BOOKSPEAK! POEMS ABOUT BOOKS by Laura Purdie Salas

1. Bibliography

Salas, Laura Purdie. 2011. Bookspeak! Poems about Books. Ill by Josee Bisaillon. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 9780547223001

2. Plot Summary

Salas presents readers with a whimsical and creative collection of poems relating to all things about books. Readers will be delighted to explore the many facets that create some of our best beloved friends, books, in poetic form.

3. Critical Analysis

Using unusual imagery and a continually changing form for each poem, readers won't get board as they turn through the beautifully illustrated pages of Bookspeak!. Salas uses creative forms to add meaning to her poems and surprising images that capture the imagination. One example of her captivating imagery is found in “Skywriting.” In this poem she calls up a flock of "inky black birds” to represent words on the page.  She relates the fantastic experience of being swept away in a good book as the same as listening to those black birds “singing a story against a / white sky.” The forms are simple and the language is succinct, but she manages to capture the expansive wonderful feeling that comes when reading a good book. Salas provides readers with a book of poems they can relate to, play with, and take into their hearts as they celebrate with her the joy of literature.

Josee Bisaillon contributes fantastical images to this collection of poems. With butterflies exploding from unlocked diaries and surfers composed from text, she adds to the celebration of all things literary.  Her vibrant colors and detailed illustrations add charm and magic to Salas' collection.

4. Awards Won and Review Excerpt(s)

Minnesota Book Award

NCTE Notables

Bank Street Best Books

Librarians' Choice

Honor Book for Gelett Burgess Center for Creative Expression

Nerdy Book Award

*School Library Journal: "Well crafted and clever, covering a variety of aspects of books and reading.”

*Bulletin: "There's definite read aloud and performance potential here."

5. Connections

*“This is the Book” is a perfect poem for a group recitation. Have each reader take a stanza. Then read the poem together, each reading in his or her turn. You can even use simple props to represent each person involved in the writing and publishing process. For example, the writer could have a typewriter, the illustrator could have some art supplies, and the reader could have a finished book.

*Silas writes her poems from the different perspectives of books. For example, “The Sky is Falling” is a funny poem from the book's perspective of the reader falling asleep on it.  Try thinking of something you often do with a book or that you enjoy about books and reading and write your own creative poem.

*Other books by Laura Purdie Salas:

A Leaf Can Be... . 2012. ISBN 978-0761362036

Are You Living?: A Song about Living and Nonliving Things (Science Songs). 2009. ISBN 978-1404853027

Whose Shoes Are These?: A Look at Workers' Footwear. 2006. ISBN 978-1404819771