Irene Latham

Irene Latham, who is white, and Charles Waters, who is black, present paired poems about topics including family dinners, sports, recess, and much more. This relatable collection explores different experiences of race in America.

Inspired by "The Twelve Days of Christmas," this picture book illustrates the many different forms that kindness can take, from veteran picture book author Irene Latham.
On the first day of kindness,
I will give to you a hug that’s warm and true.
There are many ways to be kind. Follow one girl as she expresses gratitude through kind deeds all her own—a smile or encouraging word or even shared snacks—and...

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book
An NCTE Notable Poetry Book
This beautiful poetry collection introduces readers to the art of found poetry as the poet writes a 37-line poem, "Nest," then finds 160 smaller poems within it.
What can you find in a poem about a robin's nest? Irene Latham masterfully discovers "nestlings" or smaller poems about an astonishing variety of subjects—emotions, wild animals, natural landmarks on all seven continents,...

As a large storm approaches, snails Esther and Solomon make their way to the ark.

In California, Agnes, a giant Pacific octopus, pens a series of postcards to strangers from both above and below the pier.

"In these vivid poems, blueberries are flavor-filled fireworks, cucumbers are a fleet of green submarines in a wicker sea, lettuce tastes like butter and pepper and salt, but sometimes I crunch into a leaf the very same flavor as rain. The unexpected, ingenious imagery and enticing artwork in this collection will inspire the imaginations of young readers, and show how poetry can be as fresh and delicious as the farmers market produce it celebrates."--Provided...

Chronicles the story of the last Africans brought illegally to the United States on the Clotilda in 1860. 1859. The transatlantic slave trade has been banned for more than fifty years, and the South is facing the threat of a civil war. Timothy Maeher resents the government interference in his right to make a living. Making a bet that he can smuggle enslaved Africans into the United States without being caught, he commissions the Clotilda, and brings...

Chronicling the story of the last Africans brought illegally to America in 1860, African Town is a powerful and stunning novel-in-verse.
In 1860, long after the United States outlawed the importation of enslaved laborers, 110 men, women and children from Benin and Nigeria were captured and brought to Mobile, Alabama aboard a ship called Clotilda. Their journey includes the savage Middle Passage and being hidden in the swamplands...