num_pages: 32
description: 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 Part autobiographical, part fictional, this allegorical tale sparkles with symbolic and historical references central to African-American culture.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.
language: English
title: Tar Beach
titlecomplete: Tar Beach
genres: Fantasy, Cultural, Picture Books, Childrens, African American, Family, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Art, Realistic Fiction
ratings_count: 8980
places: Harlem, New York City, New York
awards: awardedAt: 694252800000
name: Caldecott Medal, awardedAt: 694252800000
name: Coretta Scott King Book Award
category: Illustrator, awardedAt: 725875200000
name: Ezra Jack Keats Book Award
category: New Writer
publisher: Dragonfly Books