Tag: poetry

Nearer My Freedom: An Interview with Co-Author Lesley Younge

Nearer My Freedom: The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano by Himself by Monica Edinger and Lesley Younge has earned recognition with five starred reviews and praise from industry professionals. This new release explores Olaudah Equiano’s life story—his childhood in Africa, enslavement, liberation, and life as a free man—through “found verse,” a creative approach to primary source analysis. The authors selected excerpts from Equiano’s autobiography to create the poetic retelling, adding annotations to deepen understanding.

Today co-author Lesley Younge joins us to discuss the process of co-authoring such a unique nonfiction title and why it is perfect for 6th and 7th grade readers.

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Finding Family: An Interview with Author Laura Purdie Salas and Illustrator Alexandria Neonakis

In May 2019, researchers on a lake in northern Wisconsin made a strange discovery: a pair of loons seemed to be raising a mallard duckling! Normally loons and mallards are rival species, but somehow these three—two childless parents and an orphaned chick—found each other. Finding Family: The Duckling Raised by Loons, by author Laura Purdie Salas and illustrator Alexandria Neonakis, tells the true story of this unlikely family through intriguing verse and striking illustrations. To learn more about how this heartwarming picture book about animal cooperation came together, read on.

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Poetry for the Hearth

By Megan Ciskowski, Associate Publicist

Snow keeps falling here in Minneapolis, and if I had a fireplace, I’d be lounging in front of it. Personally, I think poetry is perfect for days like today. When blizzards swirl the snow into a frenzy, I seek shelter in fuzzy socks and beautiful verse. Poetry occupies the mind and makes the world a playful place. Luckily, Lerner has published an abundance of poetry picture books this fall! Find a new favorite from the list below and read until the temperatures rise above zero again.

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Ice Cycle: An Interview with Author Maria Gianferrari

Pancake ice, floebergs, glaciers, icicles . . . cold temperatures create an astonishing variety of ice forms! Welcome winter with a poetic exploration of ice on land and at sea in Ice Cycle: Poems about the Life of Ice by Maria Gianferrari and Jieting Chen.

Please help us in welcoming author Maria Gianferrari to the Lerner blog to share her adventures and research writing this evocative and atmospheric picture book. Don’t forget to download the free activity guide!

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