A Visit to William Blake's Inn facts for kids
Front cover
|
|
| Author | Nancy Willard |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Alice and Martin Provensen |
| Cover artist | Provensen |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Poetry, picture book |
| Publisher | Harcourt Brace & Company |
|
Publication date
|
1981 |
| Pages | 44 pp |
| ISBN | 0-15-293823-0 |
| OCLC | 7573231 |
| LC Class | PS3573.I444 V5 1981 |
A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers is a fun children's picture book. It was written by Nancy Willard and illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen. The book came out in 1981. It won the important Newbery Medal in 1982 for its writing. The illustrations also received an honor, being named a Caldecott Honor Book. This was special because it was the first time a book won the Newbery and also got a Caldecott Honor!
Contents
About the Story
The book's title gives a hint about its inspiration. Author Nancy Willard was inspired by the famous poet William Blake. He wrote two collections of poems called Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience.
How the Idea Began
Nancy Willard shared how she first learned about William Blake. When she was seven years old, she was sick. She asked her babysitter, Miss Pratt, for a story about "lions and tigers." Miss Pratt then read her Blake's poem, "The Tyger." A few days later, Willard received a copy of Blake's book, Songs of Innocence and of Experience. It had a special message: "Poetry is the best medicine."
Exploring William Blake's Inn
The book has sixteen poems, including a final one called an epilogue. These poems tell the story of a child's visit to William Blake's Inn. The visit lasts for about a day and a half.
The inn is a magical place full of wonder. It has many interesting characters. These include a Rabbit, a Rat, and a Wise Cow. You'll also meet the King of Cats and a Tiger. There's even a Man in the Marmalade Hat. Of course, William Blake himself is there too!
Poems in the Book
- William Blake’s Inn for Innocent and Experienced Travelers
- Blake’s Wonderful Car Delivers Us Wonderfully Well
- A Rabbit Reveals My Room
- The Sun and Moon Circus Soothes the Wakeful Guests
- The Man in the Marmalade Hat Arrives
- The King of Cats Orders an Early Breakfast
- The Wise Cow Enjoys a Cloud
- Two Sunflowers Move into the Yellow Room
- The Wise Cow Makes Way, Room, and Believe
- Blake Leads a Walk on the Milky Way
- When We Come Home, Blake Calls for Fire
- The Marmalade Man Makes a Dance to Mend Us
- The King of Cats Sends a Postcard to His Wife
- The Tiger Asks Blake for a Bedtime Story
- Blake Tells the Tiger the Tale of the Tailor
- Epilogue
Writing and Art Style
Nancy Willard's poems have a clear rhythm and rhyme. They are easy to understand but also have deeper meanings. You can always feel a sense of magic or a bigger universe at play.
For example, in the poem "Blake Leads a Walk on the Milky Way," most characters are amazed by the beauty of the stars. Blake rewards them with gifts of stars. But the grumpy rat only gets "a handful of dirt."
The book's pictures are fun and imaginative. They are painted using a style called gouache. The illustrations show a lot of details from Blake's England.
Music Inspired by the Book
A Visit to William Blake's Inn has also inspired music. An American composer named Dale Lyles created a song cycle based on the poems. A song cycle is a group of songs meant to be performed together.
