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135 ratings | 87 reviews | avg rating:3.90

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Matt Forrest Esenwine

Goodreads Author

Born

Baltimore, MD, The United States

Website

https://www.MattForrest.com

Twitter

mattforrestvw

Genre

Children's, Poetry

Influences

Dorothy Aldis, Shel Silverstein, Stan Freberg, Asimov, Poe, Frost, She ...more

Member Since

April 2013

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/matt_forrest_esenwine

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As a radio broadcaster, Matt spent a good deal of time writing and producing commercials and comedy bits. He also wrote poetry, which was published in various national journals and anthologies including the Donald Hall tribute, "Except for Love" (Encircle, 2019). Little did he know all this short-form writing would lead to his debut picture book, the Kirkus-starred "Flashlight Night" (Astra Young Readers, 2017), which was selected by the New York Public Library as one of the Best Books for Kids 2017 and even showed up on Encyclopedia Brittanica’s list of “11 Children’s Books That Inspire Imagination.”

Matt now has more than a dozen books to his credit including "I Am Today" (POW! Kids Books, 2022), which received the 2023 NH State Literary ...more

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Matt Forrest Esenwine’s books

Average rating: 4.13 · 987 ratings · 320 reviews · 14 distinct works • Similar authors

	Flashlight Night by Matt Forrest Esenwine (Goodreads Author), Fred Koehler (Goodreads Author) (Illustrations) 4.04 avg rating — 495 ratings — published 2017	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Once Upon Another Time by Charles Ghigna (Goodreads Author), Matt Forrest Esenwine (Goodreads Author), Andrés Landazábal (Illustrations) 4.11 avg rating — 209 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Night Wishes by Lee Bennett Hopkins (Editor), Irene Latham (Goodreads Author), Darren Sardelli 4.02 avg rating — 81 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	I Am Today by Matt Forrest Esenwine (Goodreads Author), Patricia Pessoa (Illustrator) 4.74 avg rating — 50 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Beginner's Guide to Being Human by Matt Forrest Esenwine (Goodreads Author), Andr� Ceolin (Illustrations) 4.16 avg rating — 55 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Universe of Rainbows: Multicolored Poems for a Multicolored World by Matt Forrest Esenwine (Goodreads Author), Jamey Christoph (illustrator) 4.26 avg rating — 42 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Thing to Remember about Stargazing by Matt Forrest Esenwine (Goodreads Author), Sonia Maria Luce Possentini (Illustrator) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 28 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Elliot The Heart-Shaped Frog 4.36 avg rating — 22 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Everybody Counts by Matt Forrest Esenwine (Goodreads Author), Emma Graham (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 4.82 avg rating — 17 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Tractor Dance 4.70 avg rating — 10 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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by Jessica Whipple (Goodreads Author)

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Matt Forrest Esenwine said: " In a world where consumption is king and everyone wants more and more of everything, this book is like a light in the darkness for kids. In gentle language and loose narrative, Whipple and Wong show that "more," "most," and "better" aren't, in fact, ...more "

Jan 06, 2023 08:20AM · see review

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Matt Forrest Esenwine rated a book really liked it Music Plants Hope by Tonnye Fletcher	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A concert...for plants? Apparently, this happened during the pandemic - and I'm so glad Tonnye Fletcher wrote a book about it, because it's something everyone, young and old, will appreciate! With musical, lyrical language, Fletcher carries the reade ...more
Jan 23, 2026 12:54PM · 1 like · like · see review
Matt Forrest Esenwine rated a book really liked it My Life as an Asthmanaut: A book about asthma (Disability Books for Kids) by Jake Lockett (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
As a father of a child who suffers exertion-induced asthma, it was nice to see something on the bookshelf that relates to what they deal with. Lockett's book is accessible for young readers and easy to understand, and helps remove any stigma that mig ...more
Jan 13, 2026 01:21PM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of My Life as an Asthmanaut by Jake Lockett. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — My Life as an Asthmanaut by Jake Lockett <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Matt Forrest Esenwine rated a book really liked it Little Seasons: Autumn Leaves: (With Memory Card Game!) by Mirka Hokkanen (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Rarely will you come across a nonfiction book that is so darned fun to read! The very child-friendly text shares the entire life cycle (and more) of various plants' leaves, and Mirka's illustrations are not only cute, they're witty, funny, and even o ...more
Sep 12, 2025 10:16AM · like · see review
Matt Forrest Esenwine rated a book really liked it Maybe Just Ask Me! by Katie Mazeika (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
We've all been there as kids - you see someone who looks different, you start mumbling and guessing and coming up with stories. Well, maybe you could just ask! This semi-autobiographical picture book tackles what it feels like for a child on the rece ...more
Mar 31, 2025 12:30PM · 1 like · like · see review
Matt Forrest Esenwine rated a book really liked it Bitsy Bat, Team Star (The Bitsy Bat Series) by Kaz Windness (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Our favorite neurodivergent bat, Bitsy, is back - feeling a little more confident in school, but less confident when it comes to competing in the Critter Games. When Bitsy loses a practice flying race to her owl friend Enzo, she's not sure what to do ...more
Mar 31, 2025 07:08AM · 1 like · like · see review
Matt Forrest Esenwine has read A Universe of Rainbows: Multicolored Poems for a Multicolored World by Matt Forrest Esenwine (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 23, 2025 08:27AM · like