How to Read a Book
Written by Kwame Alexander and Illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Bibliography:
Alexander, K., & Sweet, M. (2019). How to read a book. Harper.
Summary:
How to Read a Book is a picture book intended for ages 4-8 that is comprised of one singular poem as the story. The poem itself focuses heavily on imagery — rather than typical rhyming schemes that are popular for children's poetry in this age range — to describe the process and experience of reading a book from finding a place to settle into for reading until the end of the book.
Analysis:
The poem itself inspires many physical sensations. Alexander likens gently opening a book to how one would peel a clementine, invokes the smells of opening a book for the first time (a thing all readers can relate to), and brings forth the sound of rustling pages to coincide the reader actually flipping the page. The poem brings to light the kind of intimacy that the act of reading inherently has, whether we notice it or not.
Now, I am conflicted about the illustrations. On their own, I think Melissa Sweet has discovered a beautiful artform for her own expression and I love the incorporation of another beloved children's book (Bambi) into this one. It makes it appear as if that is the book that is being experienced in the poem. However, I was very overstimulated by the mix of colors, fonts, and optical illusion style designs. To truly appreciate the book, it seems the best method is to only focus on the poem the first time and then go back through to take in the story being told through the illustrations.
There is a small interactive element in the book as well. There is a fold-out page that extends to one of the most comprehensive views of Sweet's collage style of illustration. There is no hidden part of the poem on this page, so it seems to be completely devoted to adding that extra visual element. Three pages later, there is a flap used in the center to reveal "EXPLODE," seen in the third stanza in the excerpt below. The entire third stanza is on this page with each line existing before, in, and after this flap.
Excerpt:
Squeeze
Every morsel
Of each plump line
Until the last
Drop of
Magic
Drips
From the
Infinite
Sky
And bursts of orange
EXPLODE
Beneath a perfect purple moon.
Don't rush through:
Your eyes need
Time to taste.
Your soul needs
Room to bloom.
Now, sleep.
Dream.
Hope.
(You never reach)
THE END
Activity Idea:
Since the illustrations are heavily focused in collage and many of the fonts look like they were taken from magazine clippings, a good crafting project to go along with this poetry book is making collage poems. To set up, the instructor will have construction paper, scissors, glue, and a variety of magazines laid out. From there, the kids can find words and images that they like to create their own poem with collage illustrations. To provide more literary looking collage backgrounds, the instructor can offer damaged and discarded library materials for the children to use.
Comments
Post a Comment