Mary Oliver, Holding on to Wonder

By Erin Frankel

This lyrical picture book biography of beloved American poet Mary Oliver shows young readers ages 7 - 10 how her love of nature and sense of wonder inspired her art.

Young Mary Oliver was enthralled by nature. In the forest, she wondered about the birds and the lilies and the water in the stream--about all the things that cannot speak yet somehow spoke to Mary. She wondered, too, about poetry, about how words pieced together filled her with light and how some poems felt like they were written just for her. How could this be?

Author Erin Frankel shows how Mary Oliver held on to that sense of wonder from her childhood, channeling it into some of the most beloved poems of the past hundred years. Illustrator Jasu Hu's lush nature scenes beautifully complement Frankel's soulful writing about the creative process. Together text and art honor Mary Oliver and her astonishing poetry.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1662680821
• ISBN13: 9781662680823
• Release Date: October 2025
• Publisher: Calkins Creek Books
• Length: 48 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Age Range: 7 to 10 years
• Grade Range: Grades 2 to 5

Customer Reviews

Joy and wonder in poetry

Mary Oliver is an American poet known for her continuing joy and feelings of awesome wonder at the incredible world of nature. She enjoyed poetry and learned to share with others the awesomeness of the natural world through poetry. The illustrations by Jasu Hu are intricate, imaginative, and meaningful in brushed colors. Well suited for reading alone or WITH someone of any age, including ESL, and great for gifting to EVERYone, but especially to a school, waiting room, or your local public library! I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital galley from Astra Publishing House | Calkins Creek via NetGalley. *****review #bookbub #goodreads #storygraph @librarythingofficial #MaryOliverHoldingontoWonder by @erinfrankelwrites and illustrated by @jasuhuart #maryoliver @astrakidsbooks #CalkinsCreek #NetGalley #Astrapublishing @childrensbookcouncil #nature #storytelling #picturebook #illustration #imagination #sharing #caring #changinglives #kidlit#watercolors #bookshop_org #bookshop_org_uk #indiebookstoresca #kindness #hope #poetry #illustration #picturebook #poetry #picturebookillustration #childrensbook #wonder #naturebooksforkids #naturebooksforkids #nonfictionbooksforkids #nonfictionpicturebooks