A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams

A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams

Author: Jen Bryant

Illustrator: Melissa Sweet

Ages: 4-5

Rating: 4 Stars

Summary: William Carlos Williams was unlike any other boy growing up. He loved to write poetry, and lots of it! He liked writing poetry about ordinary things, but when he became an adult and a doctor, he was unsure if he would still have time to write. Because he loved writing poetry so much, he would use any break and piece of paper he had to jot down his ideas.

I remember reading biographies in elementary school, and none of them were as exciting as this picture book/biography of William Carlos Williams. The pages in the book are so awesome! I spent more time looking at them than actually reading the text on the pages. Each new page is a collage of information including poetry, pictures, drawings, and artifacts. Many of the pages, including the inside covers of the book have Williams’ poetry on them. Not only could I enjoy reading his biography and looking at the pages, but I was introduced to several of his poems. Reading this book was exciting and fun. I loved the creativity that the author and illustrator put into this biography.

There are many connections to be made with this book. Biographies, poems, and collages are prime examples of how a book like this could be used within the curriculum. Used with several other biographies, William Carlos Williams’ story could turn into an author study within the classroom. It could even encourage children to write poetry about exciting things that they see from day to day.