"Bronzeville Boys and Girls"

Written by Gwendolyn Brooks                Illustrated by Faith Ringgold

       

Image Source: Thriftbooks.com

        The purpose of this collection of poems is found in the about page in the back of the book: "Gwendolyn Brooks created a collection of poems that celebrated the joy, beauty, imagination, and freedom of childhood. She reminded us that whether we live in the Bronzeville section of Chicago or any other neighborhood, childhood is universal in its richness of emotions and experiences." The intended audience for "Bronzeville Boys and Girls" are children, more specifically Black children. All of the poems were written by Brooks and introduce us to the boy and girls that live in Bronzeville. The poems vary in tone and rhythm. While "Timmy and Tawanda" gives us a regular rhyme that children are more likely to be familiar with, there are also repetition like in "Charles".

        There is variation of meter throughout the poems. While some use a faster singsong pace, others vary the length of lines that gives is an irregular rhythm. Typically there is one poem per page that you can find in the table of contents. While each poem can be read independently, they can also be read consecutively.

        Faith Ringgold's paintings throughout help enrich the idea of traveling through the neighborhood of Bronzeville to meet the different boys and girls there. The bright, vivid neighborhood spans from houses with white picket fences to town homes and apartment buildings. We see the inside of the church and the inside of some of the children's homes. The use of the bright colors and strong lines help anchor the poem for children who may have a harder time following along with poetry. The use of the paintings throughout helps immerse the reader into the neighborhood of Bronzeville. 

Brooks, Gwendolyn. Bronzeville Boys and Girls. Illustrated by Faith Ringgold. HarperCollins, 1956. 41 pages. TR. $17.89, ISBN 978-0-06-029505-9.