On Wings of Words

Starred review from January 6, 2020
Butterflies flutter through this exploration of Emily Dickinson’s singular spirit, a visual leitmotif that mirrors her slantwise sensibility. Berne’s finely chosen words echo Dickinson’s poetic proclivities: “In a little room—in the dark before dawn—/ a baby girl was born./ Her parents celebrated the holiday/ they called Emily.” She paints a picture of a curious child who, as she grows, finds her own way to make sense of a world holding both trouble and joy. “Everywhere she looked,/ she was told to obey without asking,/ to believe without knowing why./ So she began to put her faith in/ what she could see and understand.” Lines from Dickinson’s poems punctuate Berne’s text, reflecting themes of nature, wonder, and joy. Stadtlander’s modern folkloric gouache and watercolor illustrations seamlessly merge realism and fantasy, capturing fine details such as floral-sprigged fabrics and rendering whimsical scenes like a miniature Emily astride a grasshopper in a sunset sky. Ages 5–8.

January 1, 2020
A biographical introduction to the unusual life of 19th-century poet Emily Dickinson. An inquisitive child who explored "every bird, every flower, every bee or breeze or slant of light," Emily adored her brother and enjoyed her school friends, experienced intense feelings, thoughts, and desires, and loved reading, which felt like traveling "on a sea of words." When people failed to answer her existential questions, Emily put "faith in what she could see and understand." Gradually, her thoughts and feelings emerged as poems that set her free and allowed her to dwell in an inner world "bigger than all the world outside." Continuing to enjoy her gardens, dog, family, select friends, and neighborhood children, the adult Emily rarely left her room, where she wrote and hid hundreds of amazing poems discovered after her death in 1886. Adroitly incorporating language and imagery from Dickinson's poems as well as whole lines and stanzas, the neatly hand-lettered, lyrical text appropriately focuses on how Emily's rich inner life crystallized into her remarkable poetry. Splendid illustrations combine both folk-art and surrealist styles to contrast Emily's limited physical journey from sensitive child to reclusive poet within the confines of her family home with imaginative scenes of her limitless inner life showcasing visual images from her poems. Inspired use of the butterfly motif captures the poet's enigmatic spirit. Stunning. (notes on Dickinson and poetry, author's note, artist's note) (Picture book/biography. 5-8)

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March 1, 2020

K-Gr 3-The author uses lyrical text, direct quotations, and illustrated metaphors to capture the life and mind of Emily Dickinson. This picture book biography illuminates the poet's life and creativity in an accessible way for young poetry enthusiasts. Berne covers Dickinson's early years and development as a writer and truth seeker. Dickinson's fascination with nature, books, people, and religion is emphasized. While some of the details surrounding her life events are vague (such as the sorrows she encountered or her experience with her very religious school principal), the text offers a compelling and reflective affirmation of the literary icon. Dickinson's own words are interspersed among the expressive narrative; there is an appropriate delineation between Berne's words and Dickinson's by using different fonts for each author. The font representing Dickinson mimics handwriting. Stadtlander's striking gouache and watercolor illustrations are as dreamy and enigmatic as the subject herself. An afterword offers more information about Dickinson's poetry, an early introduction to the genre itself, and additional resources. VERDICT A fine addition to most biography or poetry collections for libraries in search of resources on Dickinson for young readers.-Jamie Jensen, Wayne Cox Elementary School, Roanoke, TX

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