April, 2025

Kirkus Reviews recently published a special issue dedicated to the best books of the 21st century (so far). Their staff selected 100 books in five categories, all published in the U.S. between 2000 and 2024. 

Selected for this august list in the category of Children’s Books you’ll find Ellington Was Not A Street, written by Ntozake Shange and illustrated by Kadir Nelson. This “exquisite” volume recounts in narrative and illustrations Shange’s memories of growing up in her ancestral home, where her mother and father often entertained notable figures from the arts, civic life and sports. It is a beautiful, tightly written, volume which provides parents reading with their children the opportunity to discuss the legacy of some of the great men of American history “who changed the world”. Learn more about Ntozake Shange at officialntozakeshange.com.