A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams
- author: Jen Bryant http://www.jenbryant.com/
- illustrator: Melissa Sweet http://melissasweet.net/
- medium: watercolor, collage, mixed media
- year of publication: 2008
- publication city: Grand Rapids, Michigan
- publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
- ISBN: 978-0-8028-5302-8
Personal Reaction: It’s surprising how helpful picturebooks for older readers can be. Again, I have learned so much from books that I thought would be too simple for me.
I have casually experienced the poems of William Carlos Williams in college classes and workshops. Funny thing was, I always thought he wrote in Spanish and came from Central or South America, in the vein of Garcia Marquez, Neruda, or Vargas Llosa. It was a shock that WCW is from New Jersey. It must have been the “Carlos”. It was interesting to learn that WCW ran with Ezra Pound and that literati circle.
I would recommend this picturebook to any student doing a report on WCW. It’s biographical and includes the poet’s most famous poems. The story really explains how WCW transcended the structured rules of poetry, and crafted his own style and voice. Having little knowledge on WCW’s background, A River of Words really enlightened me on the life of this great American poet.
***Artwork: Melissa Sweet has created a wonderful art style. While the characters painted in watercolor help move the story along, the layered collages representing the poetry really stand out. Dissecting old book discards from a New Jersey public library, Sweet layered different papers from books, journals, notepads and hand drawn illustrations to create a multifaceted piece that seems to jump out of the page. The choice of papers seems to come from the early and middle 20th century, when WCW would have lived. It really adds another layer of interest on top of the already enriching story of the poet. A fantastic effort!!
***Simile:
Now when he wrote poems, he felt as free as the Passaic River as it rushed to the falls.
***Alliteration:
Plums, wheelbarrows, and weeds
***Rhyme
Plums, wheelbarrows, and weeds
fire engines, children, and trees
The archer is awake!
The Swan is flying!
Gold against blue
An Arrow is lying.
I have casually experienced the poems of William Carlos Williams in college classes and workshops. Funny thing was, I always thought he wrote in Spanish and came from Central or South America, in the vein of Garcia Marquez, Neruda, or Vargas Llosa. It was a shock that WCW is from New Jersey. It must have been the “Carlos”. It was interesting to learn that WCW ran with Ezra Pound and that literati circle.
I would recommend this picturebook to any student doing a report on WCW. It’s biographical and includes the poet’s most famous poems. The story really explains how WCW transcended the structured rules of poetry, and crafted his own style and voice. Having little knowledge on WCW’s background, A River of Words really enlightened me on the life of this great American poet.
***Artwork: Melissa Sweet has created a wonderful art style. While the characters painted in watercolor help move the story along, the layered collages representing the poetry really stand out. Dissecting old book discards from a New Jersey public library, Sweet layered different papers from books, journals, notepads and hand drawn illustrations to create a multifaceted piece that seems to jump out of the page. The choice of papers seems to come from the early and middle 20th century, when WCW would have lived. It really adds another layer of interest on top of the already enriching story of the poet. A fantastic effort!!
***Simile:
Now when he wrote poems, he felt as free as the Passaic River as it rushed to the falls.
***Alliteration:
Plums, wheelbarrows, and weeds
***Rhyme
Plums, wheelbarrows, and weeds
fire engines, children, and trees
The archer is awake!
The Swan is flying!
Gold against blue
An Arrow is lying.
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