Jen Bryant's biography of poet William Carlos Williams for the grade-school reader is just the type of biography any poet would want. In A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams, the poetry and its writing remain more important to the tale than the events of the poet's life.
So, while we learn William Carlos Williams loved to spend time outdoors, wandering, as a child, we also discover what was most important about these childish excursions: "...as he walked through the high grasses and along the soft dirt paths, Willie watched everything" and "the river's music both excited and soothed Willie. Sometimes, as he listened to its perfect tune, he fell asleep."
Bryant tells us of William Carlos Williams as a student, but most importantly about his study of poetry:
Poetry suited Willie. Every night,
he looked forward to sitting at his desk
and writing a few lines.
But after a while, he grew frustrated.
He had pictures in his mind that didn't fit exactly
into steady rhythms or rhymes.
'I have never seen a swan or an archer,' Willie thought.
'I want to write about ordinary things--
A River of Words is a biography of a poet--of how a young person becomes, lives, and works as a poet. Indeed, William Carlos William's career as a doctor plays second fiddle to practical, yet lyrical, descriptions of how he managed to write poetry in the evenings after work.
Melissa Sweet's illustrations are warm and make much use of Williams's poems and other textual elements (notepads, drafts, textbooks). A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams is a first-class biography, and one to use in the classroom to learn not only about Williams, or more about poetry, but also to learn more about biography and how different biographical approaches can approach a life in radically different ways.
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A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams
by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2008
ISBN: 0-8028-5302-8
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Other Blog Reviews:
One Minute Book Reviews
Fairrosa's Reading Journal
A Fuse #8
Achuka
Bookends
Don't miss Jama Rattigan's interview will illustrator Melissa Sweet at Alphabet Soup.
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Susan Taylor Brown has the roundup at Susan Writes.
So glad you're back, Kelly! I adore this book, and thoroughly enjoyed interviewing Melissa recently :).
It's so great to have you back, Kelly!
This sounds like a marvelous book! I'm adding it to my list.
I lovelovelove this book! From the minute I saw it, I was hoping it would win the Caldecott. I, too, have an interview with Melissa Sweet at A Year of Reading. What a nice person she is -- everything her name says!
So glad you're back! And thanks for this book recommendation -- I hadn't seen this one.
Have you read Hate that Cat by Sharon Creech? It's just a wonderful YA book about a boy learning poetry through the model of Carlos Williams. I found it delightful - and loved the boy's strong voice as well as his poetry.
Cheers!
Melissa
www.imaginationsoup.net
So strange, I JUST posted a Williams poem for Poetry Friday and then I see this.
I still haven't seen this book. Sigh. Want to. So badly. I think I'm waiting on a library copy.