5 pages from inside this book
Black Girl You Are Atlas
- Subject
- Poetry
- Age
- 9-12 years
- Format
- Hardcover
- Pages
- 96
- Publisher
- Penguin Young Readers Group
- Size
- 14.0 cm × 16.0 cm
- ISBN
- 9780593461709
A thoughtful celebration of Black girlhood by award-winning author and poet Renée Watson.
In this semi-autobiographical collection of poems, Renée Watson writes
about her experience growing up as a young Black girl at the intersections of race, class, and gender.
Using a variety of poetic forms, from haiku to free verse, Watson shares recollections of her childhood in Portland, tender odes to the Black women in her life, and urgent calls for Black girls to step into their power.
Black Girl You Are Atlas encourages young readers to embrace their future with a strong sense of sisterhood and celebration. With full-color art by celebrated fine artist Ekua Holmes throughout, this collection offers guidance and is a gift for anyone who reads it.
In this semi-autobiographical collection of poems, Renée Watson writes
about her experience growing up as a young Black girl at the intersections of race, class, and gender.
Using a variety of poetic forms, from haiku to free verse, Watson shares recollections of her childhood in Portland, tender odes to the Black women in her life, and urgent calls for Black girls to step into their power.
Black Girl You Are Atlas encourages young readers to embrace their future with a strong sense of sisterhood and celebration. With full-color art by celebrated fine artist Ekua Holmes throughout, this collection offers guidance and is a gift for anyone who reads it.
Data provided by BiblioShare.
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What reviewers said
A USA Today Bestseller
A 2025 Coretta Scott King Honor
Winner of the Walter Dean Myers Award
Winner of the Bank Street Claudia Lewis Award
A Bank Street Best Book of 2025
A 2025 Rise: A Feminist Book Project for Ages 0-18 Book (Top Ten Title)
A 2025 ALSC Notable Children’s Book
A 2025 NCTE Notable Verse Novel
A 2025 Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) Children & Youth Literary Award -- Honor Book
A 2025 NCSS Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray Book Award Honor (Secondary)
A Kirkus Best YA Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best YA Book of the Year
A Horn Book Best Book of the Year
A BookPage …
★ “[A] moving, introspective poetry collection celebrating the possibilities of Black girlhood complemented by atmospheric mixed-media illustrations…A compelling ode to self-resurrection and Black sisterhood.”
“Brimming with vibrant, layered poetry and stunningly textured collage art, this ballad for Black girls is a must for all collections...The combination of poetry and collage art is exceptionally powerful and dynamic."
“This poetry collection masterfully encapsulates Watson’s experience of Black girlhood and womanhood…The collaboration with Holmes, whose magnificent collages accompany Watson’s words, adds a visual dimension that also spans cultures and experiences. The result is a celebration of the complexities of, and the bonds formed through, Black girlhood and womanhood.”
“Watson offers high-impact, widely accessible poems… a phenomenal poetry collection celebrating sisterhood, womanhood, Black culture and the power of family and friendship… Caldecott Honor recipient Holmes’ torn paper collage and mixed-media art is the perfect accompaniment… Shimmering with radiance.”
"[A] semi-autobiographical collection that speaks to…the expansive experience of Black girlhood as it cycles toward womanhood via sharp and loving poetry. Accompanied by striking and vintage-feeling multimedia collage artwork… a tender ode to universal yearnings for safety, love, and justice, as well as a celebration of Black girlhood.”
