Three Picture Books About Writing, Poetry, and Stories: You’re A Poet; The Story Factory; Dear, Bookshop

The place where writing is born.

With National Poetry Month past the halfway point, it’s always good to see how the younger generation receives creative nurturing. We have some picture books that discuss what it means to write.

Note that these stories aren’t just for kids; adults suffering creative burnout could benefit from these stories. We get more than a few exercises, a love letter to the written word, and a reminder that generative AI sucks!

You’re A Poet: Ways to Start Writing Poems by Sean Taylor, Illustrated by Sam Usher

Piglet and his mother are walking up a hill. When Piglet jumps in the sand or tosses rocks into puddles, words emerge. His mother says that those words are poetry, and they are “true words” because they reflect what both of them feel. Poetry comes from interacting with the world around us. Ideally it comes from the heart and our emotional reactions.

A series of Piglet stories and writing exercises follow; we start with exploring the senses and words you may see in puddle splashes. We learn what similes are and how they can make good poetry, and how to personify the…