I really enjoyed all of the literature samples Claire brought into class this week.  It was refreshing to see some African American literature that was positive and uplifting.  Sometimes it seems like there are too many slave narratives and sad stories and not enough happy and positive literature.  Langston Hughes is always one of my favorites.  His poetry has inspired me to write some of my own a couple of times.  He gets across a very deep message in simple forms.  It is an easy style to mimic.  Other African American samples from class were quite different from Hughes, however.  I can't remember the author, but the story that had no pictures and it told the story of slave passage to America.  I am not sure if I would use this book in my class just because of how graphic some of the illustrations were.  They could raise some awkward questions and disturb parents at home.  The book was very good at bringing out emotions and feelings from deep inside, it may be a little too graphic for a fourth grade classroom.