Harlem at Four

Starred review from July 1, 2023

PreS-Gr 2-This book tells the story of two Harlems. The first part follows a modern Black family, a single father and his daughter Harlem. When Harlem is four years old, her father takes her to an art museum, where they see works by famous Black artists, including Romare Bearden and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Later, the pair dances to John Coltrane and Miles Davis on the street and create science and art projects in their apartment. The father is in awe of his daughter's fierceness and confidence: "And your eyelashes brush/ A Super Daddy 'S'/ Across my beating chest." The second part tells the story of the Harlem neighborhood in 1904. It serves as a tribute to Philip A. "Papa" Payton, Jr., who helped to start the Great Black Migration and the Black housing explosion in Harlem through the Afro-American Realty Company. Payton paved the way for Black families to thrive in Harlem, and for the father and daughter in the beginning of the book to later bond over the work of Black artists from Harlem who were inspired by their community. This book is a beautiful celebration of Harlem's history and a loving relationship between a father and daughter. Morrison's vibrant, dynamic images bring the characters and neighborhood to life. Back matter includes a glossary of notable people, places, and phrases featured throughout the book. VERDICT A moving tribute to two Harlems, and a must-purchase for all school and public libraries.-Jillian Girardeau

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2023
An ode to two Harlems. Datcher attempts to celebrate both the year his daughter Harlem turned 4 and "the magical fourth year of the 1900s," when Philip A. Payton Jr. founded the Afro-American Realty Company--an act that would make housing more readily available to African Americans moving north during the Great Migration. In Part 1, a Black father narrates, offering a poetic tribute to his confident, creative daughter, Harlem. As the two stroll through the neighborhood she was named for, the narrator mentions historical events and works of art such as John Coltrane's album A Love Supreme. Father and daughter never appear in Part 2 as readers learn more about Payton and the history of Harlem. While all readers, regardless of their knowledge of Harlem, will be able to enjoy Morrison's lively, graffiti-inspired illustrations, the same cannot be said of Datcher's text, which tries to cover too much ground and uses language and phrasing that most children won't understand. A reference to how the "government / sought to cage Black Panther Afeni Shakur" doesn't elaborate on who Shakur was and will leave young readers confused, as will the highly academic backmatter that expands on the topics mentioned in the text. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Despite vibrant visuals, this tale fails to capture the essence of either its child protagonist or its rich urban setting. (historical notes, bibliography) (Picture book. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2023
Datcher divides his narrative into two parts. First is a Black father's loving tribute to his daughter, four-year-old Harlem. Championed by her father for her "Malcolm X Boulevard Corner speaker confidence," Harlem struts down the steps of their building's front stoop, past a mural of Tupac and street musicians playing jazz. They end up at a museum where they see works by artists such as Romare Bearden and Jean-Michel Basquiat. The next day is all about "Harlem & Daddy's Early-Morning Science Club," then playing music together, and a painting session. Part two celebrates their Harlem neighborhood, honoring the work of Philip A. Rayton Jr., who founded the Afro American Realty Company in 1904, and the "loving pioneers of the Great Black Migration." Datcher's tight free verse presents the love between a father, his daughter, their community, and their history. Morrison's (2023 CSK Illustrator Award for Standing in the Need of Prayer, rev. 9/22) distinctive illustrations truly shine with elongated figures and his distinctive use of color. The bright pinks of daughter Harlem's world warm to rich sepia tones of turn-of-the-previous-century Harlem. Information about people and places mentioned in the text and illustrations is appended along with selected sources. Fans of Cherry and Harrison's Hair Love (also centering a father and daughter) will enjoy this love letter to a neighborhood, family, and Black history. Eboni Njoku

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

October 9, 2023
A child named Harlem—“named after the Harlem Renaissance,” per an author’s note—is celebrated alongside the time frame and neighborhood after which she’s named in this lyrical picture book ode. The two-part narrative opens on the four-year-old child (who displays “Malcolm X/ Boulevard/ Corner speaker confidence”) and her adoring father. Their Harlem neighborhood days involve listening to John Coltrane and Miles Davis, and visiting Basquiat paintings at Studio Museum Harlem. The story’s second half introduces the neighborhood in 1904, when “The Father of Harlem/ Philip A. Payton, Jr.” buys buildings to rent to “Brownstone-colored families” blocked “from white blocks’/ Brownstones.” Though the sections only conceptually connect, and references to some figures go undefined until back matter, Datcher’s affectionate lines and Morrison’s luminous portraiture result in a loving past-and-present look at two Harlems. Ages 4–8.

January 1, 2024
Datcher divides his narrative into two parts. First is a Black father's loving tribute to his daughter, four-year-old Harlem. Championed by her father for her "Malcolm X Boulevard Corner speaker confidence," Harlem struts down the steps of their building's front stoop, past a mural of Tupac and street musicians playing jazz. They end up at a museum where they see works by artists such as Romare Bearden and Jean-Michel Basquiat. The next day is all about "Harlem & Daddy's Early-Morning Science Club," then playing music together, and a painting session. Part two celebrates their Harlem neighborhood, honoring the work of Philip A. Rayton Jr., who founded the Afro American Realty Company in 1904, and the "loving pioneers of the Great Black Migration." Datcher's tight free verse presents the love between a father, his daughter, their community, and their history. Morrison's (2023 CSK Illustrator Award for Standing in the Need of Prayer, rev. 9/22) distinctive illustrations truly shine with elongated figures and his considered use of color. The bright pinks of daughter Harlem's world warm to rich sepia tones of turn-of-the-previous-century Harlem. Information about people and places mentioned in the text and illustrations is appended along with selected sources. Fans of Cherry and Harrison's Hair Love (also centering a father and daughter) will enjoy this love letter to a neighborhood, family, and Black history.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)