Amazing Places

By Lee Bennett Hopkins, Chris Soentpiet, Christy Hale, Alma Flor Ada, Jaime Adoff, Joseph Bruchac, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Kristine O'Connell George, Joan Bransfield Graham, Nikki Grimes, J. Patrick Lewis, Jane Medina, Linda Sue Park, Prince Redcloud, Charles Waters, Janet Wong
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A collection of original poems that celebrate some of the amazingly diverse places in our nation. Readers of all ages will want to visit each amazing place again and again!

Description

In this collection of original poems, acclaimed anthologist Lee Bennett Hopkins brings together fourteen selections that celebrate through poetic imagery some of the amazingly diverse places in our nation. These include Denali National Park, the Oneida Nation Museum, San Francisco’s Chinatown, the Grand Canyon, the Ringling Circus Museum, Harlem, the Liberty Bell, Fenway Park, and more. The poems as a whole take readers on an exciting multiethnic travelogue around the United States and encourage a positive appreciation of our country’s historical, environmental, and cultural heritage.

The inspiring and insightful poems were created by some of the best-known authors writing for children, including Alma Flor Ada, Jaime Adoff, Joseph Bruchac, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Nikki Grimes, J. Patrick Lewis, Jane Medina, and Linda Sue Park. Captivating illustrations by award-winning illustrators Chris Soentpiet and Christy Hale feature well-researched settings that infuse the poems with vibrant life and atmosphere. Readers of all ages will want to visit each amazing place again and again.

Amazing Faces

An anthology of universal poems focusing on the human experience–emotions, perceptions, and understandings–as expressed by poets of diverse heritage and reflected in illustrations featuring people of all ages and backgrounds.

Amazing Places

A collection of original poems that celebrate some of the amazingly diverse places in our nation. Readers of all ages will want to visit each amazing place again and again!

About the Creators

Lee Bennett Hopkins

Lee Bennett Hopkins, acclaimed poet and writer, created numerous poetry anthologies for young readers. He received the 2009 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, which honors his body of work, and three poetry awards have been established in his name to recognize the best in poetry for children and young adults. Hopkins's books have won many honors, including ALA Notable Children's Books, Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, Children's Choices, American Bookseller Pick of the Lists, Christopher Award, and New York Public Library Best Children's Books. Lee Bennett Hopkins passed away in 2019. His website is maintained in his memory: leebennetthopkins.com.

Chris Soentpiet

Chris Soentpiet is the illustrator of several highly praised picture books. He has won many awards for his work, including the NAACP Image Award, Society of Illustrators Original Art Show Gold Medal, ALA Notable Books, IRA Children’s Book of the Year, Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, Parents’ Choice Award, and Notable Books for a Global Society. Soentpiet has also received a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators, an honor bestowed on an artist by fellow illustrators. He lives in Flushing, New York, with his wife and their children.

Christy Hale

Christy Haleis the author and illustrator of several acclaimed children's books, including four published by Lee & Low, and she has illustrated numerous other award-winning picture books as well. Hale also works in the children's book field as an art director, a designer, and an educator, offering programs at schools, libraries, and museums. She lives with her husband in Palo Alto, California. You can learn more about her at christyhale.com.

Alma Flor Ada

Alma Flor Ada is an award-winning children’s book author, a gifted translator, and one of the leaders in the field of bilingual education in the United States. Born in Cuba, Alma Flor received her PhD at the Pontifical Catholic University of Lima, Perú, did her post-doctoral research at Harvard University as a Fellow of the Radcliffe Institute, and is a Fulbright Research Scholar. A Professor Emerita at the University of San Francisco, Alma Flor currently lives in Northern California’s Marin County.

Jaime Adoff
Jaime Adoff
Joseph Bruchac

Joseph Bruchac, a citizen of the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation, is the author of more than 100 books for children and teens, including multiple picture books published by Lee & Low Books, and the young adult Killer of Enemies trilogy, which received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews. A Rockefeller Fellow and an NEA Poetry Writing Fellow, Bruchac has received numerous recognitions and awards over his long-standing career. In addition to writing, Bruchac is an editor at Greenfield Review Press, a literary publishing house he co-founded with his wife. He lives in Greenfield Center, New York. To find out more about him, visit josephbruchac.com.

Rebecca Kai Dotlich
Rebecca Kai Dotlich
Kristine O’Connell George
Kristine O’Connell George
Joan Bransfield Graham
Joan Bransfield Graham
Nikki Grimes

Nikki Grimes, New York Times bestselling author of more than one hundred books for young people, is well-known for the poetry that appears in both her picture books and novels. Grimes is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Children's Literature Legacy Award, and the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Grimes lives in Corona, California. To learn more, visit nikkigrimes.com.

J. Patrick Lewis
J. Patrick Lewis
Jane Medina
Jane Medina
Linda Sue Park
Linda Sue Park
Prince Redcloud
Prince Redcloud
Charles Waters
Charles Waters
Janet Wong
Janet Wong

Awards

  • Best Children's Books of the Year

    Bank Street College of Education

  • Junior Library Guild Selection

    Junior Library Guild

  • Notable Poetry and Verse Novels

    National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)

  • Best Books

    Kirkus Reviews

Reviews

  • * "Amazing, indeed: American readers will come away both proud of what the country has to offer and eager to visit the sites in person."

    - Kirkus Reviews
  • * "[A] broadly appealing testament to the American landscape and people."

    - Publishers Weekly
  • "An excellent addition for any library in search of anew poetry collection or an entry point into the study of American history or culture."

    - School Library Journal
  • "An impressively diverse, polished, and inspiring collection."

    - The Horn Book

Paperback

  • ISBN 9781620148051
  • Price $12.95
  • Publication Date Apr 03, 2018
  • Trim Size 9.75 × 11 in
  • Weight 0.5 lbs
  • Page Count 40
  • Hardcover

  • ISBN 9781600606533
  • Price $18.95
  • Publication Date Oct 01, 2015
  • Trim Size 9.75 × 11 in
  • Weight 1.0625 lbs
  • Page Count 40
  • Interests

  • Imprint Lee & Low Books
  • Audience Children
  • BISAC Category 1 JNF / Poetry / General
  • BISAC Category 2 JNF / Places / United States
  • BISAC Category 3 JNF / History / Symbols, Monuments, National Parks, etc.
  • Themes African / African American / Black / Afro Caribbean, Asian / South Asian / South East Asian, Plants / Trees, Childhood Experiences / Memories, Early Math Concepts, Environment / Nature / Science, Geography / Maps, Home, Latine / Latino / Hispanic, Poetry / Story in Verse, Similarities and Differences, United States History
  • Languages English
  • Reading Levels

  • Age Range Ages 6 - 18
  • Grade Range Grades 2 - 12
  • Guided Reading S
  • DRA 40
  • Interest Level Grades 1 - 8
  • Lexile Code NP
  • Lexile Measurement NPL
  • Reading Level Grades 4 - 5
  • Bebop Reading Fluent
  • This Book is Included in These Collections: