ASHLEY BRYAN

A joyous photo of the author with outstretched arms on the cover invites readers to join him on a walk through his life, present and past. Alternating between a guided tour of Maine’s Little Cranberry Island, where he lives, and his reminiscences, Bryan takes readers from the family’s crowded apartment in the Depression-era Bronx to his acceptance into Cooper Union’s art school, where he was the only African-American in his class, to his philosophy degree from Columbia University and Fulbright scholarship to Germany. Reproductions from his books appear against photos from his family history and of his island home, demonstrating how his memories and his life have formed and informed his art. In elementary school he was introduced to poetry as performance art: “It is at the heart of all my work.” The cozily familiar approach will be appreciated by those who have heard the master storyteller and those familiar with his books. When he concludes, “I’ve enjoyed walking the island with you,” readers will believe him. (Autobiography. 9 & up)