Bookjoy, Wordjoy

Review
By School Library Journal

Young bibliophiles, logophiles, and poetry lovers will cherish this collected volume of Mora’s verse, beautifully illustrated by Colón. Fourteen poems celebrate reading and writing, underlining the importance of literacy for child and adult readers. Mora’s love for language and wordplay is infectious; rhyme, alliteration, and onomatopoeia all make their way into the poems and will ensure lively group reading. Colón’s artwork, rendered in watercolor and Prismacolor pencils, is rich in dreamy blues and deep earth tones. The illustrations range from everyday scenes of whimsy to stunning views of canyons, imaginary landscapes, and playfully abstract interpretations of the text. Mora reminds readers throughout that writing inspiration is always within them: “Think of the faces, the colors,/the places you’ve been, the pictures/you carry inside.” Librarians and educators could easily use this title in lessons on creative writing, from poetry to memoir. Best of all, after reading, children may share Tomás’s sentiment in “Library Magic”: “¡Vámos! Let’s all go to the library/Join the fun, a treasure house that’s free.” VERDICT Perfectly suited to libraries, a top addition to poetry collections