Words with Wings and Magic Things - by Matthew Burgess (Hardcover)

About the Book

"... poems for young readers that celebrates the power of words to awaken the imagination and alchemize the everyday."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

From award-winning author Matthew Burgess and Caldecott medalist Doug Salati comes a spellbinding collection of poems for young readers that celebrates the power of words to awaken the imagination and alchemize the everyday. A gorgeous gift book for fans of Shel Silverstein with seven die-cut spreads throughout.

Beyond the doorway of the first page of this collection awaits a dragon piñata, an alligator on the A train, a hungry yeti, an ice cream dream, jetpack sneakers, midnight firelight, a gray day, a plump tomato, a serious question and so much more. Whether you're feeling blue, lemon yellow or Day-Glo green, this inviting and magical book of poems takes young readers on an uplifting journey through everyday moments, moods and experiences, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. With enchanting illustrations throughout and seven die-cut portals that open into the realms of Welcome, Wonder, Wild, Weee!, Whoops & Wallops, Windows and Whispers & Well Wishes, Words With Wings and Magic Things explores how words can awaken us to a world of wonder and possibility. Step inside . . . and take flight!

Review Quotes

A Kirkus Reviews Best Kids Book of March 2025
A Barnes & Noble Best Kids Book of March 2025

"Burgess displays a keen intuition for what will get kids laughing -- and what will make them think. . . . Broad and subtle in turn -- verse to stay with readers for years to come." --STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews

"Burgess celebrates wordplay in a way that transforms the ordinary into the exceptional. Salati's engaging illustrations successfully help bring the poems to life. Together, they make a perfect combination to be read and enjoyed on one's own or shared as a delightful read aloud . . . . This is an extraordinary collection filled with poems to savor and illustrations that will both captivate and delight young readers." --STARRED REVIEW, School Library Journal

"In this delightful collection of poems, Words with Wings and Magic Things, Matthew Burgess takes us on a wild adventure, with poems ranging from silly to sensitive, nonsensical to insightful. . . . Words with Wings and Magic Things is sure to inspire readers to seek bold and courageous adventures. Many will likely even pick up a pen and create their own poetry." --STARRED REVIEW, BookPage

"The perfect book to show kids that writing and drawing can transport them to new worlds." --New York Times

"Burgess offers fantastical fragments and affirming messages throughout this rich trove of impish verse. In digitally colored pencil drawings, some stylistically reminiscent of Maurice Sendak's in A Hole Is to Dig, Caldecott Medalist Salati offers slyly understated vignettes of children dancing, dreaming, encountering creatures, and more." --Publishers Weekly

"Burgess twists the strands of language into invented words that make perfect sense in Salati's scene of feasting monsters. . . . Poets and artists can accomplish magic." --Imaginary Elevators

"Words with Wings and Magic Things is a whimsical illustrated poetry collection for young readers. . . . [containing] over 50 poems showcasing the author's love of language, words and rhyme. Readers can't help but smile at its combination of silliness and heart. Burgess' poems are a playful celebration of imagination, being yourself, and making magic out of the mundane." --Quebec Library Association

About the Author

MATTHEW BURGESS is a poet, educator and the author of many picture books, including Enormous Smallness: A Story of E. E. Cummings, Drawing on Walls: A Story of Keith Haring and The Bear and the Moon. His books have received starred reviews, a Eureka! Gold Award for Excellence in Nonfiction and been featured on best-of lists from the New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, Boston Globe, Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist and Amazon. Matthew is a professor of literature and creative writing at Brooklyn College, and for over twenty years, he has led poetry programs in New York City public schools, sharing his love of words with thousands of kids. Always on the lookout for magic, Matthew lives in Brooklyn and Berlin.

DOUG SALATI is the author and illustrator of Hot Dog, winner of the 2023 Caldecott Medal and the 2023 Ezra Jack Keats Illustrator Award, and named one of the best books of the year by Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews and the New York Public Library. The first book he illustrated was In a Small Kingdom by Tomie dePaola, and the second, Lawrence in the Fall by Matthew Farina, was a 2020 Ezra Jack Keats Illustrator Award honoree. A 2015 Sendak Fellow, Doug lives and works in New York City.