A Poem Grows Inside You

by Katey Howes, Heather Brockman Lee (Illustrator)

Overview

Recipient of the 2023 Lee Bennett Hopkins Award honor award.

We all hold the seed of something wonderful inside us, just waiting for the right moment to bloom. In A Poem Grows Inside You, the seed of an idea waits for the rhythm of the rainfall to awaken it, then takes root and begins to grow. At once a celebration of the deep connection creatives have with their art and an acknowledgement of the courage it takes to let it into the sun, this beautifully illustrated picture book encourages readers to nurture their talents and boldly share them with the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781943147991
Publisher:	The Innovation Press
Publication date:	11/22/2022
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	661,172
Product dimensions:	9.90(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Katey Howes is a haphazard gardener, a darn good rhymer, and a fun mother. She's also the award-winning author of RISSY NO KISSIES, BE A MAKER, and a growing assortment of other books. You can find Katey under a big tree on a small mountain in Eastern Pennsylvania with a bowl of popcorn, a notebook full of ideas, and a rescue pup named Samwise. Or find her on Twitter @kateywrites, on IG @kidlitlove, and at www.kateyhowes.com.

Heather Brockman Lee holds a BFA in Fine Art and worked in a variety of industries such as art glass, textile design, and gallery work before focusing full-time on her first love of illustrating stories. She lives in Colorado.

Editorial Reviews

10/17/2022

“Your body’s been thirsty/ but did not know why./ (A life without poetry/ often feels dry.)” Steadily rhyming verse exudes possibility as Howes parallels the writing process with the cultivation of seeds. In saturated colored pencil textures, Lee’s art depicts a child with brown skin and curly purple hair venturing into the rain with a yellow umbrella. As they dance through puddles and peer at fish, their seed of an idea grows roots out of their shoes and leaves out of their body. Though doubt and fear attend the sprouts’ appearance, it’s clear that further growth will only occur if “you branch out and bloom.” As the child shows off their work, the book’s art becomes more vibrant, blooming across remaining pages as friends of varying skin tones frolic beneath a rainbow—and rain returns with the potential to nourish new seeds. Ages 4–7. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Steadily rhyming verse exudes possibility as Howes parallels the writing process with the cultivation of seeds.” — Publisher's Weekly

“The book’s art becomes more vibrant, blooming across remaining pages as friends of varying skin tones frolic beneath a rainbow” — Publisher's Weekly

Winner of the 2023 Northern Lights Book Award, Picture Book Category (All Ages)

From the Publisher