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Welcome to the Wonder House

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
This collection of poems, creatively presented in the format of an allegorical house, will engage anyone who has ever wondered “why?” as it shows young readers that wonder is everywhere—in yourself and in the world around you.
Welcome to the Wonder House, a place to explore the cornerstone of every great thinker—a sense of wonder. This Wonder House has many rooms—one for nature, one for quiet, and one for mystery, among others. Each room is filled with poems and objects covering a wide variety of STEAM topics, including geology, paleontology, physics, astronomy, creative writing, and drawing, that will inspire curiosity in young readers.
This enchanting book written by award-winning poets Rebecca Kai Dotlich and Georgia Heard both sparks wonder and shows readers how to kindle it in themselves.
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    • School Library Journal

      Starred review from July 1, 2023

      Gr 4-6-A stellar collection of 29 brief poems and numerous mixed-media illustrations. Arranged into 12 "rooms," topics range from curiosity and wishes to science, nature, and ordinary things. Lyrical free verse captivates with rich imagery and language. In "Room of Praise," poems limn the qualities of rain, paper, and web-spinning spiders, described as "quiet as air, patient as monks." Crisp and concise, with internal rhymes and alliteration, these poems beg to be shared and read aloud. Freedman's illustrations complement and add whimsical details, including a stargazing penguin and a scaly, red dragon glimpsed amidst a jumble of blocks. In "Room of Creatures," a murky underwater scene features a sleepy dolphin and the tentacles of an otherwise unseen octopus. A concluding note suggests that readers "look and listen to the ordinary and extraordinary all around you. You'll find wonder everywhere." VERDICT Thoughtful readers will relish the figurative language and imagery, and pore over the well-crafted illustrations. An excellent resource for teachers looking to inspire students in an array of topics, from science and nature studies to creative writing.-Marilyn Taniguchi

      Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • The Horn Book

      July 1, 2023
      Twenty-nine poems in a lovely mix of forms and styles populate this book, presented as a "house" with twelve double-page-spread "rooms." Each room has a slightly different focus on the function of wonder in exploring the natural world. In "Room of Curiosity," two poems invite readers to question, think, and imagine as they observe their surroundings and investigate the world around them. "Room of Science" considers the work of different disciplines: e.g., "In a lab, a physicist creates soap bubbles, / wobbling gifts of air wrapped in slippery skin / that POP in an instant." The topics are abstract (time, imagination, quiet), but the poems guide readers through specific moments and questions, including wondering about a pebble's history and speculating about dinosaurs' last day on Earth. Freedman's intriguing mixed-media illustrations use wide washes of color in shades of blue, green, gold, or purple with subtle hints to the objects referenced in the poems. In the final "Note About Wonder," the poets encourage questioning and creativity and challenge young readers to express themselves through writing, painting, building, and more. Sylvia Vardell

      (Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

    • Kirkus

      Starred review from June 1, 2023
      Set within 12 ethereal "rooms," 29 poems contemplate the wonders of Earth, sea, sky, and beyond. Co-authors Dotlich and Heard each offer one or more poems on each double-page spread. For "Room of Curiosity," Dotlich lists 10 questions about Earth (as well as Saturn and meteorites), while Heard presents a two-line, koanlike verse: "Keep an open heart, / that's where curiosity likes to start." In "Room of Praise," poems celebrate raindrops, house spiders, and paper: "the way it is so papery / as it waits for me / to trace my hand / or spill my heart." The poets infuse their verse with vibrant, child-accessible imagery. A pond's whirligig beetles twirl "like tiny bumper cars that never touch." "Thunder drums the skin of sky, / striking / an / electric / scar / from cloud to cloud." Freedman's depictions of vaporous clouds and starry skies have a watercolorlike look. Against these miasmas, she places images of tools and utensils (a pencil appears repeatedly), windows, fire escape ladders, visual jokes, and more, in a palette contrasting warm earth tones with blue-grays that evoke water and sky; several pages are reminiscent of vintage scientific illustration. This slim volume teems with STEAM extensions, from exploring poetic forms and devices to investigating scientific facts and hypotheses. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A beautifully conceived invitation: to look, see, wonder. (Picture book/poetry. 6-10)

      COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • The Horn Book

      July 1, 2023
      Twenty-nine poems in a lovely mix of forms and styles populate this book, presented as a "house" with twelve double-page-spread "rooms." Each room has a slightly different focus on the function of wonder in exploring the natural world. In "Room of Curiosity," two poems invite readers to question, think, and imagine as they observe their surroundings and investigate the world around them. "Room of Science" considers the work of different disciplines: e.g., "In a lab, a physicist creates soap bubbles, / wobbling gifts of air wrapped in slippery skin / that POP in an instant." The topics are abstract (time, imagination, quiet), but the poems guide readers through specific moments and questions, including wondering about a pebble's history and speculating about dinosaurs' last day on Earth. Freedman's intriguing mixed-media illustrations use wide washes of color in shades of blue, green, gold, or purple with subtle hints to the objects referenced in the poems. In the final "Note About Wonder," the poets encourage questioning and creativity and challenge young readers to express themselves through writing, painting, building, and more.

      (Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

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