# Harlem at Four - Hardcover

by **Michael Datcher** (Author), **Frank Morrison** (Illustrator)

**A stunning picture book comprising two incredible stories--the first part chronicles the adventures of a four-year-old Black girl named Harlem, while the second part describes the history of Harlem the neighborhood. From a _New York Times_ bestselling author and a critically acclaimed illustrator.**

**NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books**

In this beautiful picture book in two parts, meet Harlem: the girl and the neighborhood. Part one follows the adventures of a little girl named Harlem and her single father as they go on a museum "playdate" with painters Romare Bearden and Jean-Michel Basquiat, listen to John Coltrane records, and conduct science experiments in their apartment ("The volcano erupts /Red lava on Valentine's Day!").

Part two takes us back to the fourth year of the twentieth century in Harlem the neighborhood. Here, we are introduced to Philip A. Payton Jr., aka Papa Payton, whose Afro-American Realty Company gave birth to the Black housing explosion, helping to start America's Great Black Migration. Because of Papa Peyton, Black families--like Harlem and her father a century later--could move to Harlem and thrive and flourish.

This is a completely unique, absolutely gorgeous picture book by a _New York Times_ bestselling author and a Coretta Scott King Award-winning illustrator that weaves together the lives of a modern Black family and a historically Black neighborhood in New York City.

### Author Biography

**Dr. Michael Datcher** received his B.S. from UC Berkeley and his Ph.D. from UC Riverside in English Literature. He is the author of the _New York Times_ Bestseller _Raising Fences_ and the critically-acclaimed Ferguson-area historical novel _Americus._ His book _Animating Black and Brown Liberation: A Theory of American Literatures_ was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Datcher has made numerous media appearances, including _Oprah_, _Today Show_ and _Dateline_. Dr. Michael Datcher is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Writing at New York University's School of Liberal Studies.

**Frank Morrison** started his journey as a graffiti artist in New Jersey, tagging walls with spray paint. It wasn't until he visited the Louvre Museum in Paris as part of the Sugar Hill Gang's dance entourage that he realized painting was his true creative path. His work has been featured at Art Basel, SCOPE Miami Beach, and Red Dot art fairs, and shown at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and the Mason Fine Art Gallery in Atlanta. He is the illustrator of over twenty children's books, including the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner _R-E-S-P-E-C-T_, the Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe Award winner _Jazzy Miz Mozetta,_ and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor books _Little Melba and Her Big Trombone_ and _Let the Children March_. Frank was a Society of Illustrators Original Art Silver Medal Honoree two years in a row, for _The Roots of Rap_ and _R-E-S-P-E-C-T._

**Number of Pages:** 48

**Dimensions:** 0.7 x 11.7 x 9.3 IN

**Publication Date:** September 19, 2023

## Details

- **Price:** 18.99 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 18.99 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Harlem at Four - Hardcover

---

> Source: [Smart supply deals](https://smartsupplydeals.com/products/harlem-at-four-hardcover)
> Updated: 2026-07-23