ellington was not a street

Shange, N. (2004). Ellington was not a street. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, Inc.

This book won the 2005 Coretta Scott King award. It is a poem written by Ntozake Shange and illustrated by Kadir Nelson. The poet talks about how she grew up amongst a prestigious community of now famous African American people who changed the country. She talks about her home and how W.E. DuBois would simply walk in and how this was normal. She references about ten famous African Americans who stood up for their art and for their beliefs. In the back of the book, she talks a bit about each of these people who frequently were around her, which is a great thing for children to understand the names that she references in the poem.
I think this book would be an excellent read for a middle school classroom, especially during a poetry unit. It is a bit hard to understand, however the beautiful pictures would actually help teach how to read and comprehend poetry. I think it is an excellent teaching opportunity to talk about how African American thinkers shaped the ideology of a country. 

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