Words with Wings and Magic Things (Burgess) ©2025 by Doug Salati

Burgess, Matthew. Words with Wings and Magic Things. illus. by Doug Salati. 128p. Tundra. Mar. 2025. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9781774880289.
K-Gr 5–An engaging collection of original poems perfectly complemented by lively illustrations. The 49 poems cover a wide variety of everyday moments, moods, and experiences that will appeal to children of all ages. The poems are arranged into seven portals: Welcome, Wonders, Wild, Wheee!, Whoops & Whallops, Windows, and Whispers & Well Wishes. Burgess celebrates wordplay in a way that transforms the ordinary into the exceptional. Salati’s engaging illustrations successfully help bring the poems to life. Together, they make a perfect combination to be read and enjoyed on one’s own or shared as a delightful read-aloud. For example, in the first portal, Welcome, Burgess reflects on beginnings and points of view: “Some will say the sky is blue,/ but that is only partly true./ If you take a peek above,/ the clouds are dusty as a dove.” Salati has cleverly illustrated this poem with children looking into a weather arch featuring a rainbow of variously colored sky rings. In Wonders, Burgess suggests, “To reach the place of things unseen,/ words can be your trampoline.”Again, Salati is spot-on with an illustration of a child holding a flashlight snooping around a dark attic full of hidden treasures. Back matter includes an index of poem titles. This is an extraordinary collection filled with poems to savor and illustrations that will both captivate and delight young readers. VERDICT Sure to be read and enjoyed again and again, this is a highly recommended addition for all library collections.–Carole Phillips

Esenwine, Matt Forrest, sel. A Universe of Rainbows: Multicolored Poems for a Multicolored World. illus. by Jamey Christoph. 56p. (Spectacular STEAM for Curious Readers). Eerdmans. Apr. 2025. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9780802855718.
K-Gr 5–A delightful anthology of poems celebrating rainbows and the wondrous places they appear in nature. Organized by the source of the rainbow—water, living creatures, light, rock, and beyond—recognizable poets, including Janet Wong and Nikki Grimes, among others, offer their thoughts on the joy and beauty of rainbows. The poems vary in style, succinctly and quaintly highlighting the best features of the natural displays. Beside each poem is a brief overview of the science, history, or geography of the natural occurrence of the brilliant colors. Poems and notes are accessible, with a glossary of terms and additional resources at the end of the text. Each page could be a useful conversation starter for more in-depth discussions with young readers. As the backdrop, Cristoph’s illustrations dazzle. Vibrant and cheerful, the locations, insects, and flowers are an ideal complement to each poem. When people do appear in the illustrations, there is a diverse representation. VERDICT A solid addition to any collection, providing a pairing of arts and STEM.–Kaitlin Malixi

Graham, Joan Bransfield. Awesome Earth: Concrete Poems Celebrate Caves, Canyons, and Other Fascinating Landforms. illus. by Tania Garcia. 40p. HarperCollins/Clarion. Feb. 2025. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9780358396048.
K-Gr 5–Bransfield’s third collection of concrete poems, after Splish Splash and Flicker Flash,introduces readers to the many landforms and geological features of planet Earth. Beginning with “Fantastic Forces” and “Continents,” which provide simple background information for the ever-changing topography of our planet, the poems that follow describe everything from mountains and plains to chasms, archipelagos, and hoodoos. Regardless of the subject in question, each poem has been carefully crafted to fit within its shape. Bold text and illustrations work together seamlessly, keeping readers engaged and eager to turn the page. Garcia’s bright colors and aptly applied details fill the full-page digital spreads with wonderment. Back matter includes additional information about each feature, an approachable glossary of terms, and an enticing page of additional resources to explore. VERDICT An excellent introduction to our awesome planet for novice geographers and poets alike.–Lynn Van Auken

Hall, Kirsten. A Forest Song. illus. by Evan Turk. 40p. Random House Studio. Feb. 2025. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9780593480366.
Gr 3-5–In this imaginative picture book, cento poetry weaves together lines from renowned poets of the past to form a new narrative about a child’s journey through the woods. The result is a lyrical and sensory-rich exploration of the forest that captures the wonder and magic of nature. Vibrant, autumnal illustrations complement the lyrical narrative, bringing the forest to life with rich colors and textures. Some children may find the language challenging, as many of the lines come from poems that are sometimes over a century old. For example: “Through the pathless woods I wind,/ Knowing what I hope to find/ Yet there are no signs!/ Only boughs entwined,/ And I know not which to follow.” According to the author’s note at the back, this excerpt is an amalgamation of lines from Lord Byron, Oscar Wilde, and Rosanna Eleanor Leprohon, who all wrote during the 1800s. Hall uses fragments from their poems often, with lines shortened and reordered to fit her narrative. Younger readers might not understand these complex sentence structures involving abstract thinking and vocabulary such as “boughs entwined” or “pathless woods.” But while the language may be difficult for some young readers, this book offers a great introduction to poetry and creative writing. VERDICT A visually stunning and unique addition to poetry collections.–Melanie Leivers

Himmelman, John. The Boy Who Lived in a Shell: Snippets for Wandering Minds. illus. by author. 128p. Holiday House/Margaret Ferguson. Mar. 2025. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780823458455.
Gr 2-5–A new collection of humorous story poems introduces a boy named Ivo, who lives in giant moon shell that carries him out to sea. He spends his time writing story poems that introduce whimsical characters, such as Dolphin, the nicest creature in the ocean, and Carrotboy, who eats so many carrots he turns into a rabbit. The story poems are sometimes silly and sometimes sad but always surprising. Ivo narrates the story, and some of the characters are playfully revisited as he continues to write. For example, the many adventures of the puppies Toby and Pip are cleverly woven throughout the book, and excitement builds as readers follows their tale to see what will happen. There are many more fanciful characters and surprising stories to follow as Ivo spins yarns that provoke laughter and spark imagination. Bright and fanciful illustrations combine lovely pen-and-ink drawings with bright touches of color that delightfully capture the whimsy of each character. The subtitle, Snippets for Wandering Minds, says it all: These are not poems in the traditional sense, but rather a combination of humorous poetry and thoughtful storytelling that will engage readers’ fancies and should enjoy wide appeal among young readers, especially those who enjoy the works of Shel Silverstein and Douglas Florian. VERDICT A recommended addition to library and classroom collections.–Carole Phillips

Levy, Debbie. Photo Ark 1-2-3: An Animal Counting Book in Poetry and Pictures. photos by Joel Sartore. 48p. National Geographic Kids. Mar. 2025. lib. ed. $29.99. ISBN 9781426377273; Tr $19.99. ISBN 9781426377235.
PreS-K–In this book, readers have the joy of discovering over 270 animals as they count from one to 20. With each number, a different animal trait is introduced alongside images of creatures who share that particular trait, such as “2 you can see through” and “3 that are toothy.” From teeth to tails and from nocturnal to translucent, the animals in this book are both varied and dynamic. Vivid, full-color photographs give readers a clear view of the myriad animals covered, and because each one is labeled, caregivers can effectively name them all. A variety of poems appear alongside the images, and these balance the book by providing time for children to examine the pictures as the story is read aloud. Within these short poems, rich vocabulary is incorporated that enhances the literacy lessons offered by this text. Additionally, colorful, dynamic letters make up the words on each page, which enhance the visual appeal. Several pages of back matter call out each animal once more, while also including the animal’s status in terms of endangerment and where in the world that animal can be found. Fans of Photo Ark ABC will be thrilled about this number-centric companion. VERDICT A visually stimulating counting book that engages young children both in small and large group settings.–Mary Lanni

Taylor, Sean. You’re a Poet: Ways to Start Writing Poems. illus. by Sam Usher. 72p. Candlewick. Mar. 2025. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9781536239331.
K-Gr 2–Words and imagination are key to writing poetry in the careful instructions of the five lessons in this book. Each lesson has two segments. The first segment is a story about a very young, humanized Piglet with his mom, dad, or friend Squirrel. In stacked poetic lines and cartoon-style drawings softly shaded in watercolor, the stories tell of everyday outings in which Piglet comes up with lines of poetry. The following set of reader instructions suggests ways of creating a poem similar to the one just offered by Piglet. A simple string of words forms the first poem; other poems include making comparisons, turning a thing into a person, writing about oneself, and thinking about what to give someone as a gift. The story and instruction segments seem mismatched in audience, with the stories at a preschool level and the instructions addressed to children who can write by hand to shape and reshape their word choices. Scattered with images of pens and pencils, instruction pages include “Writing Secrets” framed as simple white pages. VERDICT A handy tool for extending skill with poetry and word play. While it seems unlikely that most children able to both read and do the writing would be attracted to the cheerful animal stories, the clear and well-designed writing and thinking exercises could build poetry interest and ability in the early grades.–Margaret Bush

Torrible, Tricia. Torrible Puns: A Collection of Punny Poems. illus. by Robert Dunn. 40p. Gnome Road. Mar. 2025. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9781957655468.
Gr 2-5–Eye-rolling while smiling is the response every punster hopes for, and the lines in this book consistently deliver just that. Torrible offers effective poems without forced rhymes or nonsense words—if the wordplay is nonsensical, it’s on purpose. There are popular themes in the rhymes, including homework, camping woes, and odd animals. “Wait for It” is a brief representative example: “While waiting for my waiter,/ my restlessness grows greater./ I realize moments later,/ by waiting, I’m the waiter.” Back matter includes explanations of the puns in the poems. For instance, in the poem “Measure Up” “There once was a king/ who was 12 inches tall./ He soon earned the title—/ Best Ruler of All.” Back matter explains to readers that a “ruler can mean a leader (here, a king) or a measuring stick.” These explanations could be used for word study. VERDICT Add to collections in need of updates, but catalog it with the joke books rather than poetry to reach the right readers.–Elaine Fultz

Waters, Charles & Irene Latham, sel. If I Could Choose a Best Day: Poems of Possibility. illus. by Olivia Sua. 64p. Candlewick. Mar. 2025. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9781536219791.
Gr 2-5–This sparkling collection of 30 short poems urges readers to look closely, listen carefully, and ponder connections to the world around us. Joseph Bruchac’s “If We Listen” advises that by listening to the birds and “the bright life/ all around,” readers may find their “own hymn.” Eric Ode’s “If You Have a Pencil” muses that a pencil leads to a poem, a story, adventurous play amid a tower of cardboard boxes, and concludes that when paired with a smile, “you just might make a friend.” The poems stress connections with friends and loved ones, and the powerful possibilities within us. Lacresha Berry’s “If I Imagine Sunlight Made Me” delivers a powerful message of self-affirmation in just 11 lines of free verse. Well-crafted mixed-media illustrations add to the mood and layers of meaning. VERDICT This thoughtful collection rewards repeat readings, begs to be shared or read aloud, and will resonate with a wide audience of readers and educators.–Marilyn Taniguchi