Walt Whitman: Words for America

Genre: Nonfiction, Biography

Kerley, Barbara, and Brian Selznick. Walt Whitman: Words for America. New York: Scholastic Press, 2004.  ISBN:  978-0-439-35791-3

Walt Whitman loved words even as a young child.  Throughout his life, wherever he went, he always had a notebook with him to write down words when he was inspired.  Walt loved to travel.  He would visit wounded soldiers during the Civil War to cheer them up.  This began when his brother George became wounded in the war.  He wrote about those he helped.  Walt was generous and helped everyone, Black, White, Confederate, and Union.  His poem O Captain! My Captain! is a poem he wrote about his friend President Lincoln.  He wrote his poetry even up to his death. 

Kerley writes a riveting tale about Walt Whitman’s life and how he cared more for others than himself.  He wrote wherever he went.  He wrote about those he met.  Selznick’s illustrations beautifully depict Whitman in various stages of his life.  The illustration of Abraham Lincoln shows Lincoln’s sadness at the beginning of the Civil War.  Every turn of the page reveals a full color illustration that shows not only the artistry of Selznick but also the changes through Whitman’s life.

Notable awards and reviews:

Sibert Honor Book
California Book Award
Best Book Award -- Oppenheim Toy Portfolio
ALA Notable Book
Best Children's Books -- Publishers Weekly
Best Illustrated Books -- New York Times
100 Titles for Reading and Sharing -- New York Public Library
Nominated for Young Reader Awards in Kentucky, New Mexico, and Tennessee

“An exuberant picture-book biography that focuses on Whitman's formative years and his selfless work as a Civil War nurse.  Delightfully old-fashioned in design, its oversized pages are replete with graceful illustrations and snippets of poetry.  The brilliantly inventive paintings add vibrant testimonial to the nuanced text." – School Library Journal

"A visual and textual portrait of America's most revolutionary and celebrated poet.  Kerley distills Whitman's wide-ranging biography, centering on the significant themes of his life: his passion for words, America, and the common man, as well as his torment over race, democracy, and the Civil War.... Depicting Whitman as both a literal and metaphorical journeyman, Selznick paints him hiking with the pages of his habitual notebooks floating around him, each with a word from his poetry, graphically bursting the boundaries of convention.... A cultural force rendered with power and immediacy for a new generation."  -- Kirkus Reviews

"With a lyricism and an ardor that echoes Whitman's own, Kerley writes of his passion for both language and for "rambling".... Selznick's versatile illustrations encompass a stark realism...and surreal whimsy.... Their enthusiasm is convincing and contagious."  -- Publishers Weekly

"Splendid."  Horn Book

"Vibrant."  New York Times

"Outstanding."  San Francisco Chronicle

For more information about Barbara Kerley’s books, check out her website at http://www.barbarakerley.com/.

Kerley’s book about Walt Whitman can be discussed during a social studies unit on the Civil War.  Whitman is a fantastic poet that can be discussed during a poetry unit.  This book can be tied into other subjects with just a little thought and imagination.  Kerley even provides some ideas on her website of how to use this book in the classroom.