Harlem

Harlem, is a children's picture book poem written by Walter Dean Myers in 1997.  The illustrations in this story tell a tale of their own as the recipient of a Caldecott Honor, and they were created by Christopher Myers.  The first time reading this story poem through, the words seemed to have a rythm as if they could be chanted or sung.  Little did I know that this story is a chorus about the charisma and charm present within Harlem. The front flap inside the book revealed this to me and it was such a surprise as I did not read the flap until I had read the story through once with no previous knowledge.  The visuals within this text are extremely intense and descriptive as the reader will become truly captivated by not only the text, but the illustrations as well.  This poem is told in more of a free verse format as there are hardly any rhyming words present throughout the text. The author also uses many pauses and breaks to separate the words even though it does not necessarily designate the end of a sentence. Full of information in regards to the culture of Harlem, this text would serve as great resource to teach children the ideas of poetry while integrating it into aspects of the social studies curriculum as well.