Celebrated poet and anthologist Paul B. Janeczko pairs with Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet for a collection of short poems to sample and savor.

It only takes a few words, if they’re the right words, to create a strong image. Whether listened to in the comfort of a cozy lap or read independently, the thirty-six very short poems in this collection remind readers young and old that a few perfect words and pictures can make the world glow. Selected by acclaimed poet Paul B. Janeczko and gorgeously illustrated by Melissa Sweet, Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems invites children to sample poems throughout the four seasons.

A collection of “how-to” poems on all sorts of subjects and from all around the world, edited and illustrated by two major talents.

Find a patch of unbroken snow; dye your hair green with purple spots; slowly breathe in and out; bounce in your space-boots ... and don’t take off your helmet, whatever you do! A “how-to” poem shows the steps in a process – here, award-winning anthologist Paul B. Janeczko presents charming examples of the genre. There are over thirty poems in this beautiful, memorable treasury, each one illustrated with elegance and flair by picture-book talent Richard Jones. The poets featured are from around the world and through history, bringing together classic writers like Christina Rossetti and modern stars such as Kwame Alexander. And their poems pose all sorts of questions. Some are lyrical (How do you build a poem?), others seemingly practical (How do you mix a pancake?), many more wry (How do you pay attention?). But they all share something in common: answers that are certain to delight and intrigue...

"These aren't poems to read aloud, but to look at and laugh at together, with young children and especially older readers, who will enjoy the surprise of what words look like and what can be done with them." --BOOKLIST (starred review)
Concrete poems startle and delight the eye and mind. The size and arrangement of words and letters can add or alter meaning -- forming a poem that takes the shape of crows that fly off the page or becoming a balloon filled with rhyme, drifting away from outstretched hands. Here, in a single extraordinary volume, are thirty poems from some of the world's finest visual poets, including John Hollander, Emmett Williams, Maureen W. Armour, and Douglas Florian. New to the paperback edition, tucked inside the front cover, are tips, guidelines, and inspiration for writing your own concrete poems.

Paul B. Janeczko's stirring new collection of poems goes inside the walls of the notorious camp to portray the indomitable spirit of those incarcerated there.
Hitler hailed Terezin (Theresienstadt) as a haven for artistic Jews, when in reality the Czech concentration camp was little more than a way station to the gas chambers. In his second book inspired by devastating history, acclaimed poet Paul B. Janeczko gives voice to this heartrending creative community: its dignity, resilience, and commitment to art and music in the face of great brutality. The many memorable characters he conjures include a child who performs in the camp's now famed production of Brundibar, a man who lectures on bedbugs, and a boy known as "Professor," who keeps a notebook hidden in his shoe. Accented with dramatic illustrations by prisoners, found after WW II, Janeczko's spare and powerful poems convey Terezin's tragic legacy on an intimate, profoundly moving scale.

"The author's upbeat, positive tone is refreshing and his enthusiasm about his topic is contagious." -- SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (starred review)
Pssst! Do you know the difference between a code and a cipher? Can you tell a St. Cyr slide from a Cardano grille? Did you know that the discovery of a substitution cipher caused Mary Queen of Scots to lose her head? Don't look now, but packed into this practical field guide is everything a young person needs to know about the art of concealment - making and breaking codes, mastering cipher systems, and experimenting with secret writing. Offering plenty of hands-on practice sessions, tips for creating a code-making kit, sidebars on secret codes in history, and an amusing pair of spies to illustrate techniques, Paul B. Janeczko's tantalizing TOP SECRET won't stay a secret for long.

In this guide for aspiring young writers, poets speak about their work and give examples as well as encouraging tips. "A natural for creative-writing classes," this book shows that "it can be a lot of fun to write about what you imagine" (Booklist").

From the simplest couplet to the mind-boggling pantoum, the award-winning team behind A POKE IN THE I shows us the many fascinating ways poetic forms take shape.
In this splendid and playful volume -- second of a trilogy -- an acclaimed creative team presents examples of twenty-nine poetic forms, demonstrating not only the (sometimes bendable) rules of poetry, but also the spirit that brings these forms to life. Featuring poems from the likes of Eleanor Farjeon (aubade), X. J. Kennedy (elegy), Ogden Nash (couplet), Liz Rosenberg (pantoum), and William Shakespeare, the sonnet king himself, A Kick in the Head perfectly illustrates Robert Frost's maxim that poetry without rules is like a tennis match without a net.

"Riveting. . . . A memorable historical fiction selection, similar in intensity to Karen Hesse's OUT OF THE DUST and WITNESS." -- SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (starred review)
One summer afternoon in 1944, hundreds of circus lovers crowded under the big top in Hartford, waiting for the show to begin. Minutes later, a fire broke out and spread through the tent, claiming the lives of 167 souls and injuring some 500 more. Paul B. Janeczko recalls that tragic event by bringing to life some unforgettable voices -- from circus performers to seasoned fans, from firefi ghters to ushers. Using the lyrical power of language to render tragedy with a human face, this spare, startling book in verse leaves an emotional impact young readers will not soon forget.