A gently worded, soft-hued picture book shows how Dr. Williams’s patient, African American Thaddeus Marshall, served as the inspiration for his famous short poem about the red wheelbarrow. Lisa Rogers spins out fascinating information about William Carlos Williams and his medical practice, as she shows him going through his daily work, pausing in spare moments to observe the things and people around him that often inspired his poems. The pacing and the rhythm of her text is perfect, particularly as she describes the doctor at work by contrasting his activities with those of Thaddeus Marshall. The muted illustrations give a sense of both the gentle spirit of the poet and of the rainy day that is such an important backdrop to the poem. Williams’s poems, particularly “The Red Wheelbarrow” and “This Is Just to Say,” are already familiar to many children, whether through other children’s books or poetry units. In addition to giving young readers some biographical information on the poet, the book also introduces them to the process he used to write, especially addressing the common question: “Where do you get your ideas?” (Ages 5–9)

This simple nonfiction picture book about the beloved American poet William Carlos Williams is also about how being mindful can result in the creation of a great poem like "The Red Wheelbarrow"--which is only sixteen words long.

"Look out the window. What do you see? If you are Dr. William Carlos Williams, you see a wheelbarrow. A drizzle of rain. Chickens scratching in the damp earth." The wheelbarrow belongs to Thaddeus Marshall, a street vendor, who every day goes to work selling vegetables on the streets of Rutherford, New Jersey. That simple action inspires poet and doctor Williams to pick up some of his own tools--a pen and paper--and write his most famous poem.

In this lovely picture book, young listeners will see how paying attention to the simplest everyday things can inspire the greatest art, as they learn about a great American poet.