I Am the Book

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Overview

Readers will unlock a treasure trove of poems in this exuberant celebration of reading. A book is a wonderful, magical treat. The thirteen poems in this collection encourage young readers to snuggle up with a story and stretch their imaginations, to splash in a sea of tales by day and swashbuckle through chapters late at night. Playful illustrations by Yayo compliment thought-provoking poems by Jane Yolen, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Naomi Shihab Nye,...

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More About This Book

Overview

Readers will unlock a treasure trove of poems in this exuberant celebration of reading. A book is a wonderful, magical treat. The thirteen poems in this collection encourage young readers to snuggle up with a story and stretch their imaginations, to splash in a sea of tales by day and swashbuckle through chapters late at night. Playful illustrations by Yayo compliment thought-provoking poems by Jane Yolen, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Naomi Shihab Nye, and others.
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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
Lest we forget the magic of the printed page, this collection of poems by contemporary writers celebrates the joys of reading. "Early in the morning/ dog, book and me/ spend quiet moments/ just we three," writes Karen Winnick. In "Pirates," Jill Corcoran conveys a book-inspired imaginative journey: "I storm/ toward shackled screams/ of a kidnapped damsel./ I swashbuckle through my book's/ CHAPTER TWO." In Yayo's acrylic spreads, an open book becomes a whale's tail, a treasure box, and a drifting raft, emphasizing the transformative potential of words. Tom Robert Shields's title poem underscores the message: "I'll plant in you/ a spring-seedling/ with bursting life/ while you are reading./ I am the book/ You are needing." Ages 4–8. (Mar.)
School Library Journal
Gr 3–6—A whimsical collection of 13 short poems, all celebrating books and reading. Many are by well-known authors like Naomi Shihab Nye and Jane Yolen, while others are by less-familiar poets. Overall, the quality of the selections is good. Karla Kuskin's "Wonder Through the Pages" is particularly strong; it ends, "the wisdom of wizards/The songs of the ages/All wonders of wandering/Wonderful pages." The accompanying picture shows a Venetian-style watery landscape, with a book for a gondola, a unicorn floating nearby, and a seawall of books in the background. The attractive and fanciful acrylic paintings feature exaggerated shapes and perspectives that go nicely with the flights of imagination depicted in the poems. Literature-loving adults will want to share this book with the young people in their lives.—Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
Kirkus Reviews

In a whole that definitely doesn't measure up to the sum of its parts, this sadly uneven collection opens with six inventive celebrations in which books and water are interwoven themes. It closes with five landlocked tributes to bookishness and shoehorns in between one off-topic contribution by Hopkins and another by Jane Yolen. Eight of the 13 poems are new, and all (of the relevant ones) share a sense of excitement at, as Karla Kuskin puts it, "all wonders of wandering / wonderful pages," from Beverly McLoughland's soothing "ebb and flow of tidal words / Easy under me," to the soaring promise in Tom Robert Shield's title poem: "I'll plant in you / a spring-seedling / with bursting life / while you are reading. / I am the book / You are needing." Yayo gamely tries to provide at least an impression of unity with a typically lighthearted series of sea- and beachscapes with books taking on such roles as a whale's tail and an entire ocean, but several of the poems just don't lend themselves to that sort of setting. A poor successor to Hopkins' Good Books, Good Times (1990), flawed by a lack of cohesive vision and particularly by Yolen's sour "Words that take / a thought, / a wish, / a sentiment, / a prayer, / and then suck out / all the air." (Picture book/poetry. 8-10)

Abby McGanney Nolan
Celebrating words and books, this collection of poems is also a visual treat…These poems and pictures will draw in readers and rouse them to write verse of their own…
—The Washington Post
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780823421190
  • Publisher: Holiday House, Inc.
  • Publication date: 2/7/2011
  • Pages: 32
  • Sales rank: 432,790
  • Age range: 6 - 9 Years
  • Product dimensions: 10.10 (w) x 10.10 (h) x 0.50 (d)

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