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:
