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Tar Beach

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Paperback
$8.99 US
9.25"W x 11.94"H x 0.15"D   | 7 oz | 48 per carton
On sale Dec 03, 1996 | 32 Pages | 978-0-517-88544-4
Age 5-8 years | Grades K-3
Reading Level: Lexile 790L | Fountas & Pinnell P
CORETTA SCOTT KING AWARD WINNER • CALDECOTT HONOR BOOK • A NEW YORK TIMES BEST ILLUSTRATED BOOK

Acclaimed artist Faith Ringgold seamless weaves fiction, autobiography, and African American history into a magical story that resonates with the universal wish for freedom, and will be cherished for generations.

Cassie Louise Lightfoot has a dream: to be free to go wherever she wants for the rest of her life. One night, up on “tar beach,” the rooftop of her family’s Harlem apartment building, her dreams come true. The stars lift her up, and she flies over the city, claiming the buildings and the city as her own.

As Cassie learns, anyone can fly. “All you need is somewhere to go you can’t get to any other way. The next thing you know, you’re flying among the stars.”
  • WINNER | 1992
    National Parenting Publications Award (NAPPA)
  • WINNER | 1992
    Caldecott Honor Book
  • WINNER | 1992
    Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award
  • WINNER | 1992
    Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book
  • WINNER | 1991
    New York Times Notable Book
  • WINNER | 1991
    School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
  • WINNER | 1991
    Reading Rainbow Feature Books
  • WINNER | 1991
    New York Times Best Illustrated Book
  • WINNER | 1991
    Booklist Books for Youth Editors' Choice
  • WINNER | 1991
    Library of Congress Children's Books of the Year
  • WINNER | 1991
    Horn Book Fanfare
  • WINNER | 1991
    Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book
  • FINALIST | 1992
    Caldecott Honor Book
  • SUBMITTED | 1991
    Library of Congress Children's Books of the Year
  • SUBMITTED | 1991
    New York Times Best Illustrated Book
  • SUBMITTED | 1991
    School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
"This allegorical tale sparkles with symbolic and historical references central to African-American culture.... A practical and stunningly beautiful book."--Horn Book, starred review

"The triumphant soaring of imagination over reality is beautifully expressed in Ringgold's bold, vibrant paintings….Beautiful, innovative, and full of the joy of one unconquerable soul." --Kirkus Reviews

"Ringgold's strong figures and flattened perspective bring a distinctive magic to this dreamy and yet wonderfully concrete vision, narrated in poetic cadences that capture the language and feel of flight." --Publishers Weekly
© Grace Welty
Faith Ringgold is best known for her painted story quilts—art that combines painting, quilted fabric, and storytelling. Her first book, Tar Beach, was a Caldecott Honor Book and winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration, among numerous other honors. She has written and illustrated many children’s books. View titles by Faith Ringgold
Educator Guide for Tar Beach

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

About

CORETTA SCOTT KING AWARD WINNER • CALDECOTT HONOR BOOK • A NEW YORK TIMES BEST ILLUSTRATED BOOK

Acclaimed artist Faith Ringgold seamless weaves fiction, autobiography, and African American history into a magical story that resonates with the universal wish for freedom, and will be cherished for generations.

Cassie Louise Lightfoot has a dream: to be free to go wherever she wants for the rest of her life. One night, up on “tar beach,” the rooftop of her family’s Harlem apartment building, her dreams come true. The stars lift her up, and she flies over the city, claiming the buildings and the city as her own.

As Cassie learns, anyone can fly. “All you need is somewhere to go you can’t get to any other way. The next thing you know, you’re flying among the stars.”

Awards

  • WINNER | 1992
    National Parenting Publications Award (NAPPA)
  • WINNER | 1992
    Caldecott Honor Book
  • WINNER | 1992
    Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award
  • WINNER | 1992
    Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book
  • WINNER | 1991
    New York Times Notable Book
  • WINNER | 1991
    School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
  • WINNER | 1991
    Reading Rainbow Feature Books
  • WINNER | 1991
    New York Times Best Illustrated Book
  • WINNER | 1991
    Booklist Books for Youth Editors' Choice
  • WINNER | 1991
    Library of Congress Children's Books of the Year
  • WINNER | 1991
    Horn Book Fanfare
  • WINNER | 1991
    Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book
  • FINALIST | 1992
    Caldecott Honor Book
  • SUBMITTED | 1991
    Library of Congress Children's Books of the Year
  • SUBMITTED | 1991
    New York Times Best Illustrated Book
  • SUBMITTED | 1991
    School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Praise

"This allegorical tale sparkles with symbolic and historical references central to African-American culture.... A practical and stunningly beautiful book."--Horn Book, starred review

"The triumphant soaring of imagination over reality is beautifully expressed in Ringgold's bold, vibrant paintings….Beautiful, innovative, and full of the joy of one unconquerable soul." --Kirkus Reviews

"Ringgold's strong figures and flattened perspective bring a distinctive magic to this dreamy and yet wonderfully concrete vision, narrated in poetic cadences that capture the language and feel of flight." --Publishers Weekly

Author

© Grace Welty
Faith Ringgold is best known for her painted story quilts—art that combines painting, quilted fabric, and storytelling. Her first book, Tar Beach, was a Caldecott Honor Book and winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration, among numerous other honors. She has written and illustrated many children’s books. View titles by Faith Ringgold

Additional Materials

Educator Guide for Tar Beach

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)