Review: UPTOWN by Bryan Collier

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Collier, Bryan. 2000. Uptown. New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 080507399X.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Collier shares the experiences of Harlem through the eyes of a young boy. He takes the reader on a journey through the neighborhoods detailing the everyday sights and sounds from the Apollo theater to playing basketball at the Ruckers.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Through his playful use of words and his very engaging pictures, Collier grabs the reader and pulls him/her into life in Harlem. The colorful illustrations in a cut and paste style offer the reader much to look at on each page. The illustrations, though quite busy with the mixtures of textures and shading, offer a glimpse into the life of the young boy who takes us through the story. Even the type and color of the font help catch the eye of the reader.

By way of Collier’s descriptions of the places and people in Harlem, the reader experiences what makes it a special place and gains an understanding of why the boy is so proud to call it home. By including such regional details as the “weekend shopping on 125th Street,” listening to jazz and the Boys Choir of Harlem, eating chicken and waffles, and visiting the Van Der Zee studio, Collier takes the reader to the streets and introduces us to the sights and sounds of this energy-filled community.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
KIRKUS review: “Collier debuts with a set of dazzling paint-and-photo collages paired to a child's tribute to his Harlem neighborhood... This complex, many-layered vibe is made almost tangible by the kaleidoscopic illustrations.”

PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY review: “The artwork creates an inviting visual riff with a pastiche of watercolor portraits, fabric scraps, photographs, wallpaper snippets and newsprint; and both text and art capture a child's sense of perspective and imagination (Collier represents brownstones that the boy thinks "look like they're made of chocolate" with photos of Cadbury bars that double as architectural detail). "Uptown is home," says the narrator, concluding on a note of affection and pride for his neighborhood that informs every page.”

5. CONNECTIONS
This book will introduce young readers to life in an urban African American neighborhood. An awesome extension to this book would be a book share using a webcam in which students share what their impressions of life in Harlem are after reading the book with a class in Harlem. Students could then ask further questions about what it is like to grow up in Harlem. It would be great if the students in Harlem read a book about Texas and asked the students in Texas about life here. The students could share back and forth about their cultures and even address common stereotypes.

Other books with African American characters or themes that have won the Ezra Jack Keats award:
Harrington, Janice. Going North. Ill. by Jerome Lagarrigue. ISBN: 0374326819.
Wiles, Deborah. Freedom Summer. Ill. by Jerome Lagarrigue. ISBN: 068987829X.
Rodman, Mary Ann. My Best Friend. Ill. E. B. Lewis. ISBN: 0142408069.