Ellington Was Not a Street
by Ntozake Shange
illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Poet Ntozake Shange recounts her childhood memories of the many great African Americans who gather in her home. Such world changers include Paul Robeson, W.E.B. DuBois, Dizzy Gillespie, and Duke Ellington. While these great men will forever live in history, she remembers when these men were not a memory, but when they were alive and were often company in her own home. I liked this book. My daughter really liked the drawing of the little girl! They had questions about who many of the men were who were mentioned in the book. I am excited to teach them about their history so that Ellington will be more than a street name to them as well!!!
