Perfect Poetry Partnership: Helen Frost and Rick Lieder

Poetry:

Precision in language,

voice,

form,

and purpose.

Photography:

Point-of-vIew,

angle,

insight,

and light

 HELLO, I'M HERE! is the latest release in a masterful photographic picture book/poetry series by Candlewick Press. In each title, one of Helen Frost's breathtakingly lyrical nature poems is paired with Rick Lieder's photographic brilliance to produce a picture book that will be loved by anyone with eyes and ears. 
I wrote about SWEEP UP THE SUN in 2015, here. At that time I might have defied my self-imposed restrictions on NOT naming favorites to claim this as one. As it turns out, this entire series has become a favorite and certainly could be among yours. Other titles in this series (which I hope will continue indefinitely) are WAKE UP!, STEP GENTLY OUT,  and AMONG A THOUSAND FIREFLIES. Each is a celebration of new life, of lyrical language, and of the magnificence of the natural world. 

While you're checking out these titles, be sure to ask for THE UNDEFEATED, another prefect pairing of talents. Kwame Alexander has written an extended metaphorical poem about the survival and triumph of African Americans throughout their long history on this continent. Alexander's powerful words are illuminated by the remarkable art of Kadir Nelson. 

The theme of sports competition is a scaffold on which centuries of history of Blacks in America are called forth in the earliest pages, contrasting a formal family's portrait as survival by any means with the blank page representing those who did NOT survive, yet merit celebration within these pages. Many names and images are familiar, some are recast in new light, and others are rarely acknowledged. The poem and portraits celebrate undefeated icons spanning sports, music, art, politics, everyday life, and more.  Don't miss this one. 

When the 2019 award season rolls around, you can expect to find these titles in the running on many counts.