Black Girl You Are Atlas is a 2024 young adult poetry collection written by Renée Watson and illustrated by Ekua Holmes.
Summary The book centers of the theme of Black womanhood and includes semi-autobiographical elements. It contains various forms of poems, including free verse, haikus, pantoum, and tanka, alongside collage artwork done by Holmes. The poems include "Turning Seven", about Watson's relationship to her father and uncle, "King”, about Watson's brother, "A Tanka for Michelle Obama", and "A Pantoum for Breonna Taylor", a tribute to Breonna Taylor.
Audiobook An audiobook adaption narrated by Watson was published on the same day of the print book.
Reception The book received starred reviews from Bookpage, Kirkus Reviews, and School Library Journal. It was also reviewed by Publishers Weekly. + Awards and honorsYearAward/HonorResultRef.2024Cybil Award – PoetryWinner2025Walter Dean Myers Award – TeenWinnerCoretta Scott King Award – AuthorHonorOdyssey Award (for audiobook adaption)HonorRise: A Feminist Book ProjectTop Ten
References