How to Read a Book

How to Read a Book

by Kwame Alexander

Narrated by Kwame Alexander

Unabridged — 5 minutes

How to Read a Book

How to Read a Book

by Kwame Alexander

Narrated by Kwame Alexander

Unabridged — 5 minutes

Audiobook (Digital)

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Overview

2020 Audie Awards® Finalist - Young Reader 

Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander narrates the audiobook version of his How to Read a Book, a poetic journey about the experience of reading.

Find a tree-a

black tupelo or

dawn redwood will do-and

plant yourself.

(It's okay if you prefer a stoop, like Langston Hughes.)

With these words, an adventure begins. Kwame Alexander's evocative poetry takes listeners on a sensory journey between the pages of a book.


Editorial Reviews

JUNE 2019 - AudioFile

Spritely music introduces poet Kwame Alexander’s ode to the joys of reading for the youngest listeners. In a friendly and enthusiastic voice, Alexander compares opening a book to peeling a clementine: “Next, dig your thumb at the bottom of each juicy section and pop the words out.” The short poem rewards repeat listening to tease out all of the meaning and imagery, and bibliophile adults will appreciate it as much as their children do. Alexander also reads his author’s note at the end, explaining the origins of his poem. Be sure to seek out the picture book as well—artist Melissa Sweet’s fantastic neon collage illustrations burst off the page and are the perfect accompaniment to Alexander’s warm words and narration. J.M.D. 2020 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

Alexander's lush poem captures and pays tribute to the sensual pleasures of reading…Sweet's colorful multilayered collages and artful lettering do justice to the message, inviting readers of all ages to linger in these lovely pages.

Publishers Weekly

03/11/2019

Newbery Medalist Alexander’s love poem to literacy conjures up startling, luscious images: to begin reading a book, he tells readers, “peel its gentle skin,/ like you would/ a clementine..../ Dig your thumb/ at the bottom/ of each juicy section.” Caldecott Honor artist Sweet (Some Writer!) riffs on his verse, line by line, imbuing spreads with the feel of a continually evolving, handmade Valentine (as the copyright page pointedly notes, “no computer was used in making this art”). By turns dreamy and ecstatic, the images include portraits of blissed-out readers in a variety of settings, all constructed from swaths of saturated neon color and literary-themed ephemera (pages from Bambi are used throughout). One gatefold transforms a book into an electric orange triple-decker party bus,with 18 windows revealing allusive scenes made fromcut paper and collage. The text, set in hand-lettered capitals, sprawls and stacks energetically as it proclaims its bibliophilia—sometimes whispering and cooing, sometimes shouting from the rooftops that it’s got it bad for books. And why not? As Alexander writes, “Now, sleep./ dream./ hope./ (you never reach)/ the end.” Ages 4–8. (June)

From the Publisher

★ “[An] engaging and mesmerizing ode to reading…delightful and appealing.” — ALA Booklist (starred review)

★ “A linguistic and visual feast.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

★ “A beautiful book not to be rushed through, but to be enjoyed morsel by tasty morsel.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“[This] love poem to literacy conjures up startling, luscious images...By turns dreamy and ecstatic.” — Publishers Weekly

“This is a party for a select (but hopefully large) list of like-minded young literati, who know how to ‘squeeze every morsel of each plump line until the last drop of magic drips from the infinite sky’ and revel in their fandom.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

★ “Readers who will want to head right back to the beginning and soak in this lovingly rendered testimonial more than once…Sweet’s distinctive hand-lettered text, which itself becomes another part of the artwork, is a perfect complement to Alexander’s prose.” — BookPage (starred review)

ALA Booklist (starred review)

★ “[An] engaging and mesmerizing ode to reading…delightful and appealing.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

This is a party for a select (but hopefully large) list of like-minded young literati, who know how to ‘squeeze every morsel of each plump line until the last drop of magic drips from the infinite sky’ and revel in their fandom.

BookPage (starred review)

★ “Readers who will want to head right back to the beginning and soak in this lovingly rendered testimonial more than once…Sweet’s distinctive hand-lettered text, which itself becomes another part of the artwork, is a perfect complement to Alexander’s prose.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

This is a party for a select (but hopefully large) list of like-minded young literati, who know how to ‘squeeze every morsel of each plump line until the last drop of magic drips from the infinite sky’ and revel in their fandom.

School Library Journal

★ 06/01/2019

PreS-Gr 2—Award-winning poet Alexander compares reading a book to peeling the gentle skin of a clementine, digging in to its juiciness, enjoying it "piece by piece, part by part," until you can "watch a novel world unfurl right before your eyes." And who better to illustrate this delicious poem than Caldecott Honoree Sweet. The artwork is done in watercolor, gouache, mixed media, handmade and vintage papers, found objects including old book covers, and a paint can lid. Not a splash of color, a piece of paper, or a line is out of place. Starting with the initial collage that incorporates the building blocks of reading (the letters A to Z) and the lines from a poem by Nikki Giovanni that careful readers will have to pay attention to see, the tone is set. "So get/real cozy/between/the covers/And let your/fingers wonder/as they wander…" for there is much to relish in this poem and its exuberant images. "Squeeze/every morsel/of each plump line/until the last/drop of magic/drips from the infinite sky." The book includes a note from both the poet and the artist. VERDICT A beautiful book not to be rushed through, but to be enjoyed morsel by tasty morsel.—Lucia Acosta, Children's Literature Specialist, Princeton, NJ

JUNE 2019 - AudioFile

Spritely music introduces poet Kwame Alexander’s ode to the joys of reading for the youngest listeners. In a friendly and enthusiastic voice, Alexander compares opening a book to peeling a clementine: “Next, dig your thumb at the bottom of each juicy section and pop the words out.” The short poem rewards repeat listening to tease out all of the meaning and imagery, and bibliophile adults will appreciate it as much as their children do. Alexander also reads his author’s note at the end, explaining the origins of his poem. Be sure to seek out the picture book as well—artist Melissa Sweet’s fantastic neon collage illustrations burst off the page and are the perfect accompaniment to Alexander’s warm words and narration. J.M.D. 2020 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID: 2940170297177
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date: 06/18/2019
Edition description: Unabridged
Age Range: 5 - 8 Years
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