{"product_id":"9780826214980","title":"Works for Children and Young Adults: Poetry, Fiction, and Other Writings (The Collected Works of Langston Hughes)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThroughout his long career as a poet, fiction writer, and chronicler of the situation of blacks throughout the world, Langston Hughes also wrote books for children. Whether fiction, poetry, or nonfiction, these works are true literature into which he put much research, thought, creative energy, and love. His young readers then and now can sense that they are just as important as his adult audience, while adult readers can appreciate the skill of a great writer able to speak to readers of all ages.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeginning with four pieces Hughes published in \u003ci\u003eThe Brownies' Book\u003c\/i\u003e, a magazine for black children edited by W. E. B. Du Bois and Jessie Fauset, this volume also includes two works first published in 1932: \u003ci\u003ePopo and Fifina\u003c\/i\u003e, a story of two children living in Haiti, which Hughes wrote with Arna Bontemps, and \u003ci\u003eThe Dream Keeper and Other Poems\u003c\/i\u003e, a collection Hughes chose explicitly for young people.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe First Book of Negroes, The First Book of Rhythms, The First Book of Jazz, The First Book of the West Indies\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe First Book of Africa\u003c\/i\u003e, all originally published between 1952 and 1960, Hughes hits just the right tone, presenting the history of Africans throughout the world without being condescending or simplistic. It is clear that, for Hughes, Africans and African cultures contribute to a world culture and a world community.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlso included in this essential volume are a number of uncollected poems for children; the captions Hughes wrote for \u003ci\u003eBlack Misery\u003c\/i\u003e, which he completed just before his death in 1967; as well as several books published posthumously, \u003ci\u003eThe Sweet and Sour Animal Book\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Pasteboard Bandit\u003c\/i\u003e, the latter also written with Arna Bontemps.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHughes's books for children remain entertaining, moving, beautiful, and relevant. For scholars of African American literature and history and for readers of all ages, these are works to be enjoyed and to be taken seriously.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"University of Missouri Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47021997883632,"sku":"9780826214980","price":55.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780826214980_p0.jpg?v=1763752961","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780826214980","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}