The Poet of Piney Woods

by Bob Raczka, Kristen Howdeshell (Illustrator), Kevin Howdeshell (Illustrator)

Overview

A misunderstood wolf writes poems about his forest home and friends in this breathtaking picture book

Black Bear-ies
Cute black
fruit snack.
Tiny.
Shiny.
Pick some,
lick thumbs.
Cub
grub.
The Poet Wolf loves to write pithy verse in the pine forest, but his forest friends see not a poet, but a hungry wolf. That is, until they listen to his lovely poems about life in the woods and discover that behind this apex predator is a sensitive soul who prefers to eat not his furry fellow creatures, but crisp pears.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781951836092
Publisher:	ABRAMS
Publication date:	04/13/2021
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,179,411
Product dimensions:	9.90(w) x 10.85(h) x 0.55(d)
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

About the Author

Bob Raczka is a children’s book author and poet. He has written several picture books about art and poetry, including Guyku and Like Best Friends, published by Cameron Kids. He lives in Chicago. Kristen and Kevin Howdeshell are a husband-and-wife illustration team based in Kansas City. This is their debut picture book for Cameron Kids.

Editorial Reviews

2021-02-09
A wolf wordsmith subverts expectations.

In a colorful, wood-block–printed forest, a wolf sneaks up behind an assortment of animals. A baseball-capped bear cub flees at the sound of a twig snapping. As a bow-tied frog sits on a log, “Wolf smiles. Teeth flash. / Frog sees Wolf. Splash!” But despite appearances, this doesn’t turn out to be a story of the food chain. Because now it’s “Sundown. Wolf’s lair. / Dinner? Sliced pears. / Peaceful. Poem time. / Wolf thinks, inks rhymes.” In tight, clipped, creatively rhymed and metered lines, this poem of a story shows that Wolf, a smoking jacket–clad vegetarian, just wants to share his verse with his forestmates. He pins his words to a tree, each a brief collection of rhyming words about the animal friends he was sneaking up on in the first part of the story. The animals gather around in appreciation, wondering who the mystery poet is, but when the wolf reveals himself as the author, the animals flee. A helpful blue jay convinces them to come back after Wolf pleads for understanding. Predictable for adults but no doubt suspenseful for children, the plot is enhanced by texturally rich illustrations and satisfying-to-read rhymes, making this an ideal read-aloud for inquisitive, word-loving young children. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9.5-by-21-inch double-page spreads viewed at 18% of actual size.)

Quietly well done. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews