Mary Oliver, Holding on to Wonder

This lyrical biography of beloved American poet Mary Oliver shows young readers ages 7–10 how her love of nature and sense of wonder inspired her art.

Young Mary Oliver was enthralled by nature. In the forest, she wondered about the birds and the lilies and the water in the stream—about all the things that cannot speak yet somehow spoke to Mary. She wondered, too, about poetry, about how words pieced together filled her with light and how some poems felt like they were written just for her. How could this be?

Author Erin Frankel shows how Mary Oliver held on to that sense of wonder from her childhood, channeling it into some of the most beloved poems of the past hundred years. Frankel’s soulful writing about the creative process honors Mary Oliver and her astonishing poetry.

“A young Mary Oliver (1935–2019) is entranced by the natural world and the many questions it evokes … Frankel’s gently flowing, lyrical prose mimics some of Oliver’s work in its pacing and rhythm … the writer’s personality comes through strongly. … Lets young readers tiptoe through the wild, wonderful life of a celebrated poet.”—Kirkus Reviews

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Release date

Audiobook: 16 December 2025