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A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams
CCBC Review:
This is just to say . . . Jen Bryant’s artful and astute picture book biography of poet William Carlos Williams is to be savored, like plums from the icebox. Wonderful language, rich with description and metaphor, provides the underpinning of an informative and accessible narrative that conveys an incredible amount of information about the poet’s life and work. “Instead of counting the beats or making the end-words rhyme, he let each poem find its own special shape on the page.” The Passaic River in Williams’ hometown was a source of inspiration for Williams from childhood on, and Bryant uses the river both literally and as an idea throughout a narrative that is a delicate balance of concrete and lyrical. The judicious use of repetition with the phrase “And it was true” brings readers and listeners back again and again to some of the essential facts that informed and defined the poet’s work and creative life. Melissa Sweet’s watercolor, mixed media and collage illustrations include rich visual images as well as some of the poet’s words. Additional poems appear on the endpapers, and a timeline is includes at the end of this singular volume. Honor Book, 2009 Charlotte Zolotow Award ©2009 Cooperative Children's Book Center
Illustrated by Melissa Sweet
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 7-10
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
Biography
History (Nonfiction)
Writers and Writing
Publisher:
Eerdmans
Publish Year: 2008
Pages: 36
ISBN: 9780802853028
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 920 Williams
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