March is Women's History Month. Along with Pat Mora, another noted children's author, Toyomi Igus will be coming to Buffalo State on March 17 th to celebrate and promote women writers.

Residing in the glass case is Two Mrs. Gibbons , Igus' sentimental childhood recollection of growing up with an African American grandmother and a Japanese American mother.

“This gentle book is both a memoir about Igus' real relatives and an understated tribute to the ability of people from widely different cultures to live together,” claims a review from Kirkus reviews.

It's this bicultural heritage that Igus specializes in writing about. She delves into the history of African American music in her 1998 book, I See the Rhythm .

I See the Rhythm is an upper level children's book that explores 500 years of influential African music. Ranging from slave songs to jazz and leading into contemporary hip-hop, Igus uses historical facts juxtaposed with vivid and free-formed prose to propel the musical journey.

“Her writing is amazing,” says Rachel Spies, a student at ECC. “It's very energetic and organic .”

It was this book that won the Jane Adams Book Award for Children's Books that Build Peace. I See the Rhythm was also merited the Coretta Scott King Award from the American Library Association in 1999 for best illustration.

The illustrator, Michele Wood, is a key collaborator with Igus and has illustrated many of her books including When I Was Little and Going Back Home: An Artist Returns to the South . These are only a few of Igus' work that currently appear in the E.H. Butler Library.

“They look very nice,” says Peter Malick, a Buffalo State student. “They're kind of hard to see behind the glass though,” responding to the books shielded behind the display case.

For those having difficulty seeing the works behind the case, they may want get a closer look into the world of Toyomi Igus when she comes to Buffalo State on March 17 th . From 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the E.H. Butler Library 210, Igus will lecture about the role of multicultural literature and the impact on the children's classroom. The lecture is free and refreshments will be served. For more information see:

http://www.buffalostate.edu/
library/news/toyomi.html

Until then, Igus' work remains in the display case in the library during regular scheduled hours. Normal library hours are:

• Monday to Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.
• Friday 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
• Sunday 9 p.m. to 9 a.m.

The display ends on March 31. For more information see: http://www.buffalostate.edu/tour

Email: MANTAN2600@aol.com