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The boy sat so quietly in the back
of the room with a stack of colored paper, his fingers
were nearly flying
as he folded sheet after
sheet of
colorful origami paper into fanciful animals.
Once
he'd folded a zoo's worth of animals, I watched him play with them,
talk to them and give them quirky personalities. His paper
animals seemed almost real and I found myself thinking that
while an adult may create art for art's sake, children extend
their art into their own lives through imaginative play.
Watching him that afternoon, I was also struck by the similarity
between poetry and origami
— how a few spare words, carefully
chosen, can bring a scene to life, and how a few small folds,
artfully made, can bring a sheet of paper to life.
I was startled when I first saw the Lauren Stringer's
sketches for FOLD ME A POEM: She had painted what was inside
my head! I've never met Lauren and we didn't communicate while
she was working on the book. So, how did she know that I'd
visualized the camel leaning against the salt shaker? Spooky!
Most importantly, Lauren clearly saw that this book was not
only about origami, but was also an exploration of a child's
joy in creating art and weaving that art into a deeply
personal, imaginative world.
I love
Lauren Stringer's evocative art; the Internet doesn't do justice to the gorgeous full-page
spreads and her vibrant colors!
Lauren and I
hope you enjoy reading Fold Me a Poem. Perhaps you'll
be inspired to fold some origami and write poems
about your own creations.
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FOLD ME A POEM
The Minnesota Book Award
New York Public Library 100
Titles for Reading and Sharing
Nominated for the Wyoming
Buckaroo Book Award
Korean
translation rights
Reviews
 "[An]
array of brilliantly patterned papers parade across a young
folder's table and around a thematic set of short, pithy
poems...[an] engrossing collaboration."
Kirkus, starred
"This
unusual poetry volume is a dazzling celebration of imagination...
Each turn of the page brings a clever new perspective or insight
-- even humor [and] creatively models low-cost child's play that
requires only a little know-how and a bit in ingenuity."
Publishers Weekly, starred
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