Melodies of the weary blues Classic poems illustrated for young people

Editor and contributor Knight-Justice pairs 23 illustrators, including Reggie Brown, Oge Mora, and Andrea Pippins, with a poem apiece in this arresting illustrators' anthology that riffs on works from Langston Hughes's first poetry collection, The Weary Blues. Depicting images of musicians, journeys, and the natural world, visual interpretations range from impressionistic to surreal. Attending poem "The Weary Blues," Dominique Ramsey shows a figure playing a long, curving keyboard in the rain. Charly Palmer illustrates one of two pieces titled "Poem," building colorblock detail into an image of two musicians. And in the depiction that accompanies "The Negro Speaks of Rivers (To W.E.B. DuBois)," Frank Morrison paints a bracingly realistic scene of a Black crew using poles to propel a flat vessel through choppy waters. Thoughtfully created with young readers in mind, it's an affecting, visually inviting variation of a much-beloved work. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Includes a letter from the editor, biography of Hughes, and timeline. Ages 6--10. (Jan.)

A twenty-three-artist ensemble interprets poems from Hughes's poetry collection The Weary Blues in an illustrated volume that emphasizes the poems' musical motifs. The sequencing transitions from cabaret brightness to meditative hush, crafted with a musician's sensitivity. Islenia Mil's interpretation of "Jazzonia," for example, opens with vibrant stage lighting and a swing feel. Dominique Ramsey's rendering of the titular poem, "The Weary Blues," uses repetition and shadow to convey the piece's emotional weight. Frank Morrison's powerful, turbulent portrayal of "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" precedes Briana Mukodiri Uchendu's "Sea Calm" and Reggie Brown's "Sea Charm," both of which highlight moments of stillness. Compiler Knight-Justice's illustration for "Danse Africaine" visually interprets the rhythm of drumming. What could have been a patchwork quilt of styles instead becomes a cohesive conversation among individual artists. Full-bleed illustrations, thoughtful text placement, and a careful balance between saturated colors and calm negative space create continuity while preserving individual artistic styles. The anthology serves as a resonant introduction for new readers of Hughes's work, allowing them to experience the music of his poetry before returning to seek more profound meaning. A "letter from the editor" introduces the collection, framing poetry as an inheritance rather than an assignment. A biography and timeline of Hughes's life, along with brief bios of the illustrators, are appended. Annisha JeffriesJanuary/February 2026 p.85 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This collection, illustrated by 23 Black artists, highlights recurring themes that appear throughout Hughes' work: night, water, dreams, Harlem, jazz, Blackness. Editor Knight-Justice, who contributes two illustrations, explains in a note that at age 14, Hughes' poem "Mother to Son" not only introduced him to poetry's rich possibilities, but deepened his understanding of his relationship with his own mother. He writes, "This is what poetry did for me, and I want it to do the same for you." Some poems receive double-page spreads, while others, thematically aligned, appear on facing pages. "Dream Variation," like other selections, sees night as a solace--a warm, positive reflection of Blackness: "Then rest at cool evening / Beneath a tall tree / While night comes on gently, / Dark like me-- / That is my dream!" The facing poem, "Harlem Night Song," invites a loved one to roam nighttime streets pulsing with jazz. To visually unify the project, the artists adopt a palette of blues and purples accented with warm yellows, oranges, and the varied skin tones of the mainly Black and Brown children and adults that enliven each spread. Styles vary, from Islenia Mil's sepia-rich nightclub scene for "Jazzonia" and Janelle Washington's stylized seascape for "Long Trip" to Frank Morrison's epic painting for "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," in which families aboard a wooden craft struggle amid high waves below a stormy sky. Well-chosen poems and spirited illustrations celebrate the legacy of a Harlem Renaissance luminary. (biographical note, photograph of Hughes, timeline, artists' thumbnail biographies with photos)(Picture book/poetry. 6-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.