Mary Oliver, Holding on to Wonder

Ages 7 to 10, Grades 2 to 5

This lyrical picture book biography of beloved American poet Mary Oliver shows young readers ages 7 - 10 how her love of nature and sense of wonder inspired her art.

Young Mary Oliver was enthralled by nature. In the forest, she wondered about the birds and the lilies and the water in the stream—about all the things that cannot speak yet somehow spoke to Mary. She wondered, too, about poetry, about how words pieced together filled her with light and how some poems felt like they were written just for her. How could this be? 

Author Erin Frankel shows how Mary Oliver held on to that sense of wonder from her childhood, channeling it into some of the most beloved poems of the past hundred years. Illustrator Jasu Hu’s lush nature scenes beautifully complement Frankel’s soulful writing about the creative process. Together text and art honor Mary Oliver and her astonishing poetry.

Story Locale:Cleveland, OH; Austerlitz, NY; New York, NY; Provincetown, MA;

About the Author

Erin Frankel is the author of Remembering Barkley and A Plate of Hope: The Inspiring Story of Chef José Andrés and World Central Kitchen, as well as the Weird! series on bullying prevention. She holds a master’s degree in English education and is passionate about parenting, teaching, and writing.

Author Residence: Pittsburgh, PA

Jasu Hu is the illustrator of the picture books All You Need by Howard Schwartz and Wintergarden by Janet Fox. Her art has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Washington Post, and her poster "Moonlight Moment" was displayed on the New York City subway in 2018 and 2019.

Illustrator Residence:New York, NY