Anthologies of African American Writing

Christmas Gif': An Anthology of Christmas Poems, Songs, and Stories Written by and About Negroes

"Christmas Gif': An Anthology of Christmas Poems, Songs, and Stories Written by and About Negroes" . Comp. Charlemae Rollins. Illus. Tom O'Sullivan. Chicago: Follett, 1963. 119 pp.

• Repr. with new introduction by Augusta Baker. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1993. xxii+106 pp.

Contents (1963 ed.): Race is like man / John W. Vandercook -- Nativity / Aquah Laluah -- Memories of Christmas / Langston Hughes -- How come Christmas / Roark Bradford -- Plantation Christmas / Julia Peterkin -- Christmas gift / Zora Neale Hurston -- Legend of the black madonna / Margaret T. Applegarth -- Goat comes to the Christmas party / Eva Knox Evans -- New relations and duties / Frederick Douglass -- Anxious days and sleepless nights / Booker T. Washington -- Christmas is a-comin' / Paul Laurence Dunbar -- Speakin' O' Christmas / P.L. Dunbar -- Christmas carol / P.L. Dunbar -- Little Christmas basket / P.L. Dunbar -- Through the holly wreath / Effie Lee Newsome -- Magi call him king / Effie Lee Newsome. -- Carol of brown king / Langston Hughes -- Kid stuff / Frank Horne -- On pallet of straw / L. Hughes -- Peppermint candy march / Effie Lee Newsome -- Shepherd's song at Christmas / L. Hughes -- Christmas story / L. Hughes -- On Christmas night / L. Hughes -- Anonymous verse; from Puerto Rican Christmas card / Anon. -- Every man heart lay down / Lorentz Graham -- Stable / Gabriela Mistral -- Indian Christmas / G. Mistral -- Go tell it to the mountain / Negro spiritual -- Wasn't that mighty day / Negro spiritual -- Virgin Mary had a baby boy / Negro spiritual -- What you gonna name that pretty little boy? / Negro spiritual -- Rise up, shepherd, and follow / Negro spiritual -- God's Christmas tree / Evelyn C. Reynolds -- Under the mistletoe / Countee Cullen -- The Black Madonna / Albert Rice -- Otto / Gwendolyn Brooks -- Christmas recipes.

• n/a

This anthology opens onto the field of children's literature—which I make no attempt to cover here. But since I have included this volume, it's worth mentioning (at least) some other similar works:

● "A Treasury of African-American Christmas Stories". Ed. Bettye Collier-Thomas. New York: Henry Holt, 1997.

● "Christmas Soul: African-American Holiday Stories." Ed. Allison Samuels. Jump at the Sun, 2001.

Kinnamon 1997: 468]

A0062