Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena will host an event featuring three acclaimed children’s literature creators presenting their latest poetry collections this Saturday, March 22.
The event, from 11 a.m. to noon, will showcase Matthew Burgess and Caldecott Medalist Doug Salati with their book “Words with Wings and Magic Things,” alongside Caldecott Honoree Marla Frazee presenting illustrations for “How Elegant the Elephant: Poems about Animals and Insects.”
“Words with Wings and Magic Things,” a collaboration between Burgess and Salati, is described as a spellbinding collection of poems for young readers that celebrates the power of words to awaken the imagination and alchemize the everyday, and “a gorgeous gift book for fans of Shel Silverstein.”
The collection features seven die-cut spreads throughout its pages, creating “portals” into realms with themes like Welcome, Wonder, Wild, and Whispers & Well Wishes.
Beyond the first page awaits “a dragon piñata, an alligator on the A train, a hungry yeti, an ice cream dream, jetpack sneakers, midnight firelight,” and more, according to the book description.
Burgess, who serves as an Associate Professor at Brooklyn College, has worked extensively as a poet-in-residence in New York City public schools and is a senior editor of Teachers & Writers Magazine.
Frazee’s presentation will feature “How Elegant the Elephant,” a collection of poems by former children’s poet laureate and New York Times bestselling author Mary Ann Hoberman about animals and insects, which Frazee has illustrated.
Hoberman’s work includes verses such as: “So many kinds of animals / So many shapes and sizes / So many funny spots and dots / So many strange disguises.”
The book contains 60 poems selected from Hoberman’s 65-year body of work, plus eight new poems, all brought to life through Frazee’s illustrations in “an imaginary world where the characters meet.”
Described as “a tour de force collection of poems and pictures by two legendary talents,” the book “creates a world that readers will never want to leave.”
Frazee has received three Caldecott Honors for her illustration work in children’s literature, while her co-presenter Salati received the 2023 Randolph Caldecott Medal for his picture book “Hot Dog,” which was also a New York Times bestseller and recipient of the Ezra Jack Keats Award.
Vroman’s Bookstore notes that the Saturday morning event is ideal for children and encourages attendees to purchase books from the store, saying such purchases “make events like this possible.”
The bookstore is located at 695 E. Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena.
For more information, visit https://vromansbookstore.com/.
