when the world is puddle-wonderful

Ages 4 to 8, Grades P to 3

Vivid, joyful poetry and bright, whimsical artwork combine in a delightful picture book collection of E. E. Cummings’s verse that tracks the seasons of the year.

Welcome to a marvellous almanac of E. E. Cummings’s poetry, from the showers, puddles and birdsong of spring to the beaches and sun of summer, Halloween, November sunsets, snowfalls and little silent Christmas trees. Now published as the first-ever picture book collection of Cummings’s poems and imagined for contemporary readers with beloved artist Blanca Gómez’s sprightly and charming illustrations, when the world is puddle-wonderful bursts with joy and wonder at the world around us.

About the Author

E. E. Cummings (1894–1962) was among the most influential, widely read, and revered modernist poets. He was also a playwright, a painter, and a writer of prose. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he studied at Harvard University and, during World War I, served with an ambulance corps in France. He spent three months in a French detention camp and subsequently wrote The Enormous Room, a highly acclaimed criticism of World War I. After the war, Cummings returned to the States and published his first collection of poetry, Tulips & Chimneys, which was characterized by his innovative style: pushing the boundaries of language and form while discussing love, nature, and war with sensuousness and glee. He spent the rest of his life painting, writing poetry, and enjoying widespread popularity and success.Blanca Gómez is a children’s book author and illustrator, most recently of Emma Straub’s Very Good Hats. She lives in Madrid, Spain.