The Scraps Book: Notes from a Colorful Life

If Lois Ehlert is not a well-known name in your home, order her books. Call the library. We need her blazing, brilliant, positive colors right now! She’s a legend: the illustrator of many prizewinning picture books, many of which she also wrote. But The Scraps Book is my favorite because it answers questions people often ask poets—where do you get your ideas? What can we do in our lives to become better poets? Ehlert writes, “I keep my eyes open. An idea may be close by.” She’s realistic. “An egg in the nest doesn’t become a bird overnight.” This book is an anthem for bits and pieces, looking closely at what’s already around us. It’s comforting. You don’t have to go far. It’s respectful and encouraging—paying close attention to our parents and our rooms, being messy, finding odd tools to work with, taking observation walks. It’s so beautiful I don’t ever want to close it. I just flip to a different page and leave it open on the table.