This book was recognised in the Picture Book category by the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association Award. It was recognised in the Illustrator category by the Coretta Scott King Award. Presented annually since 1970 by the American Library Association to books by African-America authors and illustrators, this award recognizes excellence in promoting a deeper understanding of the African-American Experience.

This book has been graded for interest at 4-8 years.

There are 40 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2012 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers .

Bryan Collier has illustrated more than twenty-five picture books, including the award-winning Dave the Potter , Knock Knock , and Fifty Cents and a Dream , and has received numerous awards, including three Caldecott Honors and five Coretta Scott King Awards. He lives with his wife and children in Marlboro, New York. Langston Hughes (1902-1967) was one of the most versatile writers of the artistic movement known as the Harlem Renaissance. Though known primarily as a poet, he also wrote plays essays, novels, short stories, and books and poems for children.