About the Author

Nikki Grimes is a New York Times bestselling author and the recipient of the Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award, the ALAN Award, the Children's Literature Legacy Award, the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award, and the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Her distinguished works include the Printz Honor and Sibert Honor book Ordinary Hazards; NAACP Image Award nominee Planet Middle School; Coretta Scott King Award winner Bronx Masquerade; Coretta Scott King Author Honor books Jazmin’s Notebook, Talkin’ About Bessie, Dark Sons, The Road to Paris, and Words with Wings, which was also named an ALA Notable Book; and What Is Goodbye?, an ALA Notable Book. She lives in Corona, California.
www.nikkigrimes.com

Wendell Minor is nationally known for the artwork he has created for over fifty award-winning children’s books. His many collaborators include Jean Craighead George, Robert Burleigh, Buzz Aldrin, Tony Johnston, Mary Higgins Clark, and last but not least, his wife Florence. In 2009 Wendell and Florence’s If You Were a Penguin, was chosen by Pennsylvania for their "One Book, Every Young Child" 2009 early literacy program, and they enjoyed the month they spent speaking to children in Pennsylvania’s libraries, schools, Head Start facilities, and Museums.
www.minorart.com/index

Reviews

Captures the beauty of the Southwestern United States in . . . Grimes' signature poetic lyricism and vividly depicted in Minor's gorgeous illustrations. . . . beautiful in every way.
*Kirkus Reviews, starred review*

Evocative and engaging.
*School Library Journal, starred review*

Grimes' lyrical prose captures the sights and sounds of the land of enchantment. . . Upbeat, eye-catching, and guaranteed to convince even reluctant newcomers to New Mexicans.
*Booklist*

The hallmark of Southwest Sunrise is the faith it puts in readers . . . lively.
*Shelf Awareness Pro*

Jayden’s experience of focusing on the beauty before him rather than on what he has left behind is an endearing example of making the best of a new situation.
*Horn Book Magazine*

Gorgeous.
*The New York Times on ONE LAST WORD*

Every page of One Last Word seems to offer a new treasure.
*Entertainment Weekly on ONE LAST WORD*

It is simple. Nikki Grimes is a sculptor. She has molded, yes, molded muscular poems, full of wit and wisdom, into a marvelous tribute to the Harlem Renaissance poets. And she’s done this by carving Golden Shovels--a fun, yet challenging form that will invariably inspire children and adults alike--into something solid, something true.
*Kwame Alexander, Newbery Medal-winning author of THE CROSSOVER, on ONE LAST WORD*

Timely and thought-provoking. . . . Grimes' choice of form, the Golden Shovel poem, does the magic of weaving generations of black verbal artistry into a useful, thematic, golden thread.
*Kirkus Reviews, starred review, on ONE LAST WORD*

Grimes powerfully transposes the original poems’ themes of racial bias, hidden inner selves, beauty, and pride into the here and now. . . . A remarkable dialogue between past and present.
*Publishers Weekly, starred review, on ONE LAST WORD*

Innovative and powerful. . . . A beautiful new homage to the Harlem Renaissance but also a moving reflection on the African American experience and the resilience of the human spirit.
*School Library Journal, starred review, on ONE LAST WORD*

Between the covers of this compact volume lies artistic, literary, sociocultural, and curricular gold. . . . Simply essential.
*BCCB, starred review, on ONE LAST WORD*

Exquisitely drafted spreads by Minor. . . . Lyrical lines by Grimes. . . . show what braving unexpected change looks like.
*Publishers Weekly*