Kiyoshi’s Walk

By Mark Karlins, Nicole Wong

Where do poems come from? This beautiful picture book about a young aspiring poet and his grandfather shows that the answer lies all around us–if we take the time to look.

Description

After Kiyoshi watches his grandfather, Eto, compose his delicate haiku, he wonders out loud: “Where do poems come from?” His grandfather answers by taking him on a walk through their city, where they see a cat perched on a hill of oranges; hear the fluttering of wings; imagine what’s behind a tall wall; and discuss their walk, with each incident inspiring a wonderful new haiku from Eto. As Kiyoshi discovers that poems come from the way the world outside of us meets the world within each of us, he also finds the courage to write a haiku of his own.

This lovely book will speak to any reader who treasures poetry, city life, grandparents, or the beauty of the everyday.

About the Creators

Mark Karlins

Mark Karlins was the author of six picture books, two books of poetry for adults, and a number of reviews and essays on poetry. He ran poetry workshops for children and teenagers and also taught at a number of colleges, including the MFA Program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. He lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico and passed away in January of 2022.

Nicole Wong

Nicole Wong is a full-time illustrator with a BFA degree from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her twenty-plus books include Three Lost Seeds: Stories of Becoming; No Monkeys, No Chocolate; and illustrations for Andrea Cheng’s Only One Year, published by Lee & Low Books. She lives in Fall River, Massachusetts, with her husband, daughter, two sleepy cats and two hyperactive dogs. Please visit her on the Web at nicole-wong.com.

Awards

  • Delaware Diamonds Awards 2022

    Diamond State Literacy Association

Reviews

  • * "A beautiful book on making art out of observations."

    - School Library Journal
  • * "See, hear, touch, taste, smell...and imagine poetry all around you."

    - Kirkus Reviews
  • "Each poem brings Kiyoshi closer to the insight that poetry combines sensory perception and emotion--and closer to his grandfather, too."

    - Publishers Weekly
  • "By writing to all the senses, Karlins places readers right alongside Kiyoshi on his walk."

    - Booklist
  • "This warm, loving picture book might just inspire a poetry walk."

    - The Horn Book

Hardcover

  • ISBN 9781620149584
  • Publication Date Mar 09, 2021
  • Trim Size 8.5 × 11 in
  • Weight 0.9375 lbs
  • Page Count 32
  • Interests

  • Audience Children
  • BISAC Category 1 JUV / Poetry
  • BISAC Category 2 JUV / Family / Multigenerational
  • BISAC Category 3 JUV / Lifestyles / City & Town Life
  • Themes Asian / Asian American / AAPI, Childhood Experiences and Memories, Environment / Nature, Families, Grandparents, Identity / Self Esteem / Confidence, Nonfiction, Poetry, Realistic Fiction, Social & Emotional Learning
  • Reading Levels

  • Age Range Ages 6 - 8
  • Grade Range Grades 1 - 3
  • Guided Reading O
  • DRA 34
  • Reading Level 3
  • Bebop Reading Fluent
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