“Home is brick brown, / Harlem, uptown, / trains rumbling by.” An exquisitely composed picture book biography of James Baldwin illuminates his interest in the arts and development as a writer from a young age. Jimmy was raised by a strict preacher father who only saw value in reading the Bible, and a mother who warmly nurtured him. A Black boy in America, Jimmy knew “the sting of violence and racism” but “Whether he felt frightened, lonely, sad, or worried … Words soothed him.” He wrote often and devoured books at the public library after school. Support and mentoring had a huge impact on his life from the time he was young. “Over the years, Jimmy also thought of becoming a musician, a painter, or an actor. But he saw writing as his special gift—a calling to capture the voice of his ancestors, stand up for oppressed people, and push the world to change.” Through finding love as a young gay man in Paris to his first book’s publication, and from his determination to bear witness to racism in the United States to his decision to move to France, Baldwin was a passionate, sharply insightful, deeply caring voice in American and world letters. An author’s note, sources, a Baldwin biography, and a timeline are included in the end matter, while a delightful photo collage of Baldwin graces the endpapers of this artful account paired with digital illustrations dancing with shadow and light. (Ages 4-8)

Celebrate James Baldwin's one-hundredth birthday anniversary with the first-ever illustrated biography of this legendary writer, orator, activist, and intellectual.

Before he became a writer, James "Jimmy" Baldwin was a young boy from Harlem, New York, who loved stories. He found joy in the rhythm of music, family, and books.

But Jimmy also found the blues, as a Black man living in America.

When he discovered the written word, he discovered true power. Writing gave him a voice. And that voice opened the world to Jimmy. From the publication of the groundbreaking collection of essays The Fire Next Time to his passionate demonstrations during the civil rights movement, Jimmy used his voice fearlessly.

Michelle Meadows, author of Brave Ballerina and Flying High, introduces young readers to the great American novelist, essayist, poet, playwright, orator, and artist James Baldwin, who, with the fire of his pen, dared a nation to dream of a more equitable world filled with love. Brought to life with warm illustrations by Jamiel Law, Jimmy's Rhythm & Blues chronicles the life of an incredible visionary who left an indelible mark on American literature and history.