Arnold Adoff (born July 16, 1935 in Bronx, New York) is a U.S. poet and anthologist. He has published more than 30 books, which have won numerous awards. In 1988, the National Council of Teachers of English gave Adoff the Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. He has said, "I will always try to turn sights and sounds into words. I will always try to shape words into my singing poems." Adoff grew up in the South Bronx, the son of immigrants from a town near the Polish-Russian border. He enrolled in the Columbia University School of Pharmacy but transferred to City College of New York where he received a B.A. in history and literature. He married Virginia Hamilton in 1960 and they lived in Europe briefly before moving back to New York City. Adoff taught social studies in Harlem and the Upper West Side of New York. Adoff and Hamilton eventually moved to Yellow Springs, Ohio, where Adoff still lives.
- "I began writing for kids because I wanted to effect a change in American society. I continue in that spirit. By the time we reach adulthood, we are closed and set in our attitudes. The chances of a poet reaching us are very slim. But I can open a child's imagination, develop his appetite for poetry, and more importantly, show him that poetry is a natural part of everyday life. We all need someone to point out that the emperor is wearing no clothes. That's the poet's job." --Arnold Adoff
Contents |
Poetry by Adoff
all the Colors of the Race: Poems. Illustrated by John Steptoe. 1st ed. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1982. (A collection of poems written from the point of view of a child with a black mother and a white father. Children's poetry.)
- The Basket Counts. Illustrated by Michael Weaver. 1st ed. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2000. (Illustrations and poetic text describe the movement and feel of the game of basketball. Children's poetry.)
- Big Sister Tells Me That I Am Black. Illustrated by Lorenzo Lynch. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1976.
- Birds: Poems. Illustrated by Troy Howell. 1st ed. New York: Lippincott, 1982.
- The Cabbages Are Chasing the Rabbits. Illustrated by Janet Stevens. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1985.
- Chocolate Dreams: Poems. Illustrated by Turi MacCombie. 1st ed. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1989.
- Eats; Poems. Illustrated by Susan Russo. 1st ed. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1979.
- Friend Dog. Pictures by Troy Howell. 1st ed. New York: Lippincott, 1980.
- Greens: Poems. Illustrated by Betsy Lewin. 1st ed. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1988.
- I Am the Running Girl. Pictures by Ronald Himler. 1st ed. New York: Harper & Row, 1979.
- Eats; Poems. Illustrated by Susan Russo. 1st ed. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1979.
- Friend Dog. Pictures by Troy Howell. 1st ed. New York: Lippincott, 1980.
- Greens: Poems. Illustrated by Betsy Lewin. 1st ed. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1988.
- I Am the Running Girl. Pictures by Ronald Himler. 1st ed. New York: Harper & Row, 1979.
- Love Letters. Illustrated by Lisa Desimini. 1st ed.
- OUTside INside Poems. Illustrated by John Steptoe. pa. 1st ed. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1995, 1981.
- Slow Dance Heart Break Blues. With artwork by William Cotton. 1st ed. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1995. (Young adult collection.) (Winner of American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults Citation and "Riverbank Review" Children's Book of Distinction)
- Sports Pages. Illustrations by Steve Kuzma. 1st ed. New York: J.B. Lippincott, 1986. (Poems about the experiences and feelings of young athletes involved in various sports.)
- Street Music: City Poems. Illustrated by Karen Barbour. 1st ed. New York: HarperCollins, 1995. (Fifteen poems explore the sights and sounds of life in a big city. Ages 5 to 9) (winner of American Library Association Notable Citation)
- Today We Are Brother and Sister. Illustrated by Glo Coalson. 1st ed. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1981. (Poems focusing on a day in the life of a brother and sister, spent at the beach, sometimes argumentatively, mostly compatibly.)
- Tornado! Poems. Illustrated by Ronald Himler. New York: Delacorte, 1977. (A poetic description of the Xenia, Ohio tornado and its aftermath.)
- Touch the Poem. Illustrated by Lisa Desimini. New York: Blue Sky Press, 2000. (A collection of poems about the sense of touch including a baby's foot in one's palm, peach fuzz on the lip, and the forehead against a cold window.)
- Under the Early Morning Trees: Poems. Illustrated by Ronald Himler. 1st ed. New York: Dutton, 1978.
- Where Wild Willie. Pictures by Emily Arnold McCully. 1st ed. New York: Harper & Row, 1978.
Fiction
- The Return of Rex and Ethel - Illustrated by Catherine Deeter, Harcourt, 2000.
- Mandala - Pictures by Emily McCully, Harper and Row, 1971.
- Hard to be Six - Illustrated by Cheryl Hanna, Lee & Shapard, 1991.
- Daring Dog and Captain Cat - Illustrated by Joe Cepada, Simon & Schuster for Young Readers, 2001.
- Black is Brown Is Tan - Pictures by Emily Arnold McCully, Harper Collins, 2002, Harper & Row, 1973.
Nonfiction
- Black on Black; Commentaries by Negro Americans. New York: Macmillan, 1968.
- Brothers and Sisters; Modern Stories by Black Americans. New York: Macmillan, 1970.
- Malcolm X. Illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez. pa. HarperCollins, 2000. (ages 7-10) (winner of ALA Notable Children’s Book and Library of Congress Children’s Books)
