Walt Whitman loved words. As
young as age twelve he worked as a printer’s apprentice and soon was
typesetting articles of his own. He, with the help of his brother George, wrote
and printed his own newspaper on Long Island. When he wasn’t working he was
exploring the busy streets of Manhattan and the countryside he loved. His
travels soon took him further – up and down the country from New York to New
Orleans – scribbling in his notebooks all the while, recording his thoughts
about the people and the conditions he observed. His heart ached when he saw
people enslaved; he worried about the disparity of wealth he witnessed. He
began to think about how he could help his country, and writing poetry became
his way. “Finally, in 1855, with great care and pride, Walt typeset the pages
of Leaves of Grass – his book for all
Americans.” He wrote with a new style of poetry, robust and free. Walt was
devastated when the country became divided by the Civil War. Though too old to
join Union forces himself, he began to visit wounded and dying soldiers in
hospitals when his brother was injured; he hoped that his poetry and presence
could help. President Abraham Lincoln’s determination to bring the country
together inspired him enormously, as did the courage of the soldiers. As always,
poetry was his mission; he published Drum-Taps,
a book of poetry about the war in which he, once again, captured the voice of
the nation. In Walt Whitman: Words for
America, author Barbara Kerley provides a superb biography of Whitman;
readers get to know him and feel his restless energy through her narrative
and Brian Selznick’s inviting images. Ages 7-10.
E. E. Cummings was a twentieth century American poet as in love with words as Whitman. He said poems aloud even before he could write, and his fascination
with exploring language continued throughout his life. Enormous Smallness: A Story of E. E. Cummings by Matthew Burgess, beautifully textured
with illustrations by Kris Di Giacomo, is all that the publisher describes: a
“sensitive and spirited glimpse into the life of E. E. Cummings [that] will
spark children’s curiosity about poetry.” Ages 5 up.
