How to Read a Book

by Kwame Alexander, Melissa Sweet (Illustrator)

Overview

A stunning new picture book from Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander and Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet! This New York Times bestselling duo has teamed up for the first time to bring you How to Read a Book, a poetic and beautiful journey about the experience of reading.

Find a tree—a

black tupelo or

dawn redwood will do—and

plant yourself.

(It’s okay if you prefer a stoop, like Langston Hughes.)

With these words, an adventure begins. Kwame Alexander’s evocative poetry and Melissa Sweet’s lush artwork come together to take readers on a sensory journey between the pages of a book.

How to Read a Book has received three starred reviews!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062307811
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/18/2019
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD770L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kwame Alexander is a poet, an educator, and the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty-five books, including his Newbery Medal–winning middle grade novel The Crossover. Some of his other works include Booked, which was longlisted for the National Book Award; The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life; Swing; the picture books How to Read a Book and How to Write a Poem (coauthored with Deanna Nikaido), both illustrated by Melissa Sweet; and The Undefeated, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, which was longlisted for the National Book Award and won the Caldecott Medal, a Newbery Honor, and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award. He is a regular contributor to NPR’s Morning Edition, currently serving as their poet ambassador. He lives in Virginia with his family. Visit his website at kwamealexander.com. 

Melissa Sweet has illustrated more than one hundred books, including Kwame Alexander’s How to Read a Book and How to Write a Poem, and has written and illustrated her own work. Her work has been featured in magazines, on greeting cards, and on living room walls. Melissa has received the Caldecott Honor Medal twice, among many other awards, including the Sibert Award, and is a New York Times bestselling author and artist. Melissa lives in Maine. You can visit her at melissasweet.net.

Editorial Reviews

Alexander's lush poem captures and pays tribute to the sensual pleasures of reading…Sweet's colorful multilayered collages and artful lettering do justice to the message, inviting readers of all ages to linger in these lovely pages.

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

03/11/2019

Newbery Medalist Alexander’s love poem to literacy conjures up startling, luscious images: to begin reading a book, he tells readers, “peel its gentle skin,/ like you would/ a clementine..../ Dig your thumb/ at the bottom/ of each juicy section.” Caldecott Honor artist Sweet (Some Writer!) riffs on his verse, line by line, imbuing spreads with the feel of a continually evolving, handmade Valentine (as the copyright page pointedly notes, “no computer was used in making this art”). By turns dreamy and ecstatic, the images include portraits of blissed-out readers in a variety of settings, all constructed from swaths of saturated neon color and literary-themed ephemera (pages from Bambi are used throughout). One gatefold transforms a book into an electric orange triple-decker party bus,with 18 windows revealing allusive scenes made fromcut paper and collage. The text, set in hand-lettered capitals, sprawls and stacks energetically as it proclaims its bibliophilia—sometimes whispering and cooing, sometimes shouting from the rooftops that it’s got it bad for books. And why not? As Alexander writes, “Now, sleep./ dream./ hope./ (you never reach)/ the end.” Ages 4–8. (June)

Publishers Weekly

★ “[An] engaging and mesmerizing ode to reading…delightful and appealing.” — ALA Booklist (starred review)

★ “A linguistic and visual feast.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

★ “A beautiful book not to be rushed through, but to be enjoyed morsel by tasty morsel.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“[This] love poem to literacy conjures up startling, luscious images...By turns dreamy and ecstatic.” — Publishers Weekly

“This is a party for a select (but hopefully large) list of like-minded young literati, who know how to ‘squeeze every morsel of each plump line until the last drop of magic drips from the infinite sky’ and revel in their fandom.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

★ “Readers who will want to head right back to the beginning and soak in this lovingly rendered testimonial more than once…Sweet’s distinctive hand-lettered text, which itself becomes another part of the artwork, is a perfect complement to Alexander’s prose.” — BookPage (starred review)

From the Publisher

★ “[An] engaging and mesmerizing ode to reading…delightful and appealing.

ALA Booklist (starred review)

This is a party for a select (but hopefully large) list of like-minded young literati, who know how to ‘squeeze every morsel of each plump line until the last drop of magic drips from the infinite sky’ and revel in their fandom.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

★ “Readers who will want to head right back to the beginning and soak in this lovingly rendered testimonial more than once…Sweet’s distinctive hand-lettered text, which itself becomes another part of the artwork, is a perfect complement to Alexander’s prose.

BookPage (starred review)

This is a party for a select (but hopefully large) list of like-minded young literati, who know how to ‘squeeze every morsel of each plump line until the last drop of magic drips from the infinite sky’ and revel in their fandom.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

★ 06/01/2019

PreS-Gr 2—Award-winning poet Alexander compares reading a book to peeling the gentle skin of a clementine, digging in to its juiciness, enjoying it "piece by piece, part by part," until you can "watch a novel world unfurl right before your eyes." And who better to illustrate this delicious poem than Caldecott Honoree Sweet. The artwork is done in watercolor, gouache, mixed media, handmade and vintage papers, found objects including old book covers, and a paint can lid. Not a splash of color, a piece of paper, or a line is out of place. Starting with the initial collage that incorporates the building blocks of reading (the letters A to Z) and the lines from a poem by Nikki Giovanni that careful readers will have to pay attention to see, the tone is set. "So get/real cozy/between/the covers/And let your/fingers wonder/as they wander…" for there is much to relish in this poem and its exuberant images. "Squeeze/every morsel/of each plump line/until the last/drop of magic/drips from the infinite sky." The book includes a note from both the poet and the artist. VERDICT A beautiful book not to be rushed through, but to be enjoyed morsel by tasty morsel.—Lucia Acosta, Children's Literature Specialist, Princeton, NJ

School Library Journal

Spritely music introduces poet Kwame Alexander’s ode to the joys of reading for the youngest listeners. In a friendly and enthusiastic voice, Alexander compares opening a book to peeling a clementine: “Next, dig your thumb at the bottom of each juicy section and pop the words out.” The short poem rewards repeat listening to tease out all of the meaning and imagery, and bibliophile adults will appreciate it as much as their children do. Alexander also reads his author’s note at the end, explaining the origins of his poem. Be sure to seek out the picture book as well—artist Melissa Sweet’s fantastic neon collage illustrations burst off the page and are the perfect accompaniment to Alexander’s warm words and narration. J.M.D. 2020 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2019 - AudioFile

Spritely music introduces poet Kwame Alexander’s ode to the joys of reading for the youngest listeners. In a friendly and enthusiastic voice, Alexander compares opening a book to peeling a clementine: “Next, dig your thumb at the bottom of each juicy section and pop the words out.” The short poem rewards repeat listening to tease out all of the meaning and imagery, and bibliophile adults will appreciate it as much as their children do. Alexander also reads his author’s note at the end, explaining the origins of his poem. Be sure to seek out the picture book as well—artist Melissa Sweet’s fantastic neon collage illustrations burst off the page and are the perfect accompaniment to Alexander’s warm words and narration. J.M.D. 2020 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2019 - AudioFile