Out of wonder Poems celebrating poets

Gr 2-8-"Poems come out of wonder, not out of knowing." Kwame Alexander, with Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth, uses Lucille Clifton's quote to kick off this paean to 20 exceptional poets, as African drums and marimba set the scene. Simply animated, the colorful and bold illustrations by Caldecott Honor collage artist Ekua Holmes (Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement) shine with brilliance. Written in homage to poets Nikki Giovanni, Pablo Neruda, Emily Dickinson, and Walter Dean Myers, to name a few, the authors' attempt to familiarize young people with literary giants succeeds. Appropriately, the first poem is Alexander's "How To Write a Poem," in tribute to Naomi Shihab Nye. Organized by theme, the works are narrated by Ron Butler, MacLeod Andrews, and Erin Bennett. Varied musical styles accompany the poems with fitting energy, and short biographies of the poets make them even more accessible to students. VERDICT This effervescent DVD is the perfect vehicle to introduce poetry to young viewers.-Lonna Pierce, formerly at the Binghamton City School District, NY © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.