Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets (by Kwame Alexander)

Title: Out of Wonder:  Poems Celebrating Poets

Author: Kwame Alexander with Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth

Illustrator:  Ekua Holmes

Target Ages:  8 and up

Genre: Poetry Anthology

Publisher Summary:  Out of gratitude for the poet’s art form, Newbery Award–winning author and poet Kwame Alexander, along with Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth, present original poems that pay homage to twenty famed poets who have made the authors’ hearts sing and their minds wonder. 

Favorite Poem:

“Majestic”

Celebrating Maya Angelou

Rise

into the wonder

of daybreak.

Be a rainbow in the cloud.

Be a free bird on the back of the night wind.

Shine on, honey!

Walk with joy in your golden feet

over crystal seas

and purpled mountains.

Know your beauty

is a thunder

your precious heart unsalable.

Be brave,

Like a new seed bursting

with extraordinary promise.

Shine on, honey!

Know you

are phenomenal.

            --Kwame Alexander

Evaluation: 

Out of Wonder:  Poems Celebrating Poets is an eclectic collection of poems ranging in style and theme.  Spanning the world and history, a variety of voices and poetic styles are included.

Part I celebrates the poetic style of writers like e.e. Cummings, Basho’, Langston Hughes, and Robert Frost.  For instance, Basho’ wrote Haikus.  “Contemporary Haiku,” a celebration of his poetry, is written in Haiku stanzas.  Langston Hughes is known for his rhythm and rhyming couplets.  “Jazz Jive Jam” is composed to mimic those features.

In the next section, Part II, the poems incorporate the feelings and themes of the poets.  Pablo Neruda’s poems focus on the natural world.  The poem dedicated to him, “The Music of the Earth,” contains beautiful lines like “where my words linger and accumulate like rocks blurring in the cold rain.”  Similarly, Judith Wright work is concerned with nature as well as Aboriginal land rights.  “Tambourine Things” pays homage to these motifs with phrases, such as “Remember that the shadows once belonged to the elders” and “Hold the relic to your ear; listen to the ancient silence.”   

Finally, Part III shares “with the world—in words—how awesome [the authors] feel about the poet and the poem.”  Many favorites are celebrated here—Gwendolyn Brooks, Sandra Cisneros, Rumi, Maya Angelou, and more. 
 

Ekua Holmes’ vibrant illustrations add to the splendor and allure of each poem.  The colors are rich and bold.  Her mixed media layered collages bound off the page, complimenting and extending the motifs and meaning of the poems.

The book ends with biographical information for each featured poet.  It includes basics on their inspiration, motifs, and style.  Clearly, this book is a must-have for teachers.  The format and poems encourage imaginative exploration of the authors and poetry, making it ideal for poetry units or creative writing. 

I highly recommend Out of Wonder:  Poems Celebrating Poets.

Activities and Extension Ideas:

Candlewick Press Teacher’s Guide

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