Tar Beach

Cassie Lightfoot, a black girl growing up in Harlem in the 1930s, has a dream--to be free to go wherever she wants for the rest of her life. One night, up on Tar Beach--the rooftop of her family's apartment building--her dream comes true. The stars lift her up, and she flies over the city, claiming everything she sees as her own.

Full-color illustrations. Illus. in full color. Ringgold recounts the dream adventure of eight-year-old Cassie Louise Lightfoot, who flies above her apartment-building rooftop, the 'tar beach' of the title, looking down on 1939 Harlem.

Part autobiographical, part fictional, this allegorical tale sparkles with symbolic and historical references central to African-American culture. The spectacular artwork resonates with color and texture. Children will delight in the universal dream of mastering one's world by flying over it.

A practical and stunningly beautiful book.--(starred) Horn Book.