Dream Street, Tricia Elam Walker
Dream Street, Tricia Elam Walker
List: $5.00 | Sale: $3.50
Club: $2.50

Dream Street

Author: Tricia Elam Walker

Narrator: Justin Nicholas-Elam Ruff

Unabridged: 12 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/16/2021

Synopsis

Caldecott Honor, three time Coretta Scott King Award winner, and New York Times bestselling illustrator and her author cousin pay gorgeous homage to the street they grew up on and the loving community that made their childhood special.

Welcome to Dream Street--the best street in the world! It's where love between generations rules, everyone is special, and the warmth of a neighborhood shines. Here is the perfect book for parents to use to introduce children to the importance of community.
 
Meet kids like Azaria, who loves to jump double-Dutch one leg at a time; Zion, whose dream is to become a librarian; and cousins Ede and Tari, who dream of creating a picture book together one day. Meet grown-ups like Mr. Sidney, a retired mail carrier who greets everyone with the words, "Don't wait to have a great day. Create one!" and Ms. Sarah, whose voice is only a whisper but who has stories between the lines of her face that she'll share when you come close.

About The Author

Tricia Elam Walker is the author of the acclaimed picture book Nana Akua Goes to School, which received the 2021 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award and the Children's Africana Book Award, as well as four starred reviews. The Wall Street Journal hailed it as a “a picture book . . . that captures a complex vulnerability that every child feels at one point or another.” Tricia also wrote a novel for adults, Breathing Room, under the name Patricia Elam. She is a cultural and fashion commentator and blogger, and has written for National Public Radio, the Washington Post, Essence magazine, HuffPost, and more. She practiced law for sixteen years prior to teaching writing in Washington, DC, and Boston. Currently, Tricia is an assistant professor of creative writing at Howard University, and resides in Takoma Park, Maryland with her husband. Visit her at triciaelamwalker.com.Ekua Holmes is the acclaimed bestselling illustrator of several award-winning picture books, including Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer (Caldecott Honor, NAACP Image Award, CSK John Steptoe Award, Sibert Honor), Out of Wonder (CSK Award, NY Times bestseller), and The Stuff of Stars (CSK Award). A painter and collage artist, she graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Visit her at ekuaholmes.com.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jesse on February 10, 2009

The genius and drama of W. Eugene Smith's Pittsburgh Project is obvious from even a cursory flip through Sam Stephenson and Alan Trachtenberg's recent reconstruction. If the book has any drawback, in fact, it's that Stephenson and Trachtenburg don't go whole hog, instead including only a sliver of t......more

Goodreads review by Mike on May 18, 2007

I always like to think that Eugene Smith, camera in hand, frantically scurried past my grandmother pushing my mom in a carriage down the streets of Pittsburgh sometime in the early 50's. His Pittsburgh project more than any other shows how obsessive and inflexible he was.......more

Goodreads review by K on October 05, 2017

W. Eugene Smith's massive photographic project that was never completed with thousands of masterprints from seventeen thousand negatives. A manic project that took years to photograph. The photographic commentary by Sam Stephenson complements the photographic eye of Smith's monumental project. Well......more

Goodreads review by Jan on January 27, 2025

A gorgeous collection of Pittsburgh scenes, steel mills, offices, shoppers, steps, churches, kids, street signs and more. Includes essays about Smith's work, his obsession with Pittsburgh and his eventual breakdown. I kept expecting to see someone familiar in the crowds, the images are that immediat......more

Goodreads review by Kevin on June 20, 2019

Wonderful book on the photojournalist W. Eugene Smith and his Pittsburgh Project. He was a man of his time much like the abstract expressionist painters...Smith's passion for creating images of Pittsburgh came like a jazz composition.......more

Quotes

Praise for Dream Street:

"Dreams for Black children manifest in striking art as the very idea of street is reimagined." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Beautiful and uplifting." —Booklist, starred review

“A buoyant celebration of community nourishment, extolling the virtues of supporting children in dreaming freely and fully.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review 

“A stunning work of art that dismantles stereotypes about Black communities and portrays a place where love abounds.” —The Horn Book, starred review
 
Praise for Tricia Elam Walker's Nana Akua Goes to School:

“A picture book . . . that captures a complex vulnerability that every child feels at one point or another.” —The Wall Street Journal

“This lovely story explores the perennial fear of being different, while showcasing the great love between a grandparent and grandchild” —School Library Journal, starred review
 
“An open-hearted tribute to children with immigrant parents or grandparents.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"This beautiful picture book offers a helpful perspective on cultural differences within a heartening family story." —Booklist, starred review

"Walker writes convincingly about how difference can cause unease among children, and her story offers a compelling portrait of a grandmother whose pride and poise put that concern to rest.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Offers viewers both the comfort of the familiar and, for those unfamiliar with West African arts, a tantalizing introduction to interpreting symbols. Most importantly, this calls for readers and listeners to have faith in youngsters to embrace a new concept with an open mind and enthusiastic spirit.” —The Bulletin

“Lucky for readers and for Zura, her grandmother has a fascinating cultural tradition that, in her first book for kids, Tricia Elam Walker presents with extraordinary grace and nimbleness…. [An] eye-opening picture book.” —Shelf Awareness

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