"Are you a scientist?" I ask.

Marianne stops writing and looks up. "No, I'm not a scientist -- I'm a poet."

"Oh," I reply. I've never met a poet before. "What, exactly, does a poet do?" I ask her.

"For me, being a poet begins with watching."

On a trip to the zoo, young Jonathan returns a lost hat to Marianne, a woman who wears all black and scribbles notes in a little book. When Marianne invites him to tour the zoo with her, Jonathan makes a new friend and learns that he too can write poetry.

With lighthearted illustrations and a poetically told story, this picture book about poet Marianne Moore offers readers a glimpse of the writing process and encourages them to become writers too.