A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams

Author: Jen Bryant

Illustrator: Melissa Sweet

Peach’s Picks Rating:

Year of publication: 2008

City of publication: Grand Rapids, Michigan

Publisher: Eerdmans books for Young Readers

ISBN: 9780802853028

Author website: http://www.jenbryant.com/

Illustrator website: http://www.melissasweet.net/portfolio.html

Media used for illustrations: Watercolor, collage, and mixed media

Annotation: Biography picturebook of the poet William Carlos Williams, describing his journey from boyhood to adulthood. Williams became a respected doctor who always found time to write. Backmatter and Williams’ poetry are included.

Personal reaction to the book: The book makes Williams’ life and poetry accessible to readers, especially younger children. Using his poems in the illustrations is a clever technique that invites readers (or listeners) into his poems without being forced to read poetry. The poems used in the illustrations effectively match the mood of the text and carry the story forward. On pages 1-2, the reader is introduced to a middle-aged Williams through an excerpt from his poem “Pastoral”. Page 3 begins the story of his life as a 10-year-old playing with friends. We learn that Williams not only enjoys sports and other activities, but he also likes to be alone to observe and contemplate. In high school Williams discovers a love of poetry and begins to write. At first he mimics famous English writers, but soon finds his own voice. The illustrations created using watercolor, collage, and mixed media show Williams as always smiling, portraying him as a pleasant boy who grows to be a pleasant man. The pictures are busy, but not annoyingly so. The book cannot be viewed effectively by a large group because there is too much detail in the pictures. The pictures need time to be examined closely in order to understand the story.  The endpapers are very attractive and contain a selection of Williams’ poems. The author’s notes are essential to the understanding of Williams’ life. The text creates an impression of the man and offers some biographical information, but it seems insufficient. Endnotes from the illustrator are a welcome addition to the book explaining how she created the artwork and how she learned of Williams’ life and work. Further reading is also suggested. Readers may be familiar with Williams’ poem “The Red Wheelbarrow” included in the book Love That Dog by Sharon Creech. This book is best used in the classroom or library where it can be read aloud to a small group and discussed.

General curricular connections:

• Poetry
• National Poetry Month
• William Carlos Williams
• Pair with William Carlos Williams edited by Christopher MacGowan. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 2004 (ISBN 978-1-40270-006-4)

Recommended grade levels:
School Library Journal recommends the book for grades 3-6

Booklist recommends the book for grades 2-5

Peach’s Picks recommends the book for grades 3-6

Awards/Recognitions:
Caldecott Medal/Honor 2009

School Library Journal starred review

Kirkus Review starred review

Christian Science Monitor Best Children’s Books of 2008

Cooperative Children's Book Center Charlotte Zolotow Honor Award 2009

Cybils Award Finalist 2008

Junior Library Guild Selection

NCTE Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts 2009

NCTE Orbis Pictus Award 2009

Notes: This book was selected from "The Top Ten Favorites List / Summer Session 2009", San Jose State University, School of Library and Information Science, LIBR 271A, Genres & Topics in Youth Literature, Professor Partington. This is a work of nonfiction.

Onomatopoeia: Page 6; “Gurgle, gurgle – swish, swish, swoosh! – gurgle, gurgle.” (describing the Passaic River)

Alliteration: Page 6; “Gurgle, gurgle – swish, swish, swoosh! – gurgle, gurgle.”

Alliteration: Page 6; “The water went slipping and sliding over the smooth rocks…”

Alliteration: Page 22; “Like the water that sometimes ran slow, smooth, and steady…”

Simile: Page 8; “The gentle sounds and shifting rhythms of the poems were like the music of the river.”

Simile: Page 13; “…he felt as free as the Passaic River…”

Simile: Page 22; “Like the water that sometimes ran slow…”

Repetition: Phrase used throughout the book after a description of Williams, “And it was true.”

Book cover picture retrieved from: http://www.jenbryant.com/books/inprint/bk_river.html