NPM 2021 Day 3: A Place Inside Me

There are plenty of poetry picture books that show courage this year and today’s pick is another one.

“A Place Inside Me” is a poem of hurt and anger that seeks to heal the pain many African-Americans are feeling.  It’s told from the point of view of a young man (at least in the illustrations) who talks about the emotions deep inside of him that no one wants to address after police brutality occurs in his neighborhood and someone is killed.  It’s handled in such a way that it delivers a positive message for young readers.

This book is also beautifully illustrated by Noa Denmon (so much so that it won a Caldecott Honor award).  The bold compositions and limited color palette really give this book some stunning spreads to compliment the poetry woven throughout its pages.

As always, when the entire picture book is a poem, I struggle to pick just one spread to share with you.  However, I picked one of my favorite pictures in the book (very similar to the cover) to highlight.  It’s also a turning point in this powerful poem.  I share a closeup of the text first so you can read the words first, then the full spread.

And if you’re looking for more poetry fun this month, be sure to check out the Kidlitosphere Event Roundup!