When he wrote poems, he felt as free
as the Passaic River as it rushed to the falls.
Willie's notebooks filled up, one after another.

Willie's words gave him freedom and peace, but he also knew he needed to earn a living. So he went off to medical school and became a doctor 2; one of the busiest men in town! Yet he never stopped writing poetry.

In this picture book biography of William Carlos Williams, Jen Bryant's engaging prose and Melissa Sweet's stunning mixed-media illustrations celebrate the amazing man who found a way to earn a living and to honor his calling to be a poet.

A Junior Library Guild Selection

Willie loved to write - words gave him freedom and peace. But he also knew that he needed to earn a living, so when he grew up he went off to medical school and became a doctor - one of the busiest men in town Yet he never stopped writing.

In this picture book biography of poet William Carlos Williams, Jen Bryant's engaging prose and Melissa Sweet's stunning mixed-media illustrations celebrate the amazing man whose poems about ordinary, everyday things will inspire young readers to create poems of their own.

Jen Bryant teaches Children's Literature at West Chester University. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and daughter. She is currently at work on her next novel, which will be published by Knopf in 2008.

“From the Trade Paperback edition.”