HOPE IS THE THING WITH FEATHERS

One of Dickinson’s most famous poems is brought to vivid life.

A young, brown-skinned child at a window watches a brown bird, perhaps a house wren, singing colorful notes from a nearby tree. Later the bird dodges raindrops and umbrellas, emitting notes and inspiring pedestrians to look up. The bird’s song “never stops,” even as night falls over the city and a violent storm ensues. The notes become fainter, but only briefly, as the bird flies off to a warmer, brighter setting to “the chilliest land” and to a sunny harbor. Returning to the child, whose window is now open, the bird perches closer, still singing. Each page features one line of the poem, printed over full-bleed, borderless, mixed-media images. Human figures—mostly brown-skinned—are simplified against brilliant abstract backgrounds. Relying on a wide range of hues, from the glowing yellow of the book’s cover to peach and fluorescent blue to autumnal oranges and burnt sienna, with touches of bright green—the color of hope—Hopgood visually conveys the poem’s theme, slowing the pace of Dickinson’s economical lines and allowing readers to take them in. Backmatter includes a brief paragraph on Dickinson’s life, a short glossary, and a suggested activity.

Dickinson’s verse benefits from Hopgood’s full visual expression.