Read! Read! Read! Poems by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater and illustrations by Ryan O'Rourke. Wordsong, Highlights. 2017. $23.50 ages 5 and up

"The alphabet
surrounded me
marching in a line
like a secret code
for grown-ups
splashed
on every sign.
I still stare
out my window
when we're driving
down the street ... "

For those who read, there are words everywhere! It might be a road sign, a McDonald's arch, a grocery or errand list, the words on a cereal box at the breakfast table. Children and adults who are programmed for reading will find something at every turn. Think of your day, when and what you read as you went about it. It might surprise you to see how much time you spent reading.

While reading plays a role in our days, how often do we choose a book to read? That is absolutely the best place to find what is truly worthy of capturing attention and providing a very special experience. In her new book of poetry, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater extols the pleasures of reading wherever you find words, and the places that reading will take yo.

"Sports Page

Scanning scores
studying stats
I'm checking on my team.

When they lose
I sigh.
When they win
I scream.

Who made the playoffs?
I've got to know.
Which players will stay?
Who has to go?

No need to wonder
if I'm a true fan.
I wake up and read.
That's my game plan."

A celebration of the variety found in the things we read, children will find poems here that speak to them, that can be read together or alone, and that celebrate the joy to be found between the pages of a book. Kids who read and share these poems will know the magic of finding what to read at just the right time. They might even find themselves within the book's pages.

"I Explore

I have lived in twenty countries.
I have walked in King Tut's tomb.
I have scuba dived through shipwrecks
as I sat here in this room.

I have stood upon a moonscape.
I have witnessed peace and war.
I have ridden a wild horse.
I'm a reader.
I explore."

If you want to  know more about poetry and writing, go here:
https://www.amyludwigvanderwater.com/