reveling in Grant Snider’s Poetry Comics

~ jama

We don’t usually speak of poetry and comics in the same breath. We may like and enjoy both, but tend to approach each separately on its own terms. Purists may even consider poetry and comics to be on opposite ends of the literary spectrum (gasp!).

Yet Grant Snider sees things differently. The popular “Incidental Comics” creator was keen on finding a closer connection between poetry and comics, as both “contain condensed language, strong imagery, and ideally leave the reader with a new insight.”

Author-illustrator, cartoonist, comic strip writer and orthodontist Grant Snider lives with his wife and five children in Wichita, Kansas.

Targeted for middle grade readers, Snider’s fun and inventive collection demonstrates this perfectly with an entirely new way of approaching and appreciating poetry. Did you ever think it would be possible to read a poem in a series of comic panels? Me neither. 🙂

The poems in Poetry Comics (Chronicle Books, 2024) are organized by season, with each section offering insights into the poetry writing process. Title pages inspire and direct:

Spring: “I want to put down on paper the feeling of fresh possibilities.”

Summer: “How deep can a poem go?”

Fall: “I will wait for a poem to fall into my open arms.”

Winter: “A new page — my words huddle close to keep warm.”

Each season then ends with a variation of “How to Write a Poem.”

HOW TO WRITE A POEM #1

Find a quiet place.
A sharp pencil.
A blank page.
Sit still.
Keep quiet.
Wait.
A poem will rush in to fill the space.

Many of the poems are about nature (snails, tadpoles, butterflies, trees), while others examine universal human emotions and observations via kid-centric activities like running through sprinklers, waiting for the school bus, playing basketball, riding on roller coasters, climbing trees, reading good books, picking the perfect pumpkin, playing in the snow. Each poem is a sensorial impression of the here and now.

TO A SNAIL

Go slow, snail,
Explore.
Stretch your tiny horns.
When I reach out
you curl up
into your shell's bronze coil.
I want to be like you
and retreat
from the messiness
of this world.

Disarming, accessible, and layered with heart and quiet humor, the poems don’t shy away from tough emotions like fear, anxiety, and frustration in addition to reveling in moments of pure joy and delight.

ALIGHT

How do the birds
decide where
to alight?
How does an idea
choose which mind
to ignite?
A flock seeks
outstretched 
branches.
An idea seeks
attentive ears
and eyes.
And a heart
that is open.

Ultimately, the central focus is on growing, becoming, creating. There is value in introspection, self-reflection, looking inward and outward, ultimately noting that everything is worthy of careful attention. And what better way to document one’s revelations than by writing poems?

BUBBLES

Sometimes I wish
a good moment
would last forever --
that I could always live
in a world
of gleaming color.
But every perfect moment
is gone in an instant.
Let's pause to admire
this moment.

Kids will feel heard, reassured, amused and energized. I love the sense of self empowerment and the open-hearted invitation to play, explore, dream, imagine, and embrace the wonders of the natural world. There are poems about building confidence, recognizing the value of practice and persistence, and having the courage to step outside one’s comfort zone. And then there’s reveling in the sheer beauty of “a festival of fireflies” or comparing a night in the country to “a sparkling sea.”

FESTIVAL

In the not-quite-dark
first night of summer
one light blinks on
then another.
Tiny lanterns
glow and rise --
a festival of fireflies.

Throughout, Snider demonstrates his intuitive knack for creating crackerjack synergies between words and images, as he follows each line of thought to its satisfying conclusion. The size and shape of the panels themselves — square, rectangular, round, horizontal, vertical or full page — vary to amplify each mini narrative, while simple pen and marker drawings colored digitally engage and delight. Sometimes a group of panels collectively form a larger image (as in the cover of the book, which shows a tree in all four seasons).

My favorites include “Hive Mind” with its hexagonal panels depicting how it feels to be confined as student ‘worker bees,’ “Bookshelf,” where the panels are divided by book spines, and “Bored Game,” where the text is laid out along the meandering path of a board game template as a boy travels from start to finish.

Snider also employs traditional literary devices such as metaphor, repetition and alliteration. Poetic forms? Ode, haiku, list poem, elegy and my favorite, the autumn abecedarian! Snider occasionally rhymes, but mostly writes in free verse. How fun to read this one aloud:

SNOW SONG

The snow snakes down
the street
falls in fat flakes
brightens black branches
buries blue bicycles
preserves perfect footprints
piles up in parking lots
melts the next morning
gurgles into gutters
hides in the shadows,
hoping
for 
spring.

Thoroughly refreshing, upbeat, and irresistible, Poetry Comics is highly recommended for poetry lovers, poetry phobics, reluctant readers and visual learners, all of whom will joyfully embrace Snider’s unintimidating format. Best of all, most will likely want to try writing and drawing their own poems — all year long.

A YEAR OF POETRY

Every day I wait
for the muse to visit.
Some days . . . 
nothing happens.
I wonder
Should I give up writing?
But on days
when the page ignites
in a blaze of creativity
I realize --
the muse
is always with me.

*

POETRY COMICS
written and illustrated by Grant Snider
published by Chronicle Books, March 2024
Poetry Collection/Graphic Novel for ages 8-12, 96pp.
**Starred Reviews** from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly

Amazon
Bookshop

♥️ See Grant’s “How to Make Poetry Comics” webpage for some exercises to get you started.

♥️ Bonus Abecedarian: This one’s not included in the book, but I love it so had to share. Grant’s comics are addictive: seemingly simple yet profound.

*

Lovely and talented Carol Varsalona is hosting the Roundup at BeyondLiteracyLink. Pop on over to check out the full menu of poetic goodness being served up around the blogosphere this week. Enjoy your weekend!

*Interior spreads from Poetry Comics, text and illustrations copyright © 2024 Grant Snider, published by Chronicle Books. All rights reserved.

***Copyright © 2025 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.

41 thoughts on “reveling in Grant Snider’s Poetry Comics”

  1. I love this concept of mingling poetry and comic art! Thanks for brightening my morning. It’s just getting light out. Friday in February in all its glory waiting for a new covering of white marshmallow snow to frost its brownie sweetness!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It truly is a great idea — makes poetry a lot less intimidating for kids who are primarily visual learners — and a lot more fun for everyone.

      Like

  2. What a great concept to introduce kids to poetry through comics. This gives me some ideas for using this concept at the summer grief camp for kids where I volunteer each year. Thank you!

    Liked by 1 person

      1. I’m always looking for ideas and ways to engage kinds, especially those who have experienced a loss of a family member, parent, friend, or animal. Thank you!

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Pingback: chronological book review archive (2008-2024) | Jama's Alphabet Soup

  5. I love Grant Snyder’s work, Jama, and have followed him for a long time. And, I have this book, turn to it often for a love interlude in my day! Thanks for sharing more from the book. I love “Bubbles” so much! Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Oh, Jama, what a treasure this is! Grant Snider is new to me. And as I often say as I come away from one of your posts, “I need to run this one past my daughter, the youth services librarian!” 😀 ❤️

    Liked by 1 person

  7. So brilliant! I want this book! “Crackerjack synergies”, wow! Congrats, Grant, and many thanks, Jama, for this day/week/year brightener!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. One can’t help but feel happy when reading poetry comics. Plus, a poetry writing, comic book making orthodontist is pretty cool in itself.

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  8. My first post did not take- let me try again. Hope this isn’t a dup 😉

    Thank you a hundred times for sharing this beautiful book, I had not heard of Grant and will definitely be following his work. So inspiring to see the meshing of his art and text. With the popularity of graphic novels, this is a perfect way to expose children to our work. LOVE!

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Thank you for reminding me about this book, Jama!! I requested it from the library when it first came out, but didn’t get to pick it up on time. Re-requesting it now. It looks so good!

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Jama, thank you for highlighting Grant Snider here. What a lovely collection of his work. I follow him on Instagram, and I always love reading his poetry comics. I haven’t got his book yet, but now I want it all the more!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Great to hear you like and use this book with your students. Haven’t seen Grant’s substack — will have to take a look. Thanks!

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  15. I love this book, Poetry Comics, so much I went to school yesterday and put it on order. I can’t wait for it to come in so that I can share it with my students. Thanks so much for sharing it.

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Thank you for shining a spotlight on Grant Snider as poet! I adore his work and was lucky enough to get a copy of POETRY COMICS signed at NCTE. That freed me up to give the copy I already owned to the niblings, who love graphic novels and will now get a dose of poetry like the spinach that’s cooked into brownies!

    Liked by 1 person

  20. Jama, your blog introduces a new poet with a twist that I think is fabulous. Grant’s work is fun and will be entertaining to students. Children already like comics so a poetry comic book sounds wonderful. Thank you for sharing this.

    I am sorry my response is late in coming.

    Liked by 1 person

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