(2) K-3 Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Nelson presents a picture book adaptation of her No Crystal Stair 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 No Crystal Stair, here employs full pages drenched with expressionistic color. Bib.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2015

(1) YA Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Opened at the end of the Great Depression, Michaux's National Memorial African Bookstore became a central gathering place for African American writers, artists, intellectuals, and political figures. In this extraordinary, inspiring book, short chapters are written in thirty-six different voices--mostly of Michaux himself and other historical people. Reading list. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Kathleen T. Horning | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2012