The Proper Way to Meet a Hedgehog and Other How-To Poems

Paul B. Janeczko's 'The Proper Way to Meet a Hedgehog and Other How-To Poems' is a captivating poetry collection for children aged 4-11, featuring contributions from a diverse group of poets like Kwame Alexander and Pat Mora. The poems offer playful instructions on both practical tasks, such as mixing pancakes or bird-watching, and imaginative concepts, like scaring monsters or embodying a winter tree. Accompanied by Richard Jones's soft, evocative illustrations, this book encourages curiosity, empathy, and a grateful appreciation for the natural world and everyday wonders. It's an excellent resource for sparking creativity and conversation.

Toast a marshmallow, be a tree in winter, read braille — Paul B. Janeczko and Richard Jones invite you to enjoy an assortment of poems that inform and inspire. Today I walked outside and spied a hedgehog on the hill. When she and I met eye to eye, she raised up straight and still. Be they practical (how to mix a pancake or how to bird-watch) or fanciful (how to scare monsters or how to be a snowflake), the poems in this book boast a flair and joy that you won’t find in any instruction manual. Poets from Kwame Alexander to Pat Mora to Allan Wolf share the way to play hard, to love nature, and to be grateful. Soft, evocative illustrations will encourage readers to look at the world with an eye to its countless possibilities. Contributors include: Kwame Alexander Calef Brown Rebecca Kai Dotlich Margarita Engle Ralph Fletcher Douglas Florian Helen Frost Martin Gardner Charles Ghigna Nikki Grimes Anna E. Jordan Karla Kuskin Irene Latham J. Patrick Lewis Marjorie Maddox Elaine Magliaro Pat Mora Christina Rossetti Monica Shannon Marilyn Singer Robert Louis Stevenson Charles Waters April Halprin Wayland Steven Withrow Allan Wolf