How to Write a Poem
In this evocative and playful companion to their New York Times bestselling picture book How to Read a Book, Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander teams up with poet Deanna Nikaido and Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet to celebrate the magic of discovering your very own poetry in the world around you.
Begin
with a question
like an acorn
waiting for spring.
From this first stanza, readers are invited to pay attention--and to see that paying attention itself is poetry. Kwame Alexander and Deanna Nikaido's playful text and Melissa Sweet's dynamic, inventive artwork are paired together to encourage readers to listen, feel, and discover the words that dance in the world around them--poems just waiting to be written down.
Earn by promoting books
Earn money by sharing your favorite books through our Affiliate program.
Become an affiliate
Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, and New York Times Bestselling author of 28 books, including THE UNDEFEATED, SWING, and REBOUND, the follow-up to the NEWBERY medal-winning novel, THE CROSSOVER. Kwame is the recipient of numerous awards, including The Coretta Scott King Author Honor, The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Prize, Three NAACP Image Award Nominations, and the 2017 Inaugural Pat Conroy Legacy Award.
Melissa Sweet has illustrated more than one hundred books, including Kwame Alexander's How to Read a Book and How to Write a Poem, and has written and illustrated her own work. Her work has been featured in magazines, on greeting cards, and on living room walls. Melissa has received the Caldecott Honor Medal twice, among many other awards, including the Sibert Award, and is a New York Times bestselling author and artist. Melissa lives in Maine. You can visit her at melissasweet.net.
"An exquisite guide that inspires and encapsulates the essence of poetry." -- Booklist (starred review)
"Both a teaching tool for writing poetry as well as an ode to poetry itself. Highly recommended." -- School Library Journal (starred review)
"Marvelously crafted to inspire blooming writers." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A highly welcoming invitation to write that makes clear poetry is for everyone--reader and writer alike." -- Publishers Weekly
