Let: A Poem About Wonder and Possibility

by Kei Miller, Diana Ejaita (Illustrator)

A powerful poetry picture book about the wonder and possibility contained in a single let .

Suppose there was a book full only of the word let . . .

Adapted from a poem called “Book of Genesis” by the award-winning poet Kei Miller and beautifully imagined and illustrated by Diana Ejaita, this provocative and hopeful picture book is an ode to the power of words and of books—of seeing oneself and being seen—and to a world of wonder and possibility.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

Published August 22, 2023

About the author

Kei Miller was born in Jamaica in 1978. He completed an MA in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University and a PhD in English literature at the University of Glasgow. He works in multiple genres - poetry, fiction and non-fiction and has won major prizes across these genres. He won the Forward Prize for poetry and the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature. He has taught at the Universities of Glasgow, London, and Exeter. He is presently Professor of English at the University of Miami.

Reviews

[Lisa Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh, didn't really understand it but that's just my brain for you.

[Mary Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a surprise to see this poem in picture book form just after Padraig O Tuama shared it. Not sure it works as a text for children.

[Natasha Roslosnik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this poem to my 2nd grade students. The idea of "let" led to some deep thinking. They really took off with it. Thinking of ideas that sparked curiosity and imagery that went deeper than I would have expected.

The illustrations in this book were so beautiful. Everything about this book was beautiful.

We followed up this reading by writing our own poetry.

First they came up with a group poem:

"Let the mist fog up your mind

Let the mist go thru the end of time

Let the mist fall down on you

The mist makes my heart happy

The mist travels

The mist softens your breathing

And I love the mist"

**Can you tell we are a group of students from Seattle??**

[Jazz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful poem about creation with stunning artwork.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoughtful words and illustrations, has a deep philosophical approach, making it more of an adult context. Overall, it is extremely unique.

[Reading]

Let there be…