HARLEM HONEY

In author and TV personality Hall’s picture-book debut, a young New York City transplant adjusts to his new community.

First grader Moses has lived in Harlem for exactly one month, but he still longs for his life back in Texas. As his mother leaves for work, she encourages him to find the “beauty all around,” and along with Lotus-May and JoJo, his pet dog and bird, respectively, Moses commits to doing just that. Up on their building’s rooftop, he, his father, and their pets meet Mrs. Louise and her daughter, Laila, both amateur beekeepers. After Moses samples some honey, Laila and Mrs. Louise give the newcomers a tour of the neighborhood. Moses finds glimpses of the familiar all around him, from Sylvia’s Restaurant, where the cornbread “taste[s] like home,” to the Apollo Theater, where Moses meets a young performer who reminds him of his best friend back in Texas. Glenn’s illustrations—a mix of vibrant full-page spreads and vignettes that use brightly colored negative space—depict a dynamic, historically Black community. Sitting on the front stoop at the end of the day, Moses loves Harlem—and he knows Harlem loves him back. His enthusiasm is infectious; young readers will be equally charmed by his new neighborhood. Most characters, including Moses and his mother, are brown-skinned; Moses’ father presents white.

A youthful love letter to a historically significant neighborhood.