A River of Words

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

Annotation:  This picture book biography of Wiliam Carlos Williams traces childhood events that lead him to become a doctor and a poet. 

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 20^th 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.

Bad News for Outlaws

• Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal 
• author: Vaunda Micheaux Nelson  "no author website"
• illustrator:  R. Gregory Christie  http://www.gas-art.com/
• medium:  Acrylic
• year of publication:  2009
• publisher city:  Minneapolis, MN & New York, NY
• publisher:  Carolrhoda Books
• ISBN: 978-0-8225-6764-6
• Coretta Scott King Author Award recipient, 2010

Annotation:  Bass Reeves was an African American Deputy US Marshall in Indian Territory, 1880s.  The only thing bigger than his size and strength at catching outlaws was his outstanding character. Find out how a runaway slave became a great lawman. 

Personal Thoughts:  This book has fantastic action and great story of lawmen vs. outlaws.  The story begins with Bass Reeves hunting down the fugitive Jim Webb.  Webb takes four shots at Reeves, tearing the lawman’s jacket and putting a hole in his hat.  But Reeves is packing a Winchester Rifle and puts two rounds into Webb.  Just before Webb dies, he tells Reeves how much he respects him.  

 

This action packed introduction sets a pace that remains constant in this true biography of a runaway slave who made a living catching criminals in Indian Territory.  Reeves’ character is described as upstanding and the marshal could not be bribed and only shot his pistol as a last resort.  He comes up with clever ways to trap and ensnare wily desperados, like dressing up like a vagabond and knocking on the front door of some outlaws.  When they let him in for some “vittles” and a night’s rest, he has the upper hand and arrests the two outlaws in the morn.  

The text is filled with action and colloquialisms that come across as interesting and amusing to modern ears. "They were dumbstruck, but their ma was fit to be tied."  The rugged art with the broad brush strokes look like paintings of antiquity and you get a feeling that you are seeing into the past. 

The story is so macho.  It's full of chases, shootouts, criminal-catching and good deeds.  Bass Reeves seems larger than life.  He was such a good lawman, he turned in his own son wanted for murder.  Some of the stories that tote Reeve's virtue seem too good to be true.  But the story was good to hear.  The book makes a valuable history lesson of the frontier and Indian Territory when the U.S. had a “Wild West”.  

***Simile: 
He had a dedication to duty few men could match.  He didn't have a speck of fear in him.  And he was as honest as the day was long.