M5: Hopkins Award Poetry

M5: Hopkins Award Poetry

How to Read a Book


Ivana Marmolejo


Bibliography

Alexander, Kwame, and Melissa Sweet. How to Read a Book. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 2019. 

Summary

How to Read a Book is a book of poetry by Kwame Alexander and exceptionally illustrated by Melissa Sweet. This magical poem spreads across twenty-six pages of colorful delight. 

Alexander tells the reader how to read a book and how to get lost in the wonder of it. The imagery of the words coupled with the vivid illustrations makes for an unforgettable reading experience. Together, Alexander and Sweet combine words and imagery to make the reader truly understand what it feels like to be immersed in the joy of reading. 

The back of the book features notes from both Kwame Alexander and Melissa Sweet. Readers will appreciate learning about how Alexander came to write this book and its connection to personal experiences with his family and daughter. Sweet’s note will tell the reader the fascinating inspiration behind her distinguished artwork. 

Analysis

There is not a single person who will not love this book. Children will especially love the different features of the book. The artwork is bright, jumps off the page, and features pages that fold out, pages that pop out, and pages that give off 3D effects. Melissa Sweet uses snippets from a book, Bambi, with the above-mentioned techniques to create a one-of-a-kind reading experience.

Alexander begins his poem by suggesting that the reader finds a good place to read, whether it be a tree or a stoop, and he cleverly references Langston Hughes’ famous photo on a stoop. 

He uses metaphors to describe how to read a book. Alexander says to begin by peeling the book’s gentle skin like a clementine and smelling the scent of the morning air. He compares reading to sweet butterfly kisses. He encourages the reader to absorb the words by popping the words out of the book. Simultaneously, we see the illustrated character engaging in different activities such as walking, hanging upside down from a tree, climbing up the stairs, and lying in the park, all while reading. The character is completely engrossed in the book. 

A favorite metaphor that readers will surely enjoy is, “Squeeze/ every morsel/ of each plump line/ until the last/ drop of/ magic/ drips/ from the/ infinite/ sky.” 

This book truly does feel magical and even inspires readers to pick up a book and feel the joy of getting lost in it. 

Excerpt and Use

Our activity will focus on a discussion. Students will analyze the illustration and the figurative language presented in the stanza below. They will discuss the questions:

  1. What would’ve been the “boring” or “dull” way for the author to tell the reader how to read a book for this stanza?

  2. How do the personification and metaphor below add meaning to the poem?

  3. What do you think it means that your eyes need time to taste?

  4. What do you think it means that your soul needs room to bloom?

  5. How does the illustration enhance the stanza?

  6. What is the significance of a ladder with a child reading on the moon in relation to the words in the stanza?

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