Words with Wings and Magic Things

Ages 5 to 9, Grades K to 4

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!

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.

Author Residence: Brooklyn, New York

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.

Illustrator Residence:New York, New York

Illustrator Hometown:Central New York