Synopses & Reviews
Enormous Smallness is a nonfiction picture book about the poet e.e. cummings. Here e.e.'s life is presented in a way that will make children curious about him and will lead them to play with words and ask plenty of questions as well. Lively and informative, the book also presents some of cummings's most wonderful poems, integrating them seamlessly into the story to give the reader the music of his voice and a spirited, sensitive introduction to his poetry.
In keeping with the epigraph of the book — "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are," Matthew Burgess's narrative emphasizes the bravery it takes to follow one's own vision and the encouragement e.e. received to do just that.
Review
"The title of this book (Enormous Smallness) is perfect. Many of us think of poems as small things, but as much as anyone, E. E. Cummings showed us that even the smallest stanza could hold enormous meaning. Lovingly written (Burgess is himself a poet) and ingeniously illustrated, this book is a treasure for both fans of Cummings, as well as those discovering his poetry for the first time." The Huffington Post
Review
"Di Giacomo's capricious collages create a lively interplay between pictures and words, and visual motifs such as birds and elephants intermingle with samples of Cummings's work. Burgess delivers a thorough and lovingly crafted homage to a writer whose poems 'were alive with experimentation and surprise.'" Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
Enormous Smallness tells the story of poet e.e. cummings in language and images that are just as fresh as his own.
Synopsis
ENORMOUS SMALLNESS, A Story of E.E. Cummings explores this poet in words & images that are just as fresh as his own.
Enormous Smallness is a nonfiction picture book about the poet E.E. cummings. Here E.E.'s life is presented in a way that will make children curious about him and will lead them to play with words and ask plenty of questions as well. Lively and informative, the book also presents some of Cummings's most wonderful poems, integrating them seamlessly into the story to give the reader the music of his voice and a spirited, sensitive introduction to his poetry.
In keeping with the epigraph of the book -- "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are," Matthew Burgess's narrative emphasizes the bravery it takes to follow one's own vision and the encouragement E.E. received to do just that.
Synopsis
Kids and poetry belong together Both play, and for children, the logic of life is still poetic rather than rational, as it is for adults.
Teacher, parents, grandparents: everyone loves sharing poems with children.
The book will be sophisticated and visually stunning as all of Di Giacomo's books are, which positions this as a title for Museum stores and the gift market as well as for the educational market.
Gift market: parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles: what better gift in our media-saturated world than a gorgeous book about a poet who chose ALIVENESS over just living life.
With blurbs promised from some big names, this book might just be a breakout in the world of illustrated nonfiction, though books in this category are already doing very, very well.About the Author
Matthew Burgess teaches creative writing and composition at Brooklyn College. He is also a writer-in-residence with Teachers and Writers Collaborative, leading poetry workshops in early elementary classrooms since 2001. He was awarded a MacArthur Scholarship while working on his MFA, and he received a grant from The Fund for Poetry. Matthew's poems and essays have appeared in various journals, and his debut collection,
Slippers for Elsewhere, was published by UpSet Press. His doctoral dissertation explores childhood spaces in twentieth century autobiography, and he completed his PhD at the CUNY Graduate Center in June 2014.
Kris Di Giacomo is an American who has lived in France since childhood. She has illustrated over twenty-five books for French publishers, which have been translated into many languages. This is her sixth book to be published by Enchanted Lion Books.