With My Hands: Poems About Making Things

For those who know about children’s poetry, a new book from Amy Ludwig VanDerwater is a reason to celebrate. Her poetry shows how perfectly she stays in touch with her inner child, understanding how kids think, what delights them, what inspires them. Her ease with language is astounding, and she uses every poetic trick in the book — internal rhyme, alliteration, free verse, consonance, assonance, imagery, and more. The poems will engender all kinds of creativity in the children lucky enough to read this book. She covers everything from working with clay to soap carving, from drawing and painting to building rockets, from making leaf pictures to building a piñata and so much more. But, of course, it wouldn’t be a picture book without pictures. The illustration team of Lou Fancher and Steve Johnson has translated the playfulness and whimsy of VanDerwater’s poetry into lovely illustrations filled with charming details that complete the poetry perfectly. This book is an absolute delight for the ears and the eyes. This will become a classic in children’s poetry and belongs in every library of children’s books in schools and homes. Do not miss this one.