Bob Raczka

Robert Raczka

Niko loves to draw his world, but no one understands his abstract drawings until he meets Iris.

Niko Draws a Feeling

Who says words need to be concrete? This collection shapes poems in surprising and delightful ways. Concrete poetry is a perennially popular poetic form because they are fun to look at. But by using the arrangement of the words on the page to convey the meaning of the poem, concrete or shape poems are also easy to write! From the author of the incredibly inventive Lemonade: And Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word comes another clever collection that shows kids how to look at words and poetry in a whole new way.

A Mix of Concrete Poems

Wet Cement

Kristen Howdeshell

Kevin Howdeshell

You Are a Story

An empowering reflection on the many things we are and the ways we relate to the world. You are a living thing. You breathe. You eat. You Sleep. You work and play. You have dreams and fears. You have thoughts and memories. You are. What makes you you? So much goes into who you are, and you are so many different things: A child, an animal, a body of water, a friend, a mystery, one-of-a-kind, a miracle. You are and could be so many things, but whatever you choose to do, it’s your life to write, you are a story. Poet Bob Raczka’s You are a Story highlights all of the nuance and potential of a growing person’s identity, delighting in the things that make us special and connect us to others. Text and illustrations replete with inventive imagery and appealing metaphors show how we all live as individuals and citizens of the world.

a year of haiku for boys

Guyku

Lemonade, and other poems squeezed from a single word

Jane Goodrich

Storyteller and street photographer Jane Goodrich creates an exciting, kid-centric portraits. The end result is a fresh, moving homage to all who use New York City as their playground * Shows children how the city's streets, structures, and landmarks can provide a unique playspace * Includes text from veteran children's author Bob Raczka * Playful urban romp that shows the pleasures of city living are not just for grown-ups

New York Is My Playground

For use in schools and libraries only. Provides images of paintings and new, sensory ways to experience them, such as tasting the milk in Vermeer's "The Milkmaid," hearing the music in Tanner's "The Banjo Lesson," or feeling the fur in da Vinci's "Lady With An Ermine.

Seeing Art with All Five Senses

More Than Meets the Eye

Rhyming text and photographs show that art is much more than just what can be hung on a wall or set on a pedestal. By the author of No One Saw. Simultaneous.

Art Is-

No matter how you feel about winter, you are sure to enjoy Bob Raczka's tribute to the season's activities, tastes, and sounds. The simple rhymes using "y" words will encourage children to come up with their own words to describe the season.

Snowy, Blowy Winter

A spoonful of poetry helps the mockery go down! This collection of presidential poems is historical and hysterical. The clerihew is a simple poetic form specifically invented to make fun of famous people—and who is more famous than the misbehaving presidents of the United States? Here are forty-three poems teasing the commander-in-chief that are fun to read aloud and even more fun to write yourself. From the author of the incredibly inventive Lemonade: And Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word comes a new collection filled with zingers, humdingers, and Presidential Misadventures.

Poems That Poke Fun at the Man in Charge

Presidential Misadventures

Nature is busy budding and flowering; baby animals are being born; gardeners are planting; and everywhere children are running and playing. In rhyming text, the author celebrates Spring.

Spring Things

In this innovative look at seven paintings by Jan Vermeer, author Bob Raczka takes on the role of interviewer and the people in the paintings become his willing subjects. From The Milkmaid to The Geographer, Raczka teases out fascinating details about these gorgeous works of art and their mysterious creator. As you might imagine, after more than three hundred years of silence, the characters inside these paintings have much to share.

Conversations with Seven Works of Art

The Vermeer Interviews

A misunderstood wolf writes poems about his forest home and friends in this breathtaking picture book Black Bear-ies Cute black fruit snack. Tiny. Shiny. Pick some, lick thumbs. Cub grub. The Poet Wolf loves to write pithy verse in the pine forest, but his forest friends see not a poet, but a hungry wolf. That is, until they listen to his lovely poems about life in the woods and discover that behind this apex predator is a sensitive soul who prefers to eat not his furry fellow creatures, but crisp pears.

The Poet of Piney Woods

The wind and I play tug-of-war with my new kite. The wind is winning. When you’re a guy, nature is one big playground—no matter what the season. There are puddles to splash in the spring, pine trees to climb in the summer, maple seeds to catch in the fall, and icicles to swordfight with in the winter. Nature also has a way of making a guy appreciate important stuff—like how many rocks it takes to dam up a stream, or how much snow equals a day off from school. So what kind of poetry best captures these special moments, at a length that lets guys get right back to tree-climbing and kite-flying? Why, guyku, of course!

A Year of Haiku for Boys

Presents a collection of artwork by various artists showing people reading.

Artful Reading

Invites the reader to look at twenty-six paintings from different eras and styles presented in pairs. Each pair lends itself to a story the reader can discover by looking at the paintings in a new way.

Fun with Famous Works of Art

Unlikely Pairs

"December 1: White envelopes float / from my overfilled mailbox— / December's first storm." You know that Santa can fly a sleigh, squeeze down chimneys, and circle the globe in a night. But did you know that another of his talents is writing haiku? These twenty-five short poems—composed by Santa himself—give you a peek into life at the North Pole as the December days tick down to Christmas. See the hustle and bustle of the elves' workshop, feel the serenity of moonlight on fresh snow, and find out how Santa and Mrs. Claus keep busy as Santa's big night draws near.

Short Poems from the North Pole

Santa Clauses

A cautionary tale using words made up of only the five letters in the title (B, E, W, A, and R). Can a bear and a bee become friends? Abe and Bree aren't supposed to get along. When they meet, they panic. Abe swats! Bree stings! Now they're both hurt. Together they figure out how to find friendship despite differences and preconceived notions. This rare-bear, wee-bee tale helps to create a web of understanding with unique language and a clever structure.

Beware!

Niko loves to draw his world: the ring-a-ling of the ice cream truck, the warmth of sun on his face. But no one appreciates his art. Until one day, Niko meets Iris . . . This imaginative and tender story explores the creative process, abstract art, friendship, and the universal desire to feel understood.

Bob Raczka

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