Julian Peters' Poems to See By collects 24 popular poems and pairs them with illustrations drawn by Peters based on his interpretation of the poems' meanings.

I found this collection to be a refreshing reread of poems by Maya Angelou, Christina Rossetti, W.H. Auden, Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes and others. While Peters included some of the most well-known poetry taught in high school and college-level classes, he also featured lesser-covered poets and their works, which I appreciated.

Peters' idea of illustrating popular poems will be useful for English teachers and poetry readers--close readings are enhanced by being able to actually see what is going on in the scene itself. His illustrations offer new images to go along with these poems, as well as a new spin on how to interpret them in more modern times.

I was shocked at how many different art styles Peters was able to do; they not only seemed to fit the overall style and tone of the poems, but furthered the experience of the reading. It was as if continued meaning was being given to them.

Overall, this is a book I'll be recommending to faculty who teach poetry and high school English teachers. I'm excited to go out and get a finished copy when it's released in March!