A Review of DANITRA BROWN LEAVES TOWN

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Grimes, Nikki. 2002. Danitra Brown Leaves Town. Ill. by Floyd Cooper. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 0688131557.

PLOT SUMMARY

When Danitra heads off on vacation with her family, her best friend Zuri misses her dearly. As summer progresses, the girls share stories of their adventures through letters and reunite joyfully in the end.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Flowing with rhythmic verses and clear voices, Grimes’ collection of poems shares the excitement of an anticipated vacation and the loneliness of losing a best friend, even if only temporarily. “The Bad Good-bye,” with its short couplets, accurately portrays the clipped words of an injured friend and is followed shortly thereafter with the ache of regret in the lilting rhymes of “The Letter.” A personal favorite, “Danitra’s Family Reunion,” captures in free verse the fun and food abundant at such gatherings and closes with the essence of reunions: “By the time/the day was done,/I was full of fun/and food/and warm feelings,/knowing that I am more/than just me./I am part of a family.

Through-out the book, Cooper’s paintings highlight the critical moments of each poem. His muted backgrounds allow the reader to focus on the central details, like Danitra perched in a tree, high above her cousins as they taunt her to jump in “The Dare.” He clearly conveys the mood of each piece through the expressions his subjects’ faces. When Zuri finds a new friend to help her through Danitra’s absence in “Noticing Nina,” the joy of shared love of handball is readily apparent. Together, illustration and verse combine to bring Danitra and Zuri’s worlds to life.

AWARDS & REVIEW EXCERPTS

Texas Bluebonnet State Reading List

North Carolina Young Readers Award Nominee

From BCCB - Thirteen accessible and skillfully paced poems—many representing letters from vacationing Danitra or from Zuri left behind—depict the highlights of that summer.

From Kirkus Book Review - Grimes's poems read and flow well, and Cooper's paintings simply burst with energy and expressiveness.

CONNECTIONS

Have students write a letter to a friend in verse. Suggest a rhyme scheme or subject to help them get started.