Thanku: Poems of Gratitude

by Miranda Paul, Marlena Myles (Illustrator)

Overview

How do you give thanks?

Gratitude isn't something we need to save up for a special holiday. What are you grateful for right now, today?

This anthology brings together a diverse group of poets who express gratitude for everything from a puppy to hot cocoa to the sky itself. Each writer uses a different poetic form, and readers will encounter a concrete poem, a sonnet, a pantoum, a sijo, and much more.

Contributors include Kimberly Blaeser, Sun Yung Shin, Naomi Shihab Nye, Charles Waters, Janice Scully, Jane Yolen, Traci Sorell, JaNay Brown-Wood, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Margarita Engle, and more. Stunning illustrations from Marlena Myles invite close examination, making this a collection to return to and savor again and again.

A portion of the proceeds from this anthology will be donated to We Need Diverse Books.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541523630
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/03/2019
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	242,212
Product dimensions:	9.40(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	8 - 9 Years

About the Author

Miranda Paul is the award-winning author of more than a dozen books for children, including One Plastic Bag and Boston Globe–Horn Book Honoree Nine Months Before a Baby Is Born. Miranda is a founding member of We Need Diverse Books and serves as its mentorship chair. Learn more at mirandapaul.com.

Marlena Myles is a Native American graphic designer and fine artist who lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Editorial Reviews

08/19/2019

This anthology of 32 poems by a diverse array of writers invites readers into a deeper understanding of gratitude. Paul, a We Need Diverse Books cofounder, knits together an impressive patchwork of poetic forms and voices, including an acrostic ode to dimples and a ballad about uncovering a beach’s most perfect rock. Illustrations by Myles (who is Spirit Lake Dakota, Mohegan, and Muscokee Creek) have a static quality that frames the lyricism of the texts with myriad colors and textures. Back matter includes contributor bios, easy-to-digest descriptions of poetic and literary devices used throughout, and a letter from Paul about “the myths and half-truths” about Thanksgiving, and related misrepresentations of Native and First Nations people. Though some works are stronger than others, this is a thoughtful resource for poetry students and teachers. Ages 6–10. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"An anthology of diverse voices united by the theme of giving thanks. In her editorial debut, Paul (Nine Months: Before a Baby Is Born, 2019, etc.) pairs over 30 poems with Myles' (Spirit Lake Dakota/Mohegan/Muscokee Creek) spirited illustrations capturing favorite things for which the nearly three-dozen poets represented here are thankful. Motivated by the sentiment that gratitude should be expressed year-round, Paul collects poems as varied in form as content. The poets not only select a wide array of objects inspiring gratitude—including dimples, 'Deep indents in my brown skin / Inspired by the smile bouncing upward from my toes'; an alluring 'ocean rock' too perfect for skipping across the water; and the rich experience behind 'each scar'—but employ incredibly varied lyric forms such as acrostic, ballad, tricube, even 'math poems' ('family + friends + love = a thankful heart'). Myles' colorful digitally rendered illustrations help contextualize the poems, saturated, often abstract backgrounds complementing neatly outlined, diverse figures. While Paul's choice of contributors and Myles' depictions of characters are refreshingly inclusive, the collection succeeds more in its individual poetic efforts than an anthology as a whole. Backmatter includes a guide to the forms and devices on display, thumbnail bios of each contributor, and an author's note complicating simplistic perceptions of Thanksgiving. Lovely lyric lessons in appreciating the ordinary."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2019-06-23
An anthology of diverse voices united by the theme of giving thanks.

In her editorial debut, Paul (Nine Months: Before a Baby Is Born, 2019, etc.) pairs over 30 poems with Myles' (Spirit Lake Dakota/Mohegan/Muscokee Creek) spirited illustrations capturing favorite things for which the nearly three-dozen poets represented here are thankful. Motivated by the sentiment that gratitude should be expressed year-round, Paul collects poems as varied in form as content. The poets not only select a wide array of objects inspiring gratitude—including dimples, "Deep indents in my brown skin / Inspired by the smile bouncing upward from my toes"; an alluring "ocean rock" too perfect for skipping across the water; and the rich experience behind "each scar"—but employ incredibly varied lyric forms such as acrostic, ballad, tricube, even "math poems" ("family + friends + love = a thankful heart"). Myles' colorful digitally rendered illustrations help contextualize the poems, saturated, often abstract backgrounds complementing neatly outlined, diverse figures. While Paul's choice of contributors and Myles' depictions of characters are refreshingly inclusive, the collection succeeds more in its individual poetic efforts than an anthology as a whole. Backmatter includes a guide to the forms and devices on display, thumbnail bios of each contributor, and an author's note complicating simplistic perceptions of Thanksgiving.

Lovely lyric lessons in appreciating the ordinary. (resources) (Picture book/poetry. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews