Originally published in the 1990s and recognized as one of Brazil’s most successful and acclaimed poetry collections for children, Poetry Is Something We Make Up returns in a new edition featuring fresh illustrations and previously unpublished poems. Through whimsical characters, unexpected situations, and playful language, the book invites readers to discover poetry as a space for imagination, curiosity, and invention. A hiccuping turtle, a three-headed snake, and a fisherman who swaps his hook for a question mark are just some of the memorable figures that populate its pages.

Written by Fernando Paixão, a poet, literary scholar, and recipient of major Brazilian literary awards including the Jabuti Prize, the APCA Award, and the FNLIJ Award, the collection explores rhyme, wordplay, sound patterns, figurative language, and visual poetry. Many of the poems are metapoetic, reflecting on the very act of creating poetry while celebrating the unique logic and creativity of childhood.

Jaca’s illustrations expand the poems through rich visual storytelling. Letters, numbers, and graphic elements become part of the artwork, blurring the boundaries between text and image in ways that echo children’s own playful relationship with language. Across the book, poems flow, climb, fall, and transform on the page, creating a dynamic reading experience that encourages readers not only to read poetry, but to invent it themselves.