“Dream Variation,” one of Langston Hughes's most celebrated poems, about the dream of a world free of discrimination and racial prejudice, is now a picture book stunningly illustrated by Daniel Miyares, the acclaimed creator of Float.
To fling my arms wide In some place of the sun, To whirl and to dance Till the white day is done…. Langston Hughes's inspiring and timeless message of pride, joy, and the dream of a better life is brilliantly and beautifully interpreted in Daniel Miyares's gorgeous artwork.
Follow one African-American boy through the course of his day as the harsh reality of segregation and racial prejudice comes into vivid focus. But the boy dreams of a different life—one full of freedom, hope, and wild possibility, where he can fling his arms wide in the face of the sun.
Hughes's powerful vision, brought joyously to life by Daniel Miyares, is as relevant—and necessary—today as when it was first written.
Langston Hughes (1902-1967) is one of the most beloved and celebrated American poets of all time. He published his first poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" in
The Crisis magazine in 1921. His first book of poems,
The Weary Blues, which includes the poem "Dream Variation," was published by
Knopf in 1926 when Hughes was only twenty-four years old. Hughes was an important leader of the Harlem Renaissance during the 1920s. During his lifetime, he was awarded a
Guggenhiem Fellowship (1935), a
Rosenwald Fellowship (1940), and an
American Academy of Arts and Letters Grant (1947). In addition to poetry, Hughes wrote short stories, novels, memoirs, essays, and plays.
Daniel Miyares is the author and illustrator of
Float, an
ALA-ALSC Notable Children's Book of the Year, which
The Boston Globe called, "a perfect wordless book;"
Pardon Me!; and
Bring Me a Rock! He also illustrated
Surf's Up by
Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander. He lives in Kansas City, MO, with his wife and their two children. Visit him on the web at danielmiyares.com or on Twitter @danielmiyares.
"A must-read illustrated poem that breathes new life into Hughes' "Dream Variation." —
Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"With luminous washes of watercolor and the lyrical language of Hughes’s 1924 poem as his text, Miyares (That Neighbor Kid) presents a resonant vision of an African-American boy who imagines a more just world." —
Publishers Weekly, starred review
