Nikki Grimes does not consider herself a bona fide storyteller, but, as she told an audience at the Library of Congress, she is happy to own the title Poet. Born and raised in New York City, Nikki began composing verse at the age of six and has been writing ever since. A New York Times bestselling author and a prolific artist, she has written many award-winning books for children and young adults. Her works include the novels Bronx Masquerade (Dial), winner of the 2003 Coretta Scott King Author Award, and Jazmin's Notebook (Dial), a Coretta Scott King honor book and Bank Street College Book of the Year; the popular poetry collections Danitra Brown,Class Clown, Danitra Brown Leaves Town (HarperCollins) and Meet Danitra Brown (Lothrop), an ALA Notable and Coretta Scott King honor book, Hopscotch Love (Lothrop); Under the Christmas Tree (Harper); What is Goodbye? (Hyperion); Talkin' About Bessie, the 2003 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner and Author Award honor book, and Horn Book Fanfare book (Orchard); Aneesa Lee & the Weaver's Gift, an American Bookseller Pick of the List (Lothrop); From a Child's Heart (Just Us Books); A Dime A Dozen, My Man Blue (Dial); Come Sunday (Eerdman's), an ALA Notable book; At Break of Day and When Daddy Prays (Eerdman's). Other works include Stepping Out with Grandma Mac, a Notable Social Studies Trade Book, and Shoe Magic (Orchard), A Pocketful of Poems (Clarion), Wild, Wild Hair (Scholastic), Portrait of Mary (Harcourt Brace), a work of adult fiction, and Malcolm X: a Force for Change (Fawcett), a YA biography which was an NAACP Image Award finalist for 1993. My websites: actividades-extraescolares-