Amazing Faces by Lee Bennett Hopkins and Chris Soentpiet

I borrowed quite a number of books in connection to our Poetry-filled Yuletide Cheer theme. It was pretty challenging sifting through the lovely titles and making a decision as to which ones to include for a review and special feature here in GatheringBooks and which to discard. I knew when I found this book in our library that I should definitely include Amazing Faces which is a gathering of poems by acclaimed poet Lee Bennett Hopkins and illustrated by the extremely talented (a veritable genius really) Chris Soentpiet.

People, Faces, Places. I love taking photographs of people’s faces. I love capturing the shades and subtleties in their expressions. While my husband seems to ‘specialize’ in capturing nature, buildings, architectural styles and such – he has a talent with angles and perspectives – my preference is people and faces. Perhaps this is the reason why this book has appealed to me greatly. The first poem entitled Amazing Face by poet Rebecca Kai Dotlich has captured that beautifully:

Amazing, your face.

Amazing.

 

It shows there will be trails to follow,

porches to wave from, wonder from,

play on.

 

It shows you will sail ships,

paint stars,

carve pumpkins,

hours,

years.

 

You will climb stalks,

greet giants,

crawl before you walk.

And you will fly

And you will fall.

And you will fly again.

– excerpt taken from the book

The lovely thing about this book is its concerted effort to feature faces coming from various places, countries, cultural realities – portraying a multi-colored palette of sorts, highlighting our diversity and uniqueness as individuals, and as a people. Such magnificence!

There is Me x 2 as written by Jane Medina that even includes a Spanish version of the poem. Nikki Grimes’ Miss Stone reminds us of the face of our favorite teacher who may have reached out to us in times of quiet sadness during our school days. There is the face of the football star and his seeming invulnerability in Tom Robert Shields Hero and a description of grandmother’s face as a “lacework of courage” in J. Patrick Lewis’ Abuela. One of my favorites though is A Young Soldier by Prince Red Cloud:

A young soldier

returns home –

 

keeping 

miles of memories

sealed

within

 

one 

heartbreaking

boyish

grin.

So simple yet it shares a wealth of profound sadness that can not be touched – or healed even.

This book has moved me tremendously – I felt connected to the poems selected by Hopkins. Soentpiet is likewise a master at what he does: the paintings made me gasp each time I turn the page. My absolute favorite though from their collection is Kam Mak’s My Chinatown:

Twelve hours every day

the needle on her sewing machine

gobbles up fabric,

turning miles of cloth

into pants and jackets, skirts and dresses.

After supper I sit beside my mother,

listening to the hum of the motor,

the soft chatter

of the hungry needle.

Sometimes I fall asleep beside her,

the sound of her work

a lullaby.

There is much to enjoy and celebrate in this book. Make sure that you find yourself a copy and recapture your childlike awe as you stare in wonder at people’s ‘amazing faces.’

Lee Bennett Hopkins is an acclaimed poet and writer, has created numerous poetry anthologies for young readers. He is the recipient of the 2009 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, which honors his body of work, and founder of the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award and the Lee Bennett Hopkins/IRA Promising Poet Award. Hopkins’s books have won many honors, including ALA Notable Children’s Books, Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, Children’s Choices, American Bookseller Pick of the Lists, Christopher Award, and New York Public Library Best Children’s Books. He lives in Cape Coral, Florida (source: jacket flap of the book)

Chris Soentpiet is the illustrator of several highly praised

picture books. Awards he has won include Original Art Show Gold Medal, NAACP Image Award, ALA Notable Children’s Books, Texas Bluebonnet Award Masterlist, Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, and Notable Books for a Global Society. Soentpiet also promotes children’s literature and the arts at schools, libraries, and conferences across the United States. In Amazing Faces, he has indulged his interest in painting faces of people of different backgrounds. Soentpiet lives with his wife and their two children in the New York City area. His Web site is soentpiet.com. (source: jacket flap of the book)

Amazing Faces. Poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins and Illustrated by Chris Soentpiet. Lee & Low Books, Inc. New York, 2010. Book borrowed from the community library. Book photos taken by me.

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