From Coretta Scott King Award–winning creator Ashley Bryan comes a luminously illustrated primer on celebrated African American poets, from A to Z. “And God stepped out on space, And he looked around and said: I’m lonely—I’ll make me a world.” —James Weldon Johnson This collection brings together inspiring excerpts of poems by celebrated African American poets and is sure to delight readers of all ages. "This marvelous introduction should inspire many readers to seek out other works by these writers". -- School Library Journal Thus begins Coretta Scott King Award-winner Ashley Bryan's collection of inspiring excerpts of poems by celebrated African American poets. Beautifully illustrated with his own tempera and gouache paintings, Ashley Bryan's unique alphabet book will delight readers of any age. Ashley Bryan (1923–2022) grew up to the sound of his mother singing from morning to night, and he shared the joy of song with children. A beloved illustrator, he was named a Newbery Honoree for his picture book, Freedom Over Me . He also received the Coretta Scott King—Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, was a May Hill Arbuthnot lecturer, a Coretta Scott King Award winner, and the recipient of countless other awards and recognitions. His books include Freedom Over Me ; Sail Away ; Beautiful Blackbird ; Beat the Story-Drum, Pum Pum ; Let It Shine ; Ashley Bryan’s Book of Puppets ; and What a Wonderful World . He lived in Islesford, one of the Cranberry Isles off the coast of Maine.