How to Write a Poem

In this evocative and playful companion to their New York Times bestselling picture book How to Read a Book, Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander teams up with poet Deanna Nikaido and Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet to celebrate the magic of discovering your very own poetry in the world around you.

Begin

with a question

like an acorn

waiting for spring.

From this first stanza, readers are invited to pay attention—and to see that paying attention itself is poetry. Kwame Alexander and Deanna Nikaido’s playful text and Melissa Sweet’s dynamic, inventive artwork are paired together to encourage readers to listen, feel, and discover the words that dance in the world around them—poems just waiting to be written down.

What happens when you start with a single question?
Poetry for Kids: A gentle, playful introduction that shows how simply paying attention can become a beautiful poem.Building Confidence: From Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander and Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet, a book that encourages children to find and share their unique voice.Inspirational Book for Kids: Perfect for sparking creativity, this story starts like an acorn with a single question and blossoms into a world of wonder.Books About Creativity: Helps young readers and writers listen, feel, and discover the words that dance in the world all around them.