HOW TO READ A BOOK BY KWAME ALEXANDER AND MELISSA SWEET
Did you know that Kwame Alexander, best known for his young adult fiction titles written in verse, such as Solo, Swing, The Crossover and Booked also writes picture books? Some of his works include The Undefeated, Animal Ark and Out of Wonder. I would like to recommend you take a moment of time to consider another of his titles, How to Read a Book illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Image from Alexander, K. (2019). How to Read A Book. HarperCollins Publishers.
In this text, Alexander writes a poem rich in imagery, vocabulary, and onomatopoeia that espouses the pleasures and sheer delights found in reading a book. My favorite passage is:
Alexander, K. (2019). How to Read A Book. HarperCollins Publishers.
Powerful as Alexander’s words are, so too are Sweet’s illustrations. A combination of watercolors, mixed media, handmade and vintage papers and found items blend to provide powerful representations that echo the author’s words.
Alexander will draw the reader in from the first page and leave the reader reflecting on their own reading experiences with his parting words…
“NOW, SLEEP, DREAM, HOPE. (YOU NEVER REACH) —THE END.” (25-27)
Learn more about Kwame Alexander and Melissa Sweet.