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When Creature Met Creature
A powerful picture book about communication and friendship, from an award-winning author-illustrator duo of The Young Inferno .
Creature-of-No-Words lives a happy life on his own, but one day he gets a feeling like "the chill touch of ice", and nothing can lift his sadness. But then Creature-of-Words arrives and senses his despair. How can she help him communicate and become happy again? Touching on the loneliness of lockdown, and the fact that some emotions are too deep to be expressed by words, this is a title that will encourage children to get talking again.
- GenresPicture Books
Hardcover
Published January 1, 2022
About the author
John Agard
118 books37 followersJohn Agard was born in Guyana and emigrated to Britain in 1977. He has worked as an actor and a performer with a jazz group and spent several years as a lecturer for the Commonwealth Institute, travelling all over Britain giving talks, performances and workshops. He has visited literally thousands of schools and enjoys the live contact and the joy of children responding although it can be hard work.
John Agard started writing poems when he was about 16 - some of these early efforts were published in his school magazine. Many of his poems now are composed while looking out of train windows.
"Try the best with what you have right now
If you don't have horse, then ride cow."
It is in his poetry that John Agard makes his greatest contribution to children's literature. Like the best authors, he brings something unique to children's experience - a view of the world tempered by his own childhood, a feeling for the rhythms and cadences of its language, and a sophisticated understanding of the advantages and limitations of several forms of English. That he can make the "standard" forms work superbly is evident from many of his poems for adults. For children, with whom he communicates more directly, the lyrical Guyanese forms serve his purposes to perfection.
Agard is not a literary poet but also a performing poet and has a strong sense of his audience. When he writes for children, he seems to see them sitting at his feet. He is more interested in the ideas and words he is delivering to them than in the creation of complex fictional characters with whom his readers might engage. He lives in Sussex and is married to Grace Nichols, a respected Caribbean poet and co-author of a collection of Caribbean nursery rhymes, NO HICKORY, NO DICKORY, NO DOCK.
John Agard started writing poems when he was about 16 - some of these early efforts were published in his school magazine. Many of his poems now are composed while looking out of train windows.
"Try the best with what you have right now
If you don't have horse, then ride cow."
It is in his poetry that John Agard makes his greatest contribution to children's literature. Like the best authors, he brings something unique to children's experience - a view of the world tempered by his own childhood, a feeling for the rhythms and cadences of its language, and a sophisticated understanding of the advantages and limitations of several forms of English. That he can make the "standard" forms work superbly is evident from many of his poems for adults. For children, with whom he communicates more directly, the lyrical Guyanese forms serve his purposes to perfection.
Agard is not a literary poet but also a performing poet and has a strong sense of his audience. When he writes for children, he seems to see them sitting at his feet. He is more interested in the ideas and words he is delivering to them than in the creation of complex fictional characters with whom his readers might engage. He lives in Sussex and is married to Grace Nichols, a respected Caribbean poet and co-author of a collection of Caribbean nursery rhymes, NO HICKORY, NO DICKORY, NO DOCK.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 14, 2024
Lovely story, beautiful illustrations.
August 22, 2026
The power of knowledge and vocabulary is illustrated in this book of creatures. The creature of no words lives an aimless existence because he is unable to put into words his thoughts and actions. His life is fulfilled when he meets creature of words who teaches what each thing is.
April 6, 2024
This picture book with its strong message about friendship and communicating is a 2.5 for me. Two very different creatures find a way to meet in the middle Creature-Of-No-Words is unable to express his feelings about anything other than through gestures; he has no words to do so. Although he's happy enough, something seems to be missing. On the other hand, Creature-Of-Words has plenty of words to express how she feels. When she observes Creature-Of-No-Words struggling, she extends her arms to offer a hug, which is accepted by Creature-Of-Words. Thus, they begin a promising relationship with time to speak and time to remain silent. The message here matters, but I'm not convinced that young readers will get the point. They may need some nudging to do so. The very bright greens and oranges in the illustrations make the two different Creatures noticeable on every page that they appear.
January 18, 2025
Is not having speech inferior?!?!?
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews