Walt Whitman: Words for America (New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books (Awards))

Making Walt Whitman's involvement in and reactions to the American Civil War their focus, Barbara Kerley and Brian Selznick - the same author/illustrator team behind the fabulous The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins: An Illuminating History of Mr. Waterhouse Hawkins, Artist and Lecturer - have

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produced an emotionally involving, and artistically satisfying picture-book about this great American poet. Making judicious use of Whitman's own words, Kerley begins (appropriately enough) with Whitman's youth, and his time as a printer's apprentice, but quickly moves on to his adulthood, the development of his free-wheeling poetic style - so out of step with the literary establishment of the day - and his work as a sort of de facto, unofficial nurse in Washington, D.C., during the dark days of the Civil War. The tragic aftermath of the war, and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln - for whom Whitman felt a deep admiration and love - is also covered, with a brief summary of the poet's alter years.

All things considered, I don't know that Walt Whitman: Words for America is really the best biography of this poet for young people, as it has such a specific focus, but as an exploration of Whitman's involvement in the life of the nation - his sense of himself as a sort of everyman, his desire to speak for and to the common man, his love for people of all kinds, and of all regions - it succeeds. The artwork is simply beautiful, and it struck me, as I was looking at it, they'd I'd only really seen Selznick's black-and-white pencil drawings, in works like The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck, so it was good to finally experience his full-color paintings. The two-page on which two Whitmans are facing away from one another - one rushing along a crowded city street, the other running naked along a deserted beach - was particularly appealing, although I really appreciated them all.

In short: this is a wonderful book, very informative and thought-provoking, that will introduce young readers to Whitman and his poetry (I found, after reading it, that I wanted to pick up my Whitman, realizing that it really had been some time), while also treating them to some beautiful illustrations!

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I liked Walt Whitman's poetry until I read this book.

I loved this book because for one it was full of poetry (and I did not realize that Whitman wrote 'O Captain! My Captain!' as an ode to Lincoln) and history on one of my favorite authors. 'The notebooks were fertile ground for the seeds of his poems.' Gorgeous sentiment for a man who gave us poems

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that we can relate to and live life for. This books provided us with history of Whitman, the Civil War, Abe Lincoln and his poetry. Also there were bits and pieces of different poems scattered throughout the book. In the back of the book there was more historical information with a timeline and his completed poems which were included in the book. This book was so powerful, beautiful and moving!

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An inspiring work that encourages young readers. Highly recommended for readers of Whitman.

This is a beautifully written story about life of the great writer Walt Whitman. It not only is about his life and how he become a writer but it also discusses his involvement in politics and the Civil War. A lovely book to use in any classroom when discusing great Americans.

"In these ordinary Americans he saw the true spirit of the nation" (5)

Walt Whitman: Words For America is a Sibert Honor Book that chronicles the poet's life with beautiful prose and gorgeous illustrations. Rather than focusing on his entire life, Words For America explores a unique angle and

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primarily examines Whitman’s perspective and involvement in the Civil War. Aside from "Oh Captain, My Captain", the Civil War is not the first association I make with Whitman, so this was fascinating territory to explore. The book portrays Whitman as an incredibly genuine and caring individual, and I was deeply moved by the stories of his service as a volunteer nurse -- especially the accounts of him remaining bedside to comfort strangers as they died.

Throughout the book the author included excerpts of Whitman's poetry. I thought this was an excellent decision. I found myself savoring the lines within the context of what I was reading and making mental notes of which full-length poems I wanted to revisit at a later time (several are conveniently printed in the back of the book). The book is a great introduction to the character of Whitman and really captures, what I believe to be, his true spirit -- an attempt to deeply understand America through the ordinary people that surrounded him.

In regards to aesthetics, the book itself is stunning. The cover features a die-cut center and embossed gold lettering, and each page within is mesmerizing in its own unique way. I really loved how greatly the illustrations varied in size. In the more somber moments of the story the illustrations are small and quiet, and in the less introspective moments they were bold and loud. These decisions really help to guide the pacing and tone of the story.

The back of the book features supplemental mini-biographies on both Whitman and Lincoln, and as mentioned above, a small collection of Whitman's poetry. As a fan of Whitman, I was excited to read this book and was surprised to discover that I actually knew very little about him! The Civil War perspective is a fascinating angle, and it has opened up the doors for new understanding of Whitman’s life and poetry.

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This book would make an excellent companion to Whitman's poem, "O Captain! My Captain!" In high school, I loved "Leaves of Grass," but I think the reason I didn't enjoy learning "O Captain! My Captain!" is because my teacher did not place it in its proper context. This book paints a vivid portrait

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of the effect the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln had on Whitman's life that I believe would lead students to a greater appreciation of his work.

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Dramatic book design brings Whitman and the historical context to life.

Sometimes the illustrations are subdued on one side of the page spread, the other side having lots of text and white space; sometimes a picture takes up both sides with almost no text. The motion, the flow, is also effective,

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for example when facing illustrations are of different episodes, but still work off each other.

The text is clear and accessible, not at all too long. And the notes at the end are thorough and well-organized. Several important poems and sections are reproduced, so the reader has no excuse to say 'Oh I'll have to look up his work sometime later....
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