jason Reynolds’ words with swagger and soak it in for the fun of it.
However kids experience the book, it is bound to be memorable either way.
October 13, 2023
It takes a lot to outshine Jason Reynolds, but the Pumphreys art kinda steals the show in this. Mixing typography in with their handmade stamps, it is unlike anything I've seen before. Love it.
December 13, 2023
There Was A Party For Langston is a brilliant and fun picture book. It's an ode to the incredible works of Langston Hughes that was inspired by the 1991 grand opening of the Langston Hughes Auditorium in the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture during which a photo was taken of Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka doing a lively dance (the photo is included at the end of the book with the author's note). It's a brilliant piece of poetry that celebrates Langston Hughes and the many talented Black writers and poets who have come since. It's genuinely very fun to read, the art pops off the pages, and it has the added value of celebrating and sharing the written word as part of its story. Definitely recommended!
June 26, 2023
Jason has a way of taking the English language and creating magic unlike anything I’ve ever read. This is a picture book about Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka. I thought it would be informational and cute (like most picture books). And while I got that, I also got so much more. Jason’s words and the beautiful artwork created something phenomenal. Everyone should read this masterpiece October 3.
July 2, 2024
Jason Reynolds’ debut picture book is a beautiful tribute to “the word-making man” Langston Hughes and the power of words. The lyrical text is wonderfully read by the author on the audio version. After listening, I read the book again more slowly and admired the glorious illustrations by Jerome Pumphrey and Jarrett Pumphrey. Awarded both a Caldecott Honor and a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor, There Was a Party for Langston is a joy!
Alison’s Summer Reading 2024 11/33
Alison’s Summer Reading 2024 11/33
March 23, 2024
I would have given this book the Caldecott. There is nothing to not love about this one, the art, the poetry (Reynolds’ and Hughes’), the author’s note and the actual party for Langston.
I shared this with first graders as part of our Caldecott study and fourth graders as part of our biography study and absolutely loved what I was able to share with the different developmental levels. And oh my goodness was it an honor to introduce my fourth graders to Langston Hughes!!!
ETA - I didn’t speak enough to the art in my initial praise. The way Hughes’ poetry becomes visual art is stunning. The Pumphreys morph poetry and story into images and design that convey joy, fear, laughter, playfulness, and beauty. The art is surprising and unique.
I shared this with first graders as part of our Caldecott study and fourth graders as part of our biography study and absolutely loved what I was able to share with the different developmental levels. And oh my goodness was it an honor to introduce my fourth graders to Langston Hughes!!!
ETA - I didn’t speak enough to the art in my initial praise. The way Hughes’ poetry becomes visual art is stunning. The Pumphreys morph poetry and story into images and design that convey joy, fear, laughter, playfulness, and beauty. The art is surprising and unique.
December 6, 2023
Like many elementary librarians, I do a Mock Caldecott "tournament" March Madness-style. I read the Caldecott medal and honor books, along with others that I enjoyed or were included on the lists of others. I enjoy seeing what the kids like and if they come to the same conclusion of the Caldecott committee. I have done it three times now, and every single time, at least one of the older kids will ask if they should vote for what *they* like or if they should vote for what they think *adults* will like. That speaks to the sad but true reality of adults giving awards to books written for children that should appeal to kids but don't always.
I have seen this book on many lists of potential Caldecott winners. I have read many glowing reviews that highlight the virtues of this picture book. But this is a book that was written for adults. Elementary school kids aren't familiar with Lanngston Hughes or Maya Angelou or Amiri Baraka - or at least not with enough context or exposure to understand what this book is trying to convey. I didn't even understand until I saw the author's note at the end (I wasn't sure if it was about a real party or just an homage to Black writers - the author's note explains that it is both of those things). Most of the picture books at my school library are checked out by Kinder - 3rd grade (age 5-8). This is a book that wasn't written with that demographic in mind, but I don't even envision this being appealing to my 4th-6th graders either. That is what my review reflects.
I have seen this book on many lists of potential Caldecott winners. I have read many glowing reviews that highlight the virtues of this picture book. But this is a book that was written for adults. Elementary school kids aren't familiar with Lanngston Hughes or Maya Angelou or Amiri Baraka - or at least not with enough context or exposure to understand what this book is trying to convey. I didn't even understand until I saw the author's note at the end (I wasn't sure if it was about a real party or just an homage to Black writers - the author's note explains that it is both of those things). Most of the picture books at my school library are checked out by Kinder - 3rd grade (age 5-8). This is a book that wasn't written with that demographic in mind, but I don't even envision this being appealing to my 4th-6th graders either. That is what my review reflects.
November 8, 2023
Is there anything that Jason Reynolds can’t do?
Add picture books to the “completely rocks it” column.
This is an ode to Langston Hughes and libraries and a little-known picture of Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka dancing at the 1991 dedication of the Langston Hughes Auditorium at the Schomberg Center.
Reynolds’ words bring the rhythm, but it is brothers Jerome and Jarrett Pumphrey who really take things to the next level. Their illustrations are a celebration of words and movement and joy and freedom.
Read the book once just to get that first feeling of wonder. But make sure you go back and read it a few more times to savor the playfulness of hidden and not so hidden words woven into the illustrations, the energy, the layers.
Entirely wonderful.
Add picture books to the “completely rocks it” column.
This is an ode to Langston Hughes and libraries and a little-known picture of Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka dancing at the 1991 dedication of the Langston Hughes Auditorium at the Schomberg Center.
Reynolds’ words bring the rhythm, but it is brothers Jerome and Jarrett Pumphrey who really take things to the next level. Their illustrations are a celebration of words and movement and joy and freedom.
Read the book once just to get that first feeling of wonder. But make sure you go back and read it a few more times to savor the playfulness of hidden and not so hidden words woven into the illustrations, the energy, the layers.
Entirely wonderful.
January 23, 2024
2024 Caldecott Honor Book.
Spencer rated this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Spencer rated this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.
December 29, 2023
What a way to celebrate the "maker of words" and to celebrate with other black authors in Harlem... his way of making you feeeeel those words!
December 14, 2024
This book makes my heart SING!!!
Read
October 9, 2023This is a truly gorgeous book, from the words themselves to the beautiful illustrations that help tell the story. I feel like you could read this a few times and find something new with each read.
October 4, 2023
Hand. Made. Stamps.
This is absolutely a Caldecott contender.
This is absolutely a Caldecott contender.
May 2, 2024
A panegyric to Hughes, recalling a party in his honor. Handsome, graphically strong stamped images amplify the account. Richly subtle colors and matt finish give a vintage vibe. Words from Hughes poetry are incorporated into the design and various African-American literary luminaries are shouted out as a case is made for Langston’s influence and impact. The over all effect is joyful, energetic and inspiring.
A good read-aloud as part of a unit on poetry, Black history and or the Harlem Renaissance.
A good read-aloud as part of a unit on poetry, Black history and or the Harlem Renaissance.
April 21, 2025
LOVED the illustrations and how they were incorporated with the text! This was a fun way for students to learn about a notable historical figure and his work through a story somewhat based on a true event.
February 26, 2024
There Was a Party for Langston Jason Reynolds
Author Jason Reynolds writes that There Was a Party for Langston was inspired by a photograph of Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka dancing at the Schomburg Center for the gala opening of the Langston Hughes Auditorium, in February 1991. On the page in which illustrators Jerome Pumphrey and his brother Jarrett Pumphrey recreate the photograph in their own style, the text on the page speaks of Langston Hughes:
“The man who wrote Maya and Amiri into the world.”
We who write do not write ourselves into the world — we are written into it by those who wrote before.
In addition to Maya and Amiri, the book gives us the portraits of sixteen Black authors and poets, who lean out of their books on the shelves of the library to join the party. Because at a party for a “word maker,” the people “boogie boogie wiggling wild.”
I turned page after joy-filled page, and I thought about the 66th Grammy Awards a few nights ago, when Tracy Chapman seemed to apparate right onto the stage to sing her song “Fast Car” with country music star Luke Combs, who has released his own version. It’s a song about longing to belong.
Chapman first sang it at the Grammys in 1991, when she won Best Female Pop vocalist. The other night she was back, wearing her trademark black, her hair now grey, singing and picking her guitar and smiling.
And Taylor Swift was standing and singing along from the audience, because she couldn’t not join in. And Michael Trotter Junior was standing too, pumping his fist along to the words, “I, I …”
We all want to be someone, be someone.
We can’t do it alone. We need books. We need libraries. We need dance parties. We need poets who play with words — like Chapman, like Hughes.
“But Langston, the brave word maker
knew letters were better together,
turned them into laughter."
Like "Big," this book uses words as art — words from Hughes’ poems. The words are bright, and they are Black. They bring joy not only to the dancing people at the party, but also to the baker, the porter, the farmer, the girl, the teacher, the nurse.
One picture turns Hughes’ “Mother to Son” into an illustration, with the word Mother written in yellow into the form of a mother, holding a boy, and the words To Son spill across the floor, a white shadow. It’s a poem I memorized in May 2022. It’s a poem I don’t wholly feel I have a right to, as a white woman. But it reminds me of someone — the same someone I think of when I hear “Fast Car.”
Thank you, Tracy Chapman. Thank you, Langston Hughes. For writing “wake up stories and rise-and-shine rhymes ‘for all the dreams we’ve dreamed.’” (That last phrase is from Hughes’ “Let America Be America Again.”
“There Was a Party for Langston” won the Caldecott Honor award and is a Coretta Scott King Honor book.
oh word makers!
when fire burns, make us laugh
fling us words on wide wings
Author Jason Reynolds writes that There Was a Party for Langston was inspired by a photograph of Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka dancing at the Schomburg Center for the gala opening of the Langston Hughes Auditorium, in February 1991. On the page in which illustrators Jerome Pumphrey and his brother Jarrett Pumphrey recreate the photograph in their own style, the text on the page speaks of Langston Hughes:
“The man who wrote Maya and Amiri into the world.”
We who write do not write ourselves into the world — we are written into it by those who wrote before.
In addition to Maya and Amiri, the book gives us the portraits of sixteen Black authors and poets, who lean out of their books on the shelves of the library to join the party. Because at a party for a “word maker,” the people “boogie boogie wiggling wild.”
I turned page after joy-filled page, and I thought about the 66th Grammy Awards a few nights ago, when Tracy Chapman seemed to apparate right onto the stage to sing her song “Fast Car” with country music star Luke Combs, who has released his own version. It’s a song about longing to belong.
Chapman first sang it at the Grammys in 1991, when she won Best Female Pop vocalist. The other night she was back, wearing her trademark black, her hair now grey, singing and picking her guitar and smiling.
And Taylor Swift was standing and singing along from the audience, because she couldn’t not join in. And Michael Trotter Junior was standing too, pumping his fist along to the words, “I, I …”
We all want to be someone, be someone.
We can’t do it alone. We need books. We need libraries. We need dance parties. We need poets who play with words — like Chapman, like Hughes.
“But Langston, the brave word maker
knew letters were better together,
turned them into laughter."
Like "Big," this book uses words as art — words from Hughes’ poems. The words are bright, and they are Black. They bring joy not only to the dancing people at the party, but also to the baker, the porter, the farmer, the girl, the teacher, the nurse.
One picture turns Hughes’ “Mother to Son” into an illustration, with the word Mother written in yellow into the form of a mother, holding a boy, and the words To Son spill across the floor, a white shadow. It’s a poem I memorized in May 2022. It’s a poem I don’t wholly feel I have a right to, as a white woman. But it reminds me of someone — the same someone I think of when I hear “Fast Car.”
Thank you, Tracy Chapman. Thank you, Langston Hughes. For writing “wake up stories and rise-and-shine rhymes ‘for all the dreams we’ve dreamed.’” (That last phrase is from Hughes’ “Let America Be America Again.”
“There Was a Party for Langston” won the Caldecott Honor award and is a Coretta Scott King Honor book.
oh word makers!
when fire burns, make us laugh
fling us words on wide wings
Want to read
March 31, 2024"There Was a Party for Langston" by Jason Reynolds is a delightful children's book that shows the essence of community, celebration, and the importance of recognizing and honoring cultural icons. The story is set in the vibrant neighborhood of Harlem, the story follows a group of neighbors as they come together to throw a party in honor of Langston Hughes. This book not only entertains but also educates, offering children a window into the history of the Harlem Renaissance. The primary themes of the book revolve around friendship, creativity, and the importance of cultural heritage. Children can learn valuable lessons about the power of literature to inspire and unite people from diverse backgrounds.
Jason Reynolds demonstrates eye-catching literary craftsmanship in "There Was a Party for Langston" using various literary devices to enhance the storytelling experience. Reynolds' use of rhythmic language and repetition mirrors the musicality of Langston Hughes' poetry, creating a lyrical and engaging narrative. The illustrations by Jerome and Jarrett Pumphrey complement the text by adding depth and visual appeal to the story. This book is free of bias, as Reynolds portrays characters from diverse backgrounds with authenticity and respect. He celebrates the rich culture of Harlem without resorting to stereotypes or marginalization. Reynolds ensures that all readers feel included and represented.
Jason Reynolds demonstrates eye-catching literary craftsmanship in "There Was a Party for Langston" using various literary devices to enhance the storytelling experience. Reynolds' use of rhythmic language and repetition mirrors the musicality of Langston Hughes' poetry, creating a lyrical and engaging narrative. The illustrations by Jerome and Jarrett Pumphrey complement the text by adding depth and visual appeal to the story. This book is free of bias, as Reynolds portrays characters from diverse backgrounds with authenticity and respect. He celebrates the rich culture of Harlem without resorting to stereotypes or marginalization. Reynolds ensures that all readers feel included and represented.
April 28, 2025
Let us dance the night away in Harlem. The book, There Was a Party For Langston, tributes poet Langston Hughes and the joy he brought through his words. Set in Harlem, the story has us gathering for a party to celebrate Hughes’s honor and impact on literature and culture. At this party, we see other famous poets attending like Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka. Reynolds tells the reader through poetry and rhyme how Langston used powerful words to create his work throughout his career and eventually inspired others to do the same. This is a children’s literature, poetry, and biographical fiction story that celebrates and connects the community while inspiring others. The party in this story symbolizes unity that honors someone who brought hope and pride to the black community. The story also highlights how Langston’s work inspired other black writers and artists to continue to create. This is a WOW book for me because it is a beautiful book reflecting strength and beauty throughout the face of struggle.
Reynolds and Pumphrey use different writing techniques to enhance the book's quality. The illustrations tie into the imagery of the words, bringing Harlem to life—the people, music, joy, poetry jam—and using onomatopoeia to bring the words alive. For example, many of the words used turned into illustrations or word art, like the mother and the Statue of Liberty. Onomatopoeia was used to bring energy and sound to the story. An example is the “thump.” and “boogie boogie” used throughout the book. This book is anti-bias in many powerful ways because it celebrates black community and creativity. It also challenges bias through the language and imagery used in the book, like the bird flying from the cage, to represent breaking free from oppression.
Reynolds and Pumphrey use different writing techniques to enhance the book's quality. The illustrations tie into the imagery of the words, bringing Harlem to life—the people, music, joy, poetry jam—and using onomatopoeia to bring the words alive. For example, many of the words used turned into illustrations or word art, like the mother and the Statue of Liberty. Onomatopoeia was used to bring energy and sound to the story. An example is the “thump.” and “boogie boogie” used throughout the book. This book is anti-bias in many powerful ways because it celebrates black community and creativity. It also challenges bias through the language and imagery used in the book, like the bird flying from the cage, to represent breaking free from oppression.
February 14, 2024
What a great party in word and pictures!
This 2024 honor award for Caldecott and Coretta Scott King illustrator awards tells a piece of history from Harlem in the grand opening of the Langston Hughes Auditorium in February 1991 at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black History (New York Public Library). It’s truly an accolade to the effect Hughes’s poetry had on the author’s life.
It is also Jason Reynolds picture book debut. I liked how he took Langston poems/titles into his telling and used them so descriptively: “Could make the word MOTHER feel like real warm arms around you, giving a snug hug.” The Pumphrey brother’s illustrations incorporate word(s) from Reynolds texts directly into the illustrations making the book a visual delight.
In the telling about this party for Langston, Reynolds also highlights word makers Maya Angelou and Amiri who danced together at the party. (photo and story included on back page.
The front end pages include a gallery of Black word makers and another gallery of them occurs on interior illustrations during the party.
I liked the use of white space, lettering words in the shape of objects, and the use of shadow throughout.
Bravo!
This 2024 honor award for Caldecott and Coretta Scott King illustrator awards tells a piece of history from Harlem in the grand opening of the Langston Hughes Auditorium in February 1991 at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black History (New York Public Library). It’s truly an accolade to the effect Hughes’s poetry had on the author’s life.
It is also Jason Reynolds picture book debut. I liked how he took Langston poems/titles into his telling and used them so descriptively: “Could make the word MOTHER feel like real warm arms around you, giving a snug hug.” The Pumphrey brother’s illustrations incorporate word(s) from Reynolds texts directly into the illustrations making the book a visual delight.
In the telling about this party for Langston, Reynolds also highlights word makers Maya Angelou and Amiri who danced together at the party. (photo and story included on back page.
The front end pages include a gallery of Black word makers and another gallery of them occurs on interior illustrations during the party.
I liked the use of white space, lettering words in the shape of objects, and the use of shadow throughout.
Bravo!
Read
December 17, 2023This book was beautiful and the illustrations were so well done in this. Absolutely loved it, but I do think that the overall message would go over the heads of 3-7 year olds who are the typical audience of picture books. But I love the idea of reading this as an adult and I think adults and older children would be the ones to fully appreciate this picture book when speaking strictly about the people and story that’s featured (Along with the greater themes of race and freedom). But again, the illustrations were excellent and I think that would garner the attention of little ones and might spark interesting conversations that could even lead to a teaching moment. All about the Harlem Renaissance and its pivotal leaders and the featured names in this book :)
June 5, 2024
There Was a Party for Langston celebrates the literary skills of the master poet Langston Hughes. This tells the story of the party held in his honor in 1991. A picture of two of Jason Reynolds favorite wordsmiths dancing together inspired this book. This book is so fun, rhythmic and inspiring and simply a joy to read!
October 17, 2023
This was so excellent. Great story, rhythm, and illustrations, a celebration of Black artistry and brilliance, and writers, and libraries!
Themes: Black artists, Black history, Libraries, Writers, Party
Age range: Preschool-Elementary
Themes: Black artists, Black history, Libraries, Writers, Party
Age range: Preschool-Elementary
March 25, 2024
A beautiful tribute to Langston and a fantastic educational read to introduce young readers to some of the greats! Love the art work and wordsmithing in this I highly recommend. Can’t wait to add this to our collection.
Read
February 1, 2025The real star here is the art, and I loved it. I love the idea of writing a whole book inspired by one photograph that the author went to research, but I guess I like it more as an idea for a creative writing class than something that really made a compelling, publishable book?
November 24, 2023
Read this in a bookshop, along with many others, but this is the one that’s coming home with me.
December 13, 2023
Jason Reynolds brings his talent to picture books with poetic beauty and amazing creative art.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 356 reviews