"Easy doesn't interest me," wrote poet, novelist, and author of picture books Nikki Grimes in a Book Links essay. "In art, and in life, I'm a sucker for a challenge. I like to take on work that frightens me, that I'm not s ure I can pull off, that makes me dig deep." Grimes, who in 2003 won both the Coretta Scott King Award and the Coretta Scott King Honor Award, is familiar with challenging tasks. In her more than fifty books, she manages to reach many audiences with her w orks--from very young children to middle readers and young adults and also adults. Grimes once commented: "The word, both written and spoken, has always held a special fascination for me. It seemed uncanny that words, spread across a page just so, had the power to transport me to another time or place. But they could. I spent many...