A velocity of being : letters to a young reader / edited by Maria Popova & Claudia Bedrick.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A Brain Pickings Best Children's Book of the Year
"An embarrassment of riches." -- The New York Times

An expansive collection of love letters to books, libraries, and reading, from a wonderfully eclectic array of thinkers and creators.

In these pages, some of today's most wonderful culture-makers--writers, artists, scientists, entrepreneurs, and philosophers--reflect on the joys of reading, how books broaden and deepen human experience, and the ways in which the written word has formed their own character. On the page facing each letter, an illustration by a celebrated illustrator or graphic artist presents that artist's visual response. Among the diverse contributions are letters from Jane Goodall, Neil Gaiman, Jerome Bruner, Shonda Rhimes, Ursula K. Le Guin, Yo-Yo Ma, Judy Blume, Lena Dunham, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Jacqueline Woodson , as well as a ninety-eight-year-old Holocaust survivor, a pioneering oceanographer, and Italy's first woman in space. Some of the illustrators, cartoonists, and graphic designers involved are Marianne Dubuc, Sean Qualls, Oliver Jeffers, Maira Kalman, Mo Willems, Isabelle Arsenault, Chris Ware, Liniers, Shaun Tan, Tomi Ungerer , and Art Spiegelman .

This project is woven entirely of goodwill, generosity of spirit, and a shared love of books. Everyone involved has donated their time, and all profits will go to the New York Public Library systems.

This stunning 272-page hardcover volume features a lay-flat binding to allow for greater ease of reading.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Booklist Review

This is best described by the editors themselves as an eight-year labor of love. This chunky anthology includes letters and art from 121 writers and artists in the form of poems, personal narratives, cartoons, instructions, reflections, and more. Indeed, it breaks all sorts of literary boundaries: genre, form, audience. Contributions come from a dazzling array of people: journalists (Maria Bustillos), radio hosts (Krista Tippet), film directors (Shonda Rhimes), musicians (Yo-Yo Ma), and numerous writers who share their own experiences with reading. Some sought solace, others adventure. Some read avidly as children, others grew to love books as adults. All encourage young readers to linger with stories and be moved by the experiences they encounter. Each narrative is carefully paired with an illustration by an artist selected to bring its message to life. These pairings are at once surprising and inevitable. Christian Robinson's collages depict young Jane Goodall reading in a tree, surrounded by wildlife; Mo Willems' whimsical rendering of a reader complements the posthumous entry of American psychologist Jerome Bruner. Narrative pages include short biographies of the authors, and the back matter provides information about the artists. This should live on the nightstand, be picked up regularly, and savored. A treasure trove for anyone who loves words and pictures.--Amina Chaudhri Copyright 2019 Booklist

Horn Book Review

Edited by Maria Popova and Claudia Zoe Bedrick. This aesthetically pleasing coffee-table book features 121 letters from a wide array of artists, writers, actors, musicians, and scientists, among others, addressed to young people about the influence of reading on their lives. Each letter is paired with an original illustration from an artist or graphic designer. The diversity of contributors and artistic styles elevates this anthology above its many predecessors. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.