Published by Quill Tree Books

Summary: As they did with How to Write a Book, Melissa Sweet and Kwame Alexander (this time with Deanna Nikaido) swoop into the world of poetry. “Begin with a question/like an acorn waiting for spring,” then tropical your eyes, use your imagination, listen, explore what you are feeling, find a word or two. “Now, show us what you’ve found.” The text begins with a quote from Nikki Giovanni, “We are all either wheels or connectors. Whichever we are, we must find truth and balance, which is a bicycle.” The illustrations build on this, with circles, spheres, and bicycles throughout. 32 pages; grades K-5.

Pros: A gorgeous introduction to poetry with spare but suggestive language and riotously fun collage illustrations that spark the imagination.

Cons: Like How to Write a Book, this strikes me as a typesetting that will request increasingly to adults than children.