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From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

Vaunda Micheaux Nelson revisits the topic of Lewis Michaux and the National Memorial African Bookstore that was the subject of her singular young adult novel No Crystal Stair, here introducing her great uncle and his Harlem store in a picture book told in the engaging fictionalized voice of Lewis Michaux’s son. Young Louie shares the history of the store, for which his father could not get a bank loan to open because the banker believed “Black people don’t read.” And he shares a sense of the vibrant, vivid gathering place the store is: a place of activism and action with its “zillion books” by Black people—African Americans, Africans—and others who aren’t white, with its many visitors from the famous (Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X) to the anonymous (the boy who spends every Saturday reading at the store), and with its readings and rallies. Read to learn, his father tells him, and to learn how “to figure out for yourself what is true.” In the aftermath of Malcolm X’s death, Louie is comforted by his father’s reminder that “His words will never leave us.” And Louie thinks about the importance of words, and the importance of their bookstore as a place to find them in this picture book strikingly illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Nelson tells more about the store, which closed in 1975, and her personal connection in end material that includes photographs and a bibliography. (Age 8 and older)

CCBC Choices 2016 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2016. Used with permission.

From Horn Book

January 1, 2016
Nelson presents a picture book adaptation of her Ycf2]No Crystal StairYcf1] source material, narrated by young Lewis, son of the National Memorial African Bookstore proprietor Lewis Michaux. Studded with Michaux's aphorisms ("Don't get took! Read a book!"), the book conveys the store's vibrancy during the tumultuous 1960s. Christie, whose black-and-white drawings illustrate Ycf2]No Crystal StairYcf1], here employs full pages drenched with expressionistic color. Bib.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Horn Book

November 1, 2015
If the central character of Nelson's Boston GlobeHorn Book Award-winning No Crystal Stair (rev. 3/12) was the author's great-uncle, Lewis Michaux, this picture book adaptation of the same source material shifts the focus just enough to give younger readers an introduction to his singular achievement: the National Memorial African Bookstore, founded by Michaux in Harlem in the 1930s. Where No Crystal Stair had more than thirty narrators, this book has but one, Michaux's young son Lewis, a late-in-life child who witnessed the store's doings during the tumultuous 1960s. Studded with Michaux's aphorisms ( Don't get took! Read a book! ), the book successfully conveys the vibrancy of the bookstore and its habitues, including Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X, whose assassination provides the emotional climax of the story. Christie, whose black-and-white drawings are such an inextricable part of No Crystal Stair, is here allowed full pages drenched with expressionistic color to convey the spirit of the place, time, and people. While middle-graders might need some context to understand that the book is set fifty years in the past, its concerns remain: as Michaux jokes to Lewis, Anytime more than three black people congregate, the police get nervous. Nelson provides full documentation in a biographical note, and some of the bookseller's best slogans decorate the endpapers. roger sutton

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Booklist

Starred review from October 1, 2015
Grades 2-4 *Starred Review* This companion to No Crystal Stair (2012) introduces younger readers to Nelson's great-uncle, Lewis Michaux Sr., owner of Harlem's National Memorial African Bookstore. Michaux's young son, Lewis Jr., narrates; he recalls helping his father with the day-to-day operation of the shop; visits from the famous, including Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X; and the devoted community patronage that helped the store thrive for nearly four decades. Nelson highlights Michaux's dedication to his calling (he financed the business with his own money and often slept at the store when customers stayed late) as well as his determination to educate his clientele. She also notes the political climate the store fostered, detailing a missed meeting with Malcolm X on the night he was shot, which probably saved Michaux's life. Christie, who also illustrated the earlier volume, here uses a bold color palette and realistically rendered figures. He incorporates many of Michaux's slogans ( Don't get took! Read a book! ) into the art, especially on the endpapers and in depictions of the storefront. Appended with generous back matter, including a list of sources, this moving tribute should be a welcome addition to almost any collection.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

From Publisher's Weekly

September 21, 2015
Nelson and Christie bring the story of Harlem's storied National Memorial African Bookstore to picture book readers in this companion to their 2012 YA collaboration, No Crystal Stair. The shop was opened in the 1930s by Nelson's great-uncle, Lewis Michaux, who "started out with five books... and a mission." Writing in the voice of Michaux's admiring son, Nelson illuminates Lewis's generosity (he invited those who couldn't afford books into his shop to read) and his fervent belief in the power of words and books to change lives. Michaux's love of words comes through in his catchy aphorisms and sales pitches ("Knowledge is power. You need it every hour. Read a book!"), which appear throughout, as well as his nickname for the shop, "The House of Common Sense and Home of Proper Propaganda." Christie's paintings powerfully contrast the idea of the bookstore as a refuge with the tensions of the day, particularly during a section of the book about Michaux's friendship with Malcolm X and his anguish following the activist's assassination. It's an emotive tribute to Michaux's personal and professional legacy. Ages 7â€"10. Author's agent: Tracey Adams, Adams Literary.

From Kirkus

Starred review from September 15, 2015
A man with a mission leaves a memorable mark in Harlem. The National Memorial African Bookstore and its owner, Lewis Michaux, were vibrant Harlem fixtures for many years. Nelson, who told her great-uncle's story for teen readers in the award-winning No Crystal Stair, also illustrated by Christie (2012), now turns to the voice of Michaux's son as narrator in this version for a younger audience. The son is an enthusiastic and proud witness to history as he talks about visits to the bookstore by Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X. Michaux's commitments to reading, knowledge, and African-American history shine brightly through the liberal use of boldface and large type for his pithy and wise sayings, as in "Knowledge is power. You need it every hour. READ A BOOK!" Christie's richly textured and complex paintings, created with broad strokes of color, showcase full bookcases and avid readers. His use of a billboard motif to frame both scenes and text evokes a troubled but strong neighborhood. Faces in browns and grays are set against yellow and orange backgrounds and depict intense emotions in both famous and ordinary folk. The Michaux family's deeply felt sorrow at the assassination of Malcolm X will resonate with all readers. From the author's heart to America's readers: a tribute to a man who believed in and lived black pride. (afterword, author's note, selected bibliography, photographs) (Picture book/biography. 7-10)

COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From School Library Journal

September 1, 2015

Gr 1-4-Taking an imaginative leap into the past, Nelson describes the role of the National Memorial African Bookstore in Harlem, which opened in the 1930s and became a place where all kinds of people came to read, talk, and buy books about African American history. Told from the point of view of Lewis Michaux Jr.-the bookstore owner's son and the author's relative-this title clearly explains what made this bookstore unique. Lewis Michaux Sr. had a passion for sharing books with others, which was reflected in his words "Knowledge is power./You need it every hour./READ A BOOK!" He welcomed his customers and allowed them to stay as long as they wanted to and made a platform available outside the store so that people could speak their minds; among the speakers were Malcolm X and Michaux himself. Christie's bold, colorful paintings help readers envision this landmark bookstore and the surrounding neighborhood. Back matter includes additional information about Lewis Michaux Sr. and an author's note in which Nelson describes her interest in the subject, the sources she used for her research, and her use of perspective. Nelson and Christie's Coretta Scott King Honor No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller (Carolrhoda, 2012) is aimed at older readers; this picture book explores Michaux for a slightly younger audience. VERDICT A strong endorsement of the power of books and reading, an excellent choice for history and biography collections, and a strong choice for educators emphasizing the importance of community.-Myra Zarnowski, City University of New York

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.