Eloise Greenfield (1929–2021)

Thinker: My Puppy Poet and Me by Eloise Greenfield and illustrated by Ehsan Abdollahi is a playful book of poems told through the eyes of both a 7-year-old boy and his puppy, recently named Thinker. The dialogue between boy and his dog unfolds as they take turns alternately telling poems from each perspective. The puppy plays at home with the boy’s little sister and loves to hear her laugh or visits a dog brother across the street. Each poem raps or rhymes, contains humor or wordplay as the book bounces back and forth alternating viewpoints and experiences. Thinker finally gets to visit Jace, the boy, at school and even gets to hear a haiku.
These poems are fun to read aloud each with a cadence and style that uses repetition and humor to make the poems so enjoyable. Early elementary students will love the fun style of poems written by a talking, thinking dog and a boy who loves him. Each poem is beautifully brought to life and complimented by illustrations made using colorful collage with handmade and hand-colored paper. The author’s note tells the reader that she absolutely thinks that rap is poetry and encourages the reader to take the time to write a poem or two of their own.… (lisätietoja)

This book needs to win something at the YMA Awards at ALA Midwinter. Holy cow. I sent it to my midwife friend. It's a beautiful homage to midwifery.

Told in poetry form, it follows African American midwives from slavery to now. It's the author's tribute to the woman who "caught" her.

The illustrations were not my favorite. I think I will need to do a reread so I can capture the story they are trying to tell. However, the words are what I love most. It's raw in its storytelling. It is lovely at the same time.… (lisätietoja)