Singing Black: Alternative Nursery Rhymes for Children
by Mari Evans, Illustrated by Ramon Price

Features 32 rhymes for children from a renowned black poet Nursery rhymes, with their simple words and sing-song rhythms. have enthralled and excited youngsters for centuries. But most of the best-known rhymes reflect a limited Western perspective. Last fall. Just Us Books addressed the need for nursery rhymes that represent the true diversity of a child’s world by publishing The Many Colors of Mother Goose. which included nursery rhymes from a multicultural perspective. Now, with Singing Black, they present a collection of original short poems by Marl Evans that draw their inspiration from black culture.

One of the leading members of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 70s, Evans is one of America’s prominent black writers. Her work is widely read and taught in black and women’s studies programs. This new version of Singing Black is redesigned and made contemporary for today’s children with simple and bold line drawings by Ramon Price, director of the DuSable Museum in Chicago. But Evans’s poems are as timeless and fresh as they were when the first edition was released. Their bright images of friendship, family, and fun offer an alternative to traditional nursery rhymes that teaches children, especially black children, to feel good about who they are.