by Mark Karlins (Author), Nicole Wong (Illustrator)
Where do poems come from? This beautiful picture book about a young aspiring poet and his grandfather shows that the answer lies all around us--if we take the time to look.
After Kiyoshi watches his grandfather, Eto, compose his delicate haiku, he wonders out loud: "Where do poems come from?" His grandfather answers by taking him on a walk through their city, where they see a cat perched on a hill of oranges; hear the fluttering of wings; imagine what's behind a tall wall; and discuss their walk, with each incident inspiring a wonderful new haiku from Eto. As Kiyoshi discovers that poems come from the way the world outside of us meets the world within each of us, he also finds the courage to write a haiku of his own.
This lovely book will speak to any reader who treasures poetry, city life, grandparents, or the beauty of the everyday.
Author Biography
Mark Karlins was the author of six picture books, two books of poetry for adults, and a number of reviews and essays on poetry. He ran poetry workshops for children and teenagers and also taught at a number of colleges, including the MFA Program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. He lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico and passed away in January of 2022.
Nicole Wong is a full-time illustrator with a BFA degree from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her twenty-plus books include Three Lost Seeds: Stories of Becoming; No Monkeys, No Chocolate; and illustrations for Andrea Cheng's Only One Year, published by Lee & Low Books. She lives in Fall River, Massachusetts, with her husband, daughter, two sleepy cats and two hyperactive dogs. Please visit her on the Web at nicole-wong.com.