How to Write a Poem
About this ebook
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.
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About the author
Kwame Alexander is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of forty-seven books, including Booked; The Brainstormerz; The Mighty Macy; Black Star, a Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book; J vs. K, an illustrated novel he penned with Jerry Craft; and The Crossover, his Newbery Medal-winning novel turned Emmy® Award-winning Disney+ TV series. He regularly shares his passion for literacy, books and the craft of writing around the world, including Ghana, West Africa, where he opened the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic. A recipient of the 2025 NAACP Image Award, Kwame is the founder of the literacy non-profit One Word at a Time. You can visit him at KwameAlexander.com
Melissa Sweet has illustrated more than one hundred books, including Kwame Alexander’s How to Read a Book and How to Write a Poem, and has written and illustrated her own work. Her work has been featured in magazines, on greeting cards, and on living room walls. Melissa has received the Caldecott Honor Medal twice, among many other awards, including the Sibert Award, and is a New York Times bestselling author and artist. Melissa lives in Maine. You can visit her at melissasweet.net.
