Title: Some Writer: The Story of E.B.White
Author: Melissa Sweet
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2016)
Age: 2nd - 5th grade
Lexile Reading Level: 1030
Awards: ALA Notable Book (2017), NCTE Orbis Pictus Award, Amazon Top 20 Children’s Books of 2016, Publishers Weekly Best of 2016, Washington Post Best of 2016, School Library Journal Best of 2016, and many more
Review
Some Writer had been on my “to read” list for a long time. It was well worth the wait. The book is stunning. It is a very good biography that - thanks to Sweet’s creative use of collage and original water colors - becomes something so much more. It is a treat to read, with practically each page containing something that makes the reader smile or want to explore.
Some Writer had been on my “to read” list for a long time. It was well worth the wait. The book is stunning. It is a very good biography that - thanks to Sweet’s creative use of collage and original water colors - becomes something so much more. It is a treat to read, with practically each page containing something that makes the reader smile or want to explore.
The illustrations are absorbing. It almost feels like a family scrapbook brought to life that serves as an informational journey of the man, a tribute to this exceptional writer, a tribute to the power of words, and, oddly, a manual on how to write a book! It is filled with photos, excerpts from manuscripts (including rough drafts that are particularly interesting), personal letters, and much more. It is a joy and a must-read for anyone who has, like me, adored E.B. White’s books, and a must-have for any library.
Recommended Pairings:
1. A Poem For Peter: The Story of Ezra Jack Keats and the Creation of The Snowy Day (Andrea Pinkney)
2. The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus (Jen Bryant)
3. A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams (Jen Bryant)
The three titles listed above are, like Some Writer, engaging juvenile nonfiction books about famous writers and their famous works. I think a really good display, program, or lesson could be studying the writers and their works. (As a bonus, Melissa Sweet provided the illustrations for The Right Word and A River of Words as well.) Additionally, Some Writer would be an excellent read for anyone who has read E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, and The Trumpet of the Swan. If a class reads one of those novels together than Some Writer would be a must-read as well.
Suggested Activities:
One of the great things about Some Writer is its depiction of so many aspects of White’s life. There are opportunities to do activities about grammar, cartoons, nature, animals, traveling across the United States, and more. A teacher or librarian who can’t find a jumping off topic from Some Writer isn’t trying that hard!
