| "It was the summer Mama had the twins that I first met my uncle Romie. Up until then I'd only seen his picture -- a bald-headed. fierce-eyed giant." James can't imagine that he'll have anything in common with his uncle, who's "some kind of artist." But he's excited to take his first train trip, all the way from North Carolina to New York City. His aunt Nanette and uncle Romie are family but also strangers. James feels mostly ready to meet them, but wishes he could bring a little bit of home with him -- things like baseball games, his special lemon birthday cake, and Mama's pepper jelly with biscuits. Will there be anything like that in the big city? Inspired by the renowned artist Romare Bearden, this fictional story chronicles a young boy's exuberant discovery of places, people, and new ideas -- but most especially of a man who helps him capture his experience in paint, scraps of paper, and other elements with which Bearden created his own remarkable art. |
