Ellington Was Not A Street

Shange, N. (2004). Ellington Was Not A Street. N.p.: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers.

Ellington Was Not A Street is a book based on the reality of a once famous, African-American neighborhood, filled with all the glorious ritzy glamour that no longer now exists. The book takes you through the thoughts of a little girl as she discusses the times she remembers about Duke Ellington, Paul Robeson, W.E.B. DuBois, Ray Baretto, Sonny Til, Dizzy Gillespie, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Virgil Akins, and the Clovers. In the end, she says, "Ellington was not always a street" implying that the great glory days are over and now it is simply just a busy street. 

The illustrations in this book demonstrate different amounts of wealth represented in the people groups and situations. The illustrations are slightly stereotypical as they almost imply at the end that all African-American's now live in metal-windowed houses instead of fancy ritzy places, which is not the case of all. The message the illustrations portray are strongly connected with the point the story is trying to make. The facial expressions allow young readers to follow along with the story. 

The book is a wonderful read as it introduces student's to famous African-American musical artists, allowing them to gain a personal appreciation and connection with those of our country's past. Student's and teacher's can explore political relationships regarding the 1950's and present with the topic of race. The book can also be used to explore our country's heroes or role models, and have student's explore who their own role models are. 

The book also contains a glossary of people in the back of the book, including an author's note. The way the story is written does not include punctuation or capitalization. This is another asset that attributes to the book's uniqueness as it came from a poem. This book stars both the little girl as a type of hero, as well as the African-American male musicians. As there were no female musicians starring as heroes, I commend the author for using a little girl for the star figure of the book, as it made her part of the history of Ellington. 

Lexile: Not Listed

Guided Reading Level: R

I would recommend this book be an adult-led discussion as there are many political and racial themes happening, and history to be talked about. There is also many terms that need to be discussed, and may not be further explored by young readers without help. 

Age Level: 7+