A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams

Lyrical, Stunning, Free-Verse, Rhythmic, Creative

A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams by Jen Bryant Illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

Copyright 2008

Teacher's Choice 2009
Caldecott Honor Book 2009

This book is about Willie, aka poet William Carlos Williams, who grew up in New Jersey next to the Passaic River. Willie loves to listen to the river. At first, he recreates poetry he reads by writing his own poetry and counting beats and trying to make the lines rhyme. Then, Willie begins to think about pictures in his mind that do not fit the regular, ordinary rhythms and beats. Later, he decides he should go to medical school to become a doctor just like his uncle.  Even though Wille becomes a doctor, he does not stop writing poetry. He writes on prescription pads, anywhere he can, he does. Through this biography, readers learn about William Carlos Williams's life and the process of becoming a poet. First he immitates styles he's seen, then he begins experiementing with original poetry using his own observations. The author conveys William Carlos Williams's passion for poetry. His poetry is based on ordinary, every day things, therefore young readers will not be imtimidated by the poetry in the book.

Suggested Delivery: Read Aloud, Small Group Read, Individual Read
Grade Level (Lexile): AD820L, Ages 9-12

Key Vocabulary: rhythm, rhyme, frustrated, prescription, ordinary, torrent

Teaching Suggestions:

• Before Reading: Discuss with students some things they might see or use every day. How might a poet view these things a beautiful? Students will pick an ordinary item and write a short description of this item in such a way that makes the reader see this item as beautiful.
• During Reading: Students will read the poems on the first pages of the book. Discuss with students these poems. Have you seen these poems before? Have you seen similar poems? What do you think about these poems? What is it you like best about any one of these poems? How is this poem different than poetry you have seen before?
• After Reading: Students will revisit the short description they wrote about an ordinary object before reading the book and use it to write a short poem about that object.

Writing Activity: Students will read the author's note at the end of the book and write a response. What does the author's note tell you about William Carlos Williams and the way he goes about writing poetry? Of the two poems in the back of the book, which one do you think represents William Carlos Williams the most? Give at least one reason to support your claim.

Electronic Resources:

• Activities: This website provides a list of activities teachers can use with students. It includes before and after reading activities. It also provides short descriptions about the author and the illustrator. This site provides a list of themes present in A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams.
• William Carlos Williams: This site provides students with a biography about Williams and his poetry. Some of the poetry is avaiable as an audio recording and students can listen to the poetry read aloud. Here, students will benefit from hearing poetry read aloud so they can apply appropriate prosody when they read the poetry.
• Jen Bryant: This site provides a biography of Jen Bryant, author of A River of Words. It also provides links to teacher guides for her books and a Q&A about her writing process. There are several other links to pages that include information about events, other books she has written, and a way to contact her.

Bryant, J., & Sweet, M. (2008). A river of words: the story of William Carlos Williams. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books For Young Readers.