Celebrated poet and anthologist Paul B. Janeczko pairs with Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet for a collection of short poems to sample and savor.

It only takes a few words, if they’re the right words, to create a strong image. Whether listened to in the comfort of a cozy lap or read independently, the thirty-six very short poems in this collection remind readers young and old that a few perfect words and pictures can make the world glow. Selected by acclaimed poet Paul B. Janeczko and gorgeously illustrated by Melissa Sweet, Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems invites children to sample poems throughout the four seasons.

Creators

Paul B. Janeczko is the anthologist of almost fifty collections, including the award-winning A Poke in the I, A Kick in the Head, and A Foot in the Mouth, all illustrated by Chris Raschka. He is also the author of Requiem: Poems of the Terezín Ghetto and Worlds Afire, a collection of poems about the 1944 circus fire in Hartford. Paul B. Janeczko lives in Hebron, Maine.

Melissa Sweet has illustrated nearly one hundred books for children, including A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams, a 2009 Caldecott Honor Book. She is also the creator of Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade, a 2012 Robert F. Sibert Medal Winner. Melissa Sweet lives in Rockport, Maine.

Awards

Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book
New England Book Show, Juvenile
Parents’ Choice Award
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