Ekua Holmes
Ekua Holmes is an artist and illustrator who received an education in art at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, where she continues her career as a community coordinator. She has a highly successful career as an exhibiting artist, and her work has not only earned grants through the Boston Foundation but has been featured on Google's own landing page.
Ekua debuted the illustrative potential of her vibrant, collage-based art in Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer. In this book by award-winning author Carole Boston Weatherford, Ekua's historic concentration on urban and African-American community underlines the powerful story of the civil rights hero. Her picture books include the The Stuff of Stars by Marion Dane Bauer and Black is a Rainbow Color by Angela Joy, among many others.
Of her own work, Ekua writes "Although much of [it] is set in an urban environment, these portraits of beloved Aunties, sacred gardens, and children at play, sing with lyrics as old as mankind."
Reviews and Awards
Black Girl You Are Atlas
“This poetry collection masterfully encapsulates Watson’s experience of Black girlhood and womanhood. Through an array of poetic styles, she weaves together her personal reflections, celebrating the multifaceted nature of her own upbringing. The poems serve as a testament to the diversity of cultural influences she encountered during her childhood. She describes her identity as coming from “east coast hip-hop and island tradition…Baptist hymns and secular jigs,” embodying the intersectionality of her experiences. While she celebrates her uniqueness (e.g., Renée is the only one in her family whose name origin is not connected to another family member), she honors and respects that she is part of a broader sisterhood of Black women. From biological sisters to “aunties by blood & by choice” and other “knowing women,” the author pays homage to Black women’s collective strength and wisdom. The title poem, appearing after definitions for atlas, especially adds depth, with Watson drawing parallels between Black girls and the Greek mythological figure condemned to hold up the heavens. The collaboration with Holmes, whose magnificent collages accompany Watson’s words, adds a visual dimension that also spans cultures and experiences. The result is a celebration of the complexities of, and the bonds formed through, Black girlhood and womanhood.”—The Horn Book, Starred Review
“Drawing from her past memories, Watson encourages Black girls to celebrate themselves with love in this semi-autobiographical collection of poetry . . . The combination of poetry and collage art is exceptionally powerful and dynamic. The imagery provided by the reflective verse is encapsulated exquisitely in tandem with the illustrations. Although pain is present at the intersection of race, gender, and class, it is balanced by the many ways love shows up. Soulful haiku, free verse, and tanka poetry paired with dazzling designs propel the sense of sisterhood that jumps off the page with pride and jubilance. Brimming with vibrant, layered poetry and stunningly textured collage art, this ballad for Black girls is a must for all collections.”—School Library Journal, Starred Review
“Two acclaimed, award-winning creators team up to present this moving, introspective poetry collection celebrating the possibilities of Black girlhood complemented by atmospheric mixed-media illustrations. Showcasing varied poetic forms such as free verse and tanka, Watson reflects on coming of age as a Black girl in a society that habitually flattens Black experiences into easily digestible stereotypes . . . But Watson doesn’t dwell in despair; she finds safety in the healing power of love. Other poems, including “Lessons on Being a Sky Walker,” are rallying cries, encouraging Black girls to honor their roots and cherish their versatility. Watson’s reconstructions of childhood delights and teenage wounds examine the collision of race, gender, and class. Holmes’ tender, vibrant art enhances the poems. A compelling ode to self-resurrection and Black sisterhood that finds much-needed light in the world’s darkness.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
“Watson (Maya’s Song) crafts a semi-autobiographical collection that speaks to the girl she was in her youth and the expansive experience of Black girlhood as it cycles toward womanhood via sharp and loving poetry. Accompanied by striking and vintage-feeling multimedia collage artwork by Holmes (Coretta), the poems evolve in step with the protagonist they portray as priorities shift, detailing new fears surrounding never having seen snow before (“snow for me was new/ because I was only three when we left Paterson/ and my tiny feet didn’t know snow”), meeting her father for the first time, learning about injustice, and practicing self-love (“Be a best friend to yourself. Be an enemy only to injustice, to hate.... Be your own hype crew”). Watson utilizes myriad poetic styles to address various topics, such as growing up Jamaican American in Portland, Ore. A series of haiku on sisterhood highlight the poet’s deep admiration of her ancestors, future descendants, and the Black women she grew up with, and poems “A Pantoum for Breonna Taylor” and “A Tanka for Michelle Obama” mourn and laud Black women in equal measure, making for a tender ode to universal yearnings for safety, love, and justice, as well as a celebration of Black girlhood.”—Publishers Weekly
“Two award-winning creators work together to produce an inspirational celebration of Black sisterhood in Black Girl You Are Atlas, a semi-autobiographical collection of poems and stunning artwork. Newbery Honoree and Coretta Scott King Author Award-winner Renée Watson uses different poetic forms (such as haiku, tanka, and free verse) to illustrate and discuss her experiences growing up as a Black girl. She begins with the joyful and stimulating "Where I'm From," inspired by Puerto Rican writer Willie Perdomo. Accompanying Renée Watson's uplifting poems is the majestic artwork of Caldecott honoree and CSK Illustrator Award-winner Ekua Holmes. Holmes's mixed-media collages layer materials into colorful compositions that sometimes span double-page spreads. Her art symbolically depicts key points in Watson's poems, like themes of resilience, race, gender, class, and sisterhood. Although Black Girl You Are Atlas is written for and about a very specific audience, Watson's strong yet delicate poems are written with such conviction that all readers can experience the pride in each stanza. Anyone, no matter their age or ethnicity, can feel and have a sense of pride in themselves after reading this excellent compilation.”—Shelf Awareness
Coretta
“Adapted from King’s autobiography, this picture book offers a new generation the remarkable story of the activist, artist, wife, and mother whose grace in the face of unspeakable loss continued the momentum of a movement. Beginning with glimpses into her childhood in segregated Alabama, King (1927–2006) describes being the second Black student admitted to Antioch College (her older sister Edythe was the first) and her fight to teach in Ohio—readers see that her pursuit of equality started long before she met and married Martin Luther King Jr. The first-person retelling of events such as the March on Washington is compellingly personal. Holmes’s vibrant illustrations (in acrylic with elements of collage incorporating print and photos) saturate the pages with color. The illustrations also take great care in communicating the very human emotions that King and her family experienced in scenes including her surrounded by her young children at the piano; a phone receiver hanging from its cord at the news of MLK’s death; and her speaking to a crowd just hours after arriving in Memphis despite her grief. Reynolds and Holmes bring this civil rights icon to life, reminding readers of a dream yet to be fully realized. Back matter includes a timeline of her life and major events.”—The Horn Book, Starred Review
“A moving testimonial, distilled from 2017’s Coretta: My Life, My Love, My Legacy. “I was the doer, a workaholic always looking for a project,” King writes of her childhood, and in this set of lightly edited extracts from her long-delayed last memoir, she traces her rise from someone “born in Nowhere, USA, into a race that was virtually disqualified from humanity and a gender condemned to silence” to a true mover in the struggle for civil rights and, later, human rights. Though she does describe her first meeting with Martin—and her later demand that there be no mention of “obeying” or submission in their wedding vows—in general she brushes in the era’s family and larger events with broad strokes, up to her husband’s death, her foundation of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Center for Nonviolent Social Change, and, in 1983, the establishment of his birthday as a national holiday. It’s unclear why Holmes opts to leave the figures in the wedding picture and in some other scenes startlingly faceless, but overall the illustrations, which deftly incorporate collaged photos and news clippings along with richly patterned drapes and other background details, give the author a formidable presence both in private moments and standing proudly before marching masses. “The Dream,” she concludes meaningfully, “is a work that is very much in progress.” Eloquent and stately.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
Hope is an Arrow
“This poignant, brilliant biography about Gibran Kahlil Gibran (The Prophet), a Lebanese and American poet and artist of international renown, creates a beautiful space for Gibran to live on for this generation. Bursting with brilliant collage and acrylic artwork and incorporating Gibran’s own poetry during stirring moments of crisis and reflection, McCarthy and Holmes develop a picture book steeped in facts, artistically bold and texturally captivating, while also connecting to relatable social-emotional issues. Framed around Gibran’s hope for humanity to find peace, McCarthy’s rich prose follows Gibran’s life as a child, from Lebanon to the United States, to his further journeys abroad. Most significant is when he loses part of his Maronite identity as a child, when “Gibran” is taken from the first part of his name in Boston. He soon discovers expression through art, and it’s a defining moment in his life. In each place he lives, Gibran observes or suffers intolerance, unkindness, and a lack of understanding amongst disparate cultures. This, along with his initial hope as a child, fuels his art and identity. McCarthy’s inclusion of similes and lyricism further connects ideas of Americanization, immigration, cultural identity, socioeconomic background, and religious intolerance to contemporary society. Extensive back matter provides further biographical information and references. A first purchase for all libraries serving children, this is a stunning biography.”—School Library Journal, Starred Review
“This striking biography of Khalil Gibran (1883–1931) portrays the poet as a sensitive boy long torn between two countries. The book is founded on an image from Gibran’s 1923 classic, The Prophet: of children described as the arrows shot from the bow that is their parents. McCarthy weaves the simile of “a boy shot from a bow like an arrow” throughout, portraying Gibran as a child with “a secret hope” of connecting people through love and understanding. Violent clashes in Lebanon deeply trouble young Gibran, and drive his Maronite family to the U.S. where, in Boston, “people spit at his family’s differences.” There, Gibran begins to express himself through art, and travels between the two countries result in early writings and eventual success. Holmes’s bold, color-saturated collages and acrylics are a stirring match for McCarthy’s poetic prose—the family sails across “the deeper, darker Atlantic Ocean, which murmured like a giant in its sleep”—in a telling that emphasizes the figure’s complexity.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“Inserting lines and stanzas from The Prophet throughout, McCarthy highlights the moments and episodes of Gibran’s life that seem to have influenced his work. Holmes’s collage and acrylic illustrations work well to highlight the contrasting settings of Lebanon and Boston of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries; her art is particularly stunning in the opening pages that depict Gibran’s childhood days.”—The Horn Book, Starred Review
“Lyrical text, interspersed with quotes from Gibran’s poetry, describes the writer’s childhood in Lebanon, religious tension in his homeland, and his family’s move to Boston. . . . Holmes’ skillfully patterned collages reinforce Gibran’s complex life through symbolic imagery and color. . . the overall effect is lovely.”—Booklist
Saving American Beach
“This alluring nonfiction picture book illustrated by a Caldecott Medalist tells the story of a Black woman who gave up her opera career to save a beloved beach.” —Shelf Awareness, Starred Review
“Caldecott Medalist Holmes celebrates this champion of color with wondrous multi-patterned collage.” —The New York Times
“Author and illustrator work in exceptional harmony here to bring MaVynee and the beach to life . . . Even later, when MaVynee returns to the now-abandoned beach, nursing her own depression, Holmes finds beauty in the sadness, using the long horizontals of the spreads to glorious and poignant effect.” —The Horn Book
“Holmes’ stunning intricately composed paint-and-collage images bring MaVynee to life in full color . . making each spread visually rich, realistic, and fascinating. King’s storytelling, Holmes’ artwork, and informative backmatter portray MaVynee Betsch as the larger-than-life Black environmentalist she was. A spectacular story about a little-known eco-warrior whose story should be told and retold.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
“This lushly illustrated picture-book biography tells the story of MaVynee Betsch, an opera-singing African American environmentalist and activist . . . Holmes' vibrant, multilayered collages aptly evoke the ocean and shifting sands, and are especially effective in capturing MaVynee's determined stance, her brilliant outfits, and her seven-foot-long tresses. . . This story of a wealthy, sophisticated, talented, and larger-than-life activist deserves a wide audience.” —Booklist, Starred Review
“What a treat to read this beautiful picture book! . . . Holmes’ artistry enhances the wonder of the beach, MaVynee’s environmental crusade, and the historical significance of the story . . . A welcome addition to any elementary school library.” —School Library Journal, Starred Review
“A moving portrayal of a little-known preservationist.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
Dream Street
Congratulations to Ekua Holmes for Dream Street, written by Tricia Elam Walker! A New York Times “25 Best Children's Books of 2021” and one of Kirkus Reviews “Best Picture Books of 2021”
“This celebratory series of vignettes that becomes so much more than the sum of its parts overflows with Black joy and is an invaluable addition to all collections.” —School Library Journal, Starred Review
“Dream Street is real--and why shouldn't it be? It's based on Walker and Holmes's Roxbury, Mass., childhood neighborhood. The two had a dream that someday they'd "create a picture book together about everyone they [knew] and [met] on Dream Street." Their gratifying dream-come-true is made magnificent by Caldecott Honor artist Holmes's gorgeously vibrant, multi-layered and multi-textured collages. Each illustration features the residents of Dream Street, making people and their stories the soul of the book. Readers are welcomed into a landscape of acceptance, respect, nurturing and endless possibilities in Dream Street.” —Shelf Awareness
“Each spread in this powerful evocation of a warm, closely-knit Black neighborhood offers a short sketch-in-language of one of its inhabitants by Elam Walker (Nana Akua Goes to School) and a vivid, brilliant collage portrait by Holmes (What Do You Do with a Voice Like That?)—cousins who, they explain in a note, grew up in such a neighborhood themselves . . . A buoyant celebration of community nourishment, extolling the virtues of supporting children in dreaming freely and fully.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“The images, created with acrylic paint, found and handmade papers, and fabric, display vibrant colors, intricate patterns, and detailed portraits that reveal the beauty of the neighborhood’s inhabitants . . . A stunning work of art that dismantles stereotypes about Black communities and portrays a place where love abounds.” —The Horn Book, Starred Review
“In an already-special neighborhood, a very special street ensures that a community is able to thrive. Dream Street is an appropriately named space for Black kids to play and grow with the nourishment and support of their elders. From the chalk drawings and hopscotch boards to the garden behind Dessa Rae’s house or Ede’s treasure trove at the top of the hill, the neighborhood very much teems with life and the aspirations of these young people . . . Dreams for Black children manifest in striking art as the very idea of street is reimagined.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
“The text flows lyrically, highlighting the natural talents of Dream Street residents as well as the encouragement they receive from community members. Holmes' colorful, mixed media collage artwork shines through the vibrant portraits she creates of the street's residents . . .Beautiful and uplifting, this salute to the importance of family and friends will resonate widely.” —Booklist, Starred Review
Black is a Rainbow Color
"A treasure trove of positivity, strength, and pride for anyone seeking to uplift and educate young people." —The Horn Book, Starred Review
"A must-have for children’s collections." —Booklist, Starred Review
"Both a beautiful celebration of black culture and an excellent first black history book for young children." —Kirkus Reviews , Starred Review
What Do You Do with a Voice Like That?
"A moving portrait of a true patriot who found ways to use her gift to work for change." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
"An essential purchase for nonfiction collections." —School Library Journal, Starred Review
"Holmes’s illustrations are big, bold, booming, crisp, clear folk art collages." —New York Times Book Review
"A moving portrait of a true patriot who found ways to use her gift to work for change." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
"Whether expressing her own beliefs or speaking out on behalf of others, she made sure that she was heard—and young readers are encouraged to do the same." —Booklist , Starred Review
The Stuff of Stars
"In a brilliant stroke of visual imagination. . . Holmes uses the swirls and waves of marbled paper to represent the ebb and flow of cosmic matter." —Publishers Weekly , Starred Review
"Holmes' digitally assembled hand-marbled paper-collage illustrations perfectly pair with the text—in fact the words and illustrations become an inseparable whole." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
". . . free-verse love song to Earth, to the listener, and to all creatures is accessible to everyone living on 'one lucky planet, a fragile blue ball we call Earth.'" —Booklist, Starred Review
"An inspiring match of writing and art. Perfect for one-on-one sharing." —School Library Journal, Starred Review
Out of Wonder
"A multicultural masterwork." —Booklist, Starred Review
"Caldecott Honor–winner Holmes’s textured-paper collages use bold, angular forms and sunlit colors to spotlight poets and their subject matter." —Publishers Weekly , Starred Review
"A magnificent exploration of the poetic imagination." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
"This unusual and successful volume is a valuable addition to school and classroom libraries for writing workshops and reading pleasure." —School Library Journal
Voice of Freedom Fannie Lou Hamer
"Bold, unapologetic, and beautiful." —Booklist, Starred Review
"Bold, honest, informative, and unforgettable. " —Kirkus Reviews , Starred Review
"Hamer's heroic life story should be widely known, and this well-crafted work should find a place in most libraries." —School Library Journal, Starred Review