Everywhere Beauty Is Harlem: The Vision of Photographer Roy DeCarava
by Gary Golio; illus. by E. B. Lewis
Primary    Calkins/Astra    48 pp.
1/24    9781662680557    $18.99
e-book ed.  9781662680564    $11.99

“SNAP!” The camera clicks on a young boy creating chalk art. “SNAP!” The camera finds a crumpled soda can on the street. Photographer DeCarava (1919–2009) depicts the people, places, and spirit of Harlem. A spare, poetic text emphasizes his love for the neighborhood where he grew up, which was the subject of his long, prolific career. In addition to his photography and other artwork, DeCarava also taught for more than three decades. Lewis’s realistic illustrations take on a painterly tone with soft, muted colors and effective play between light and shadow. The watercolors create a fluid, dreamy world where DeCarava could quietly snap away while walking the streets of Harlem on a warm, sunny afternoon. The pictures portray a neighborhood in motion, not directly aware of the artist who spent a lifetime reflecting the vibrancy of a place and people. Back matter gives biographical information and a timeline of the artist’s life, providing a more complete picture of one of the most influential Black photographers of our time.

From the January/February 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.