New Books Network Renée LaTulippe, "Limelight: Curtain Up on Poetry Comics" (Charlesbridge Moves, 2025)
Dec 5, 2025
Renée LaTulippe, a children's author and poet, dives into her latest creation, *Limelight: Curtain Up on Poetry Comics*. She explores the theatrical elements that bring children's books to life, discussing her unique mask poems that give voice to the theater. Renée also shares insights on the importance of lyrical writing in read-alouds and advocates for free verse's musicality. Additionally, she gives a sneak peek into her upcoming nonfiction book, *Music in the Trees*, while reflecting on the performance aspects of picture books.
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Theater Life Fueled The Book
- Renée wrote Limelight from her decades of theater experience and teaching.
- She says the book felt inevitable given her long, varied theater life.
Visual Structure Mirrors Theatrical Arc
- Limelight is structured like a three-act production with color progression across acts.
- Chuck Gonzalez's graphic-novel art drives the narrative from two-color to full color in Act Three.
Mask Poems Built For Performance
- All 24 poems are mask poems that give voice to theater elements and objects.
- Each poem is performable as a monologue or dialogue, suitable for staging as a whole production.
