Compiled by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illustrated by Chris Soentpiet
Amazing Faces
Lee & Low Books, 2010.

Ages 4-8

Nothing works like poetry for crystallizing emotion and bringing feelings into focus, and perhaps no one has done more than anthologist Lee Bennett Hopkins to make poetry accessible to young people of every color, culture, and interest.  His masterful anthologies have turned children on to the great American poets Langston Hughes and Walt Whitman as well as the themes of nature, space, math, geography, art, history, and the ups and downs of life itself.

Always pairing with a different illustrator, Bennett Hopkins has made each of his books a standout. In Amazing Faces he and accomplished Korean American author/illustrator Chris Soentpiet (My Brother Martin, More Than Anything Else, Coolies) celebrate diversity.

The poems themselves speak of universal experiences: witnessing the magic of storytelling, being excluded as a child, the warmth of a grandmother’s love, marveling at a baby, and even the butterflies of an adolescent crush.  They come from poets of many backgrounds including Native American, Chinese, Caucasian, African American, and Latina. There are poems by Bennett Hopkins himself, Jane Yolen, and the legendary Langston Hughes as well as Pat Mora, Janet Wong, Nikki Grimes, and many others.  The illustrations capture the settings and emotions of different faces and different perspectives in a way that breathes even more life into the words and makes readers more deeply aware not only of how they feel about the poem or its subject but about how those feelings translate across race, ethnicity, region, and class.

Like his idol Norman Rockwell, Soentpiet has created irresistibly rich and realistic scenes from everyday life. His illustrations convey a depth of emotion that goes beyond mere sentiment to reflect a patchwork of experiences that connect us all as humans.

Amazing Faces is a wonderful collaboration that will ignite poetic inspiration across race, generations, class, and background.

Abigail Sawyer
December 2010