This Is the Book

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by Laura Purdie Salas

BookSpeak: Poems About Books by Laura Purdie Salas

She is the writer
with dreams in her head
who wrote them down
so they could be read.
He is the editor
who helps to choose
which of the wonderful
words to use.
She is the designer
who plans on the look
the words will have
throughout the book.
He is the illustrator
who creates the art
that make the words
bloom in your heart.
She is the publisher
who pays all the fees
to print the book
it hopes will please.
He is the buyer
who orders the tale
to put on display
for loan or for sale.
And you are the reader
who browses the shelf
and looks for new worlds
but finds yourself.

Copyright © 2011 Laura Purdie Salas. From the book BookSpeak: Poems About Books. Clarion Books. Reprinted by permission of the author.

About The Author

Children's author Laura Purdie SalasLaura Purdie Salas is the author of more than 100 books for kids, including BookSpeak! Poems About Books, Stampede! Poems to Celebrate the Wild Side of School, and A Leaf Can Be…. Her books’ honors include NCTE Notable, Bank Street Best Books, Eureka! Gold Medal, IRA
Teachers’ Choice, Minnesota Book Award, and more. She loves to introduce kids to poetry and help them find poems they can relate to. She has also written numerous nonfiction books. See more about Laura and her work at www.laurasalas.com.

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11 responses to “This Is the Book”

  1. Love this poem, Laura, and your message of love to the reader. Keep dreaming!

  2. Linda Baie says:

    Congrats on your Poetry Minute, Laura. I like every bit, but that last is just perfect. It’s like bookends, the writer and the reader!

  3. Cindyb says:

    Love your poem, especially the description of the writer. Can’t be just dreamers, must be doers, also, to share the dream.

  4. Kate Coombs says:

    This one is so good! A lot of kids (and adults) have no idea what–or who–goes into making a book. And the last few lines pack a punch, as they should.

  5. B.j. Lee says:

    Wonderful ,Laura! I thought it seemed somehow different than in the book!

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