Overview

A Kirkus Reviews Most Anticipated YA Books of Spring 2026 This stunning anthology of favorite poems about our relationship with the natural world, visually interpreted by acclaimed comic artist Julian Peters, breathes new life into some of the greatest poems of all time. These are poems that can change the way we see the environment. In an age of increasingly visual communication, this visual format unlocks the world of poetry and literature for a new generation of reluctant readers and visual learners. Following the seasons of the year and of life, Nature Poems to See By helps young readers see themselves differently. A valuable teaching aid for use in middle school, high school, and college, the collection includes favorites from the canon already taught in countless English classes. This sequel to the artist’s award-winning anthology Poems to See By includes adaptations of poems by Langston Hughes, William Shakespeare, Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson, Gerard Manley Hopkins, William Wordsworth, Mary Karr, Robert Frost, Edward Thomas, William Blake, Dylan Thomas, Robert Burns, Rhina P. Espaillat, Joy Harjo, Alfred L. Tennyson, Matsuo Bashō, Gwendolyn Brooks, Stevie Smith, Li Po, Carl Sandburg, Ueda Chōshū, e. e. cummings, Elizabeth Bishop, Christina Rosetti, and Philip Larkin.

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9781636081748

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Reviews

Acclaim for Poems to See By: “Comics artist Julian Peters performs a sleight-of-paintbrush, as it were, with an array of powerful verses. ... Mr. Peters writes that his motivation for translating great poetry into the visual language of comics was ‘for love of beauty.’ In this he has undoubtedly succeeded; reading Poems to See By is a stirring experience.” —The Wall Street Journal “By creating interesting juxtapositions of text, imagery, and illustration style, cartoonist Peters elevates each of the 24 visualizations of classic poems here into something much more interesting than mere translation. . . . Peters’s virtuosity as an illustrator and keen understanding of the texts included here results in a beautiful, memorable volume.” —Library Journal ""Poems to See By is a perfect fit not only for die-hard poetry fans and curious new readers – it’s also a fantastic teaching tool that any educator trying to get their students excited by poetry should pick up for their classroom.…[It]harnesses the power of lush visuals, timeless poetry, and the magical alchemy that arises when words and pictures come together to create a reading experience that’s truly unique – one which might even change the way you see poetry for good.” —The Good Men Project “By turns whimsical, chilling, and profound, Peters has created a wonderful anthology of classic poems new and old, as well as an inspiring exploration of the wide range of visual possibilities available when bringing poetry into the comics medium. After each graphic version, the poem appears in its original form, so the reader can also experience the poetry in words alone, and compare their own mental images and associations with Peters' choices.” —Gareth Hinds, creator of The Iliad and The Odyssey graphic novels “Peters’s work is a great argument for the commonalities between poetry and comic books. The lines of poetry and his comic panels hang together with an unexpected ease, as if their forward rhythms are in synch. Both the words and the images unroll across the page, visually, with the panels sometimes matching the line breaks or stanza breaks. Poetry, unlike most prose, can involve leaps of thought from line to line, which jibes with the way comics leap from panel to panel.” —The Boston Globe

Author Information

Julian Peters is an illustrator and comic book artist living in Montreal, Canada, who focuses on adapting classical poems into graphic art. His work has been exhibited internationally and published in several poetry and graphic art collections. Peters holds a master’s degree in Art History, and in 2015, served as ""Cartoonist in Residence"" at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand.

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