Magic words Book

Nine poems, inspired by Inuit tales, celebrate the time when the earth and sky began to take shape. Once, in the Far North, words could work magic. People could become any animal they imagined. Weather was born of a child's fancy, and rainbows marked the threshold of a new frontier. Edward Field's mystical creation poems explore that long-ago place with grace, humor, and warmth. Stefano Vitale's dazzling images, painted on wood, bark, and stone, complete this celebration of the beauty and magic to be found in our natural world.

Edward Field's work has consistently garnered awards and accolades. A recipient of the Prix de Rome and a Guggenheim Fellowship, he has published seven volumes of poetry, and his essays and poems have appeared in publications including The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, and Kenyon Review. Mr. Field lives in New York City. Stefano Vitale is the acclaimed illustrator of many books for children, including the Aesop Prize winner Nursery Tales from Around the World, selected and retold by Judy Sierra. Born and raised in the Italian city of Padua, he now lives with his family in New York.

A collection of poems based on songs and stories gathered by Knud Rasmussen on the Fifth Thule Expedition, which recorded Inuit legends about the universe and its creation.