  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 01/01/2017 *Starred Review* Newbery medalist Kwame Alexander has come up with a fresh and joyful way to interest children in poetry. “A poem is a small but powerful thing,” he says in his thought-provoking preface while noting that, throughout his life, he’s been inspired by poetry. So here, in this beautiful book, along with his coauthors, poets Chris Colderly and Marjory Wentworth, Alexander offers a collection of 20 poems. The hook? All are written in tribute to well-known poets, such as Maya Angelou, e. e. cummings, Sandra Cisneros, Robert Frost, Gwendolyn Brooks, and William Carlos Williams, among others. Sometimes that means recreating a style, as in “Contemporary Haiku,” which celebrates the Japanese poet, Basho. Sometimes it means adhering to a certain spirit, as in “A Field of Roses,” which reminds readers of Emily Dickinson. But even without such links, most of the poetry—breezy, thoughtful, amusing—stands on its own. As good as the words are, they might still be topped by the book’s visuals. Holmes takes collage work to a new level, with gloriously colored art that, the closer you look, tells further stories within stories. Each illustration captures not just the feeling of the poem but wakes readers up to life’s excitements and small joys. Exemplary words and pictures make this a multicultural masterwork. - Copyright 2017 Booklist. School Library Journal - 02/01/2017 Gr 4–7—Newbery Award winner Alexander has collaborated with Colderley, a poet and elementary school teacher, and Wentworth, the poet laureate of South Carolina, to produce a collection of verse that pays tribute to notable poets. The 20 pieces presented are each crafted specifically in homage to a famous wordsmith, often incorporating key tenets of their style. The spotlighted poets include ancient writers (e.g., Basho and Rumi), 20th-century lyricists such as Robert Frost and Langston Hughes, and contemporary figures such as Naomi Shihab Nye, Billy Collins, Maya Angelou, and more. In his preface, Alexander writes, "A poem is a small but powerful thing." The carefully chosen and arranged selections take readers on a wondrous journey through a number of lyrical forms, from haiku to free verse, accompanied by illustrations by Caldecott honoree Holmes. The bold mixed-media and layered collage—style paintings creatively capture each poem's essence. To continue the celebration, back matter offers biographical sketches of those featured. However, it perhaps would have been optimal to incorporate samples of original works by the honored poets for immediate comparison. VERDICT This unusual and successful volume is a valuable addition to school and classroom libraries for writing workshops and reading pleasure.—Carole Phillips, Greenacres Elementary School, Scarsdale, NY - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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