Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What the Road Said | 2021 | Cleo Wade | Buy |
| 2 | May You Love and Be Loved: Wishes for Your Life | 2024 | Cleo Wade | Buy |
What the Road Said arrived in 2021 and introduced Cleo Wade to a younger audience, translating the warmth and affirmative spirit of her adult poetry into picture book form. The book addresses the anxiety of new beginnings through a conversation between a child and the road ahead, using simple language and an encouraging voice to speak directly to young readers about uncertainty and courage.
May You Love and Be Loved, published in 2024, continues in the same spirit, framing wishes for a child’s life in Wade’s characteristic short, lyrical lines. Both books carry the visual dimension that picture books require, and the writing is calibrated to work both for children hearing the words and for adults reading them aloud.
For fans of Cleo Wade’s adult poetry who want something to share with younger family members, these books offer a natural entry point. They are also a good first introduction to her writing for anyone who encounters them as standalone children’s books.