Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks by Suzanne Slade; illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera. 2020. Acrylic paints. Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers.

Brief summary: Gwendolyn grew up in Chicago listening to her father reciting poetry from the book collection they owned. Gwendolyn began to fill notebooks of her own poems. She submitted her poetry as early as eleven to a newspaper and poetry contest. Inspired from seeing her words in print, she continued writing in high school and college. She married and had a son. She continued to write poetry and began to have them published. After two books, she received a Pulitzer Prize recognizing and honoring her poetry!

Comments: I first discovered Gwendolyn Brooks poetry in my twenties and shared them with my students. They loved the rhythms and rhyming as much as I did.

Back pages include Clouds(written by her at age fifteen), Author’s Note, Timeline, Sources for Quotes, Select Bibliography, and Acknowledgments