Alexander, Kwame. How to Read a Book. HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2019.
How to Read a Book is written by Kwame Alexander and illustrated by Melissa Sweet. It is the winner of the 2020 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award. It is a poem describing the juicy experience of how one can savor the reading experience. It is designed for children ages 2 – 8 years, but the words and images can be enjoyed by any age group.
The author and illustrator invite the reader to plant themselves on a tree or porch stoop and get comfortable. Then, peel open the book, noting the colors, “sunrise, sunrise,” and smell, “the scent of morning air and sweet butterfly kisses” within it. Dig into the words. Find the new world revealed by the book (“words + sounds in leaps + bounds.”) Take note of all the words and images and how they connect with each other. Touch the pages. Pull out all they have to say and absorb it. Savor it. Experience it. Reflect on it. “Your eyes need time to taste. Your soul needs room to bloom.”
Straight away, the book begins with a collage – before the title page. The poem’s stanzas are presented in a variety of font sizes with pops of bright oranges and pinks throughout. The illustrations are strategically arranged around the verses to complement them. Every page of this book includes a bright color or illustration. The reader will find a fun surprise in the middle. The book provides powerful imagery comparing the experience of reading a book to that of savoring a sweet clementine from the first peel to “squeeze every morsel of each plump line until the last drop of magic.” The poem is presented in a way that will trigger the readers’ imagination. The artist uses different techniques to move the readers through the poem via different lines and layouts.
How to Read a Book is an ideal poem to read aloud either to one child or small group. It takes the readers on a juicy book reading journey.
Book Notes 