2024 picture book a face is a poem is written and illustrated by Julie Morstad. That name is enough, or should be: I shouldn’t have to say anything more. Everything I’ve seen and read by Morstad is lovely, intelligent, and, as this book’s title suggests, poetic.
In this case, this book is poetic meditation on faces: what they mean, what they look like, where you can see them, pretend to see them, imagine seeing them or re-see them. There isn’t really a story here. Instead, this is a meandering and sometimes surreal exploration of faces. I sighed at times when reading, and sometimes stroked the page.
Kids who need stories won’t embrace this as closely as more open-minded kids, but otherwise, there’s only good to say here. The art feels like each page could be part of a museum exhibit on faces for adults.
A face may be a poem, but this book is definitely a multisensory poem.
