Image: Abrams Books
A Poem for Dudley Randall: Poet and Publisher of the Black Arts Movement by Don Tate. Illustrated by Laura Freeman. 48 p. Abrams Books for Young Readers, September 15, 2026. 9781419754357.
I follow Don Tate on Facebook and knew that he was doing a cover reveal (today) Monday. As luck would have it, I did not have to go to his page. The stunning cover image sat right at the top of my timeline and my jaw dropped. Is that not the most arresting sight?
Here's the publisher synopsis:
The only picture book biography of Dudley Randall—a poet, publisher, and leader of the Black Arts movement of the 1960s—from Ezra Jack Keats Award Winner Don Tate and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Honoree and New York Times bestselling illustrator Laura FreemanDudley Randall’s first published poem appeared in the Detroit Free Press when he was only 13 years old. He continued to write, and as he grew older, he realized that his voice could be powerful.
When calls for equal rights were growing louder during the civil rights movement, Randall wrote the “Ballad of Birmingham” in response to an incident of senseless violence against a Black community in Alabama—and suddenly, the world was paying attention to his words.
But Randall knew that most publishing companies were ignoring Black writers. In 1965, he founded the groundbreaking Broadside Press to give a platform to Black creatives like Audre Lorde, Gwendolyn Brooks, Nikki Giovanni, and Sonia Sanchez, as well as his own work. Randall and his fellow writers used their literary voices to express pride in Black history and culture.
From award-winning author Don Tate and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Honoree Laura Freeman comes a picture book biography of Dudley Randall—a poet, publisher, and leader of the Black Arts Movement.
Integrated throughout the story as well as the back matter, Randall’s most famous poems help bring the story alive. Back matter also includes more information about the famous figures and historical movements discussed in the narrative.
This book would be a terrific addition to my Picture Book Biography unit had I not retired. I am not certain that my replacement is using my lesson plans, but I think I'll pass the news about this book along anyway.
The cart holds well over 100 picture book biographies and there are at least 7 either written by or illustrated by Mr. Tate. The most popular were No Small Potatoes: Junius G. Groves and His Kingdom in Kansas, Pigskins to Paintbrushes: the Story of Football Playing Artist Ernie Barnes, and Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson's Stream of Inventions, written by Chris Barton.
I developed this unit after I lost my flexible schedule and needed a long-term project that would meaningfully teach research and critical thinking skills. I had been collecting picture book biographies already because, 1. one is never too old for picture books and 2. I was hoping to entice the sixth grade LA teachers to add picture book biographies to their biography unit.
Over the years, I have learned about so many different people by reading these picture books! I am looking forward to learning about Dudley Randall this fall.
