Friday, August 15, 2014

Books Told in Haiku

This post provides descriptions of some of my favorite picture books told in haiku and is the third post in this series dealing with haiku poetry. The first post, Do You Haiku?, is an overview of the pros and cons of teaching kids haiku, and the second post covered Picture Books about Haiku.

Stories Told in Haiku


Dogku by Andrew Clements. This simply precious picture book is told entirely in haiku, with one haiku on each two-page spread. Many of these haiku are powerful enough to stand on their own, as each contains its own small story. The story opens with

There on the back steps,
the eyes of a hungry dog.
Will she shut the door?

and continues through the story of Mutt and his new owners, including some ups and downs along the way. This story is always a favorite with students, and I appreciate how Andrew Clements often uses words and phrases, rather than sentences, to pack his haiku full of meaning, feelings, and description.


Won Ton: a cat tale told in haiku by Lee Wardlaw and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. Of course if one shares a dogku book, one must also share a catku book. (The author's note does point out that the poems are most comparable to senryu than haiku since the focus in on "the foibles of human nature - or in this case, cat nature.") Won Ton tells a similar story to Dogku with its pet adoption theme and combines multiple poems per page told from the cat's point of view, often with humorous results.

Letmeoutletme
outletmeoutletmeout.
Wait - let me back in!

These two books would be a great text set for comparing and contrasting as well as discussing perspective and point of view. (In searching for this book, I was delighted to discover that a sequel, Won Ton and Chopstick: a cat and dog tale told in haiku, is coming out next March.)

Haiku (and Senryu) Collections


Wing Nuts: Screwy Haiku by Paul B. Janeczko and J. Patrick Lewis, illustrated by Tricia Tusa. This absurd collection of haiku (or, more accurately, senryu) relies on a series of verbal and visual puns to provide amusement and interest. Some are more obvious, while others may take another moment to decipher:

Noah Webster had
no choice except to put
the cart before the horse

The fun and foolish poems and illustrations will keep kids engaged, and the book broadens the standard topics of haiku to a wider range of ideas and amusement.


Hi, Koo! A Year of Seasons by Jon J. Muth. This charming collection of haiku (loosely defined) follows panda bear Koo as the seasons progress from fall until the following summer, and the 26 poems also each feature a letter of the alphabet in order. Jon Muth explains a little bit about haiku in his introductory Author's Note and frees himself from the constraint of perfect syllable counts.

Reading aloud
a favorite book
an audience of sparrows

Some great examples to inspire students.


Guyku: a year of haiku for boys by Bob Raczka and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. Guyku is a seasonally-organized collection of haiku inspired by the author's experiences growing up and watching his own boys grow. Each haiku is accompanied by an illustration that helps expand the story (and often adds to the humor). Each haiku stands alone, but they are all connected by the underlying progression of seasons.

How many million
flakes will it take to make a 
snow day tomorrow?

Although there is no matching "Girlku" book, both boys and girls enjoyed and appreciated the humor and connections to nature found in these haiku. Some great examples of how a small poem can tell a big story.

Do you have a favorite haiku picture book that I missed? Please share in the comments below!

This week's Poetry Friday Roundup is being curated by Heidi at My Juicy Little Universe. See the whole list of hosts at Poetry Friday by Kitlitosphere.

Picture Books Told in Haiku | The Logonauts

21 comments:

  1. I am reblogging this to my children's blog. I love this. :)

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  2. This is great, Katie. A couple of new ones for me, and a reminder that I need to pick up a copy of Hi, Koo! for the school library.

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    1. Definitely! Hi, Koo is a winner and a must have for fans of Jon Muth.

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  3. Oh, I'm going to run out and get "Wing Nuts: Screwy Haiku" ASAP! Love these books, Katie! Thanks for sharing. = )

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    1. Thanks, Bridget! This is a really fun collection, and I'm sure you'll be amused with Wing Nuts.

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  4. I have all of these books, and love them all, but Dogku is my granddauther's favorite!

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    1. Thanks, Linda! Your granddaughter has great taste - though I've always been a cat person myself. :)

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  5. I bought Hi Koo have read the rest except Dogku. I must look for that.

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    1. Cool, Catherine! You will not be disappointed with Dogku - such a sweet story!

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  6. Wing Nuts: Screwy Haiku looks like fun, Katie. I've seen the others-a nice collection right here. One of my favorites that tells a lot about haiku too is Wabi Sabi by Mark Reibstein, illustrated by Ed Young. Thanks for sharing so many books.

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    1. Thanks, Linda! I love Wabi Sabi too - I included it in the previous post, for books teaching about haiku. http://www.thelogonauts.com/2014/08/about-haiku.html Great one.

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  7. Great series of posts!

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    1. Thanks so much, Mary Lee! There are so many fun haiku books, that it's great to share.

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  8. Thanks for these! Some are new to me and my daughter and I will be checking them out.

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    1. Thanks, Karen! I am sure you will both enjoy them.

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  9. Thanks, Katie--I have been studying haiky and practicing it this summer, and this is going to be a valuable resource, when I get a chance to come back! I have heard of all of these and not read a single one. : (

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    1. Glad to help be your extra push of motivation - you will find a lot to love in these resources!

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  10. Thought you might like to know that Won Ton will have a 'friend' in March 2015! WON TON AND CHOPSTICK- A CAT AND DOG TALE TOLD IN HAIKU will be published by Holt Books for Young Readers. In this story, Won Ton's purrfect life with his boy is changed forever when the family adopts a (gasp!) dog. (Think sibling rivalry with whiskers!) I hope you'll take a peek! Best fishes, Lee Wardlaw

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    1. Glorious! I will definitely put it on my calendar and let the kids know it is coming. How exciting, thanks for letting me know!

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    2. If any copies are available for advanced review either, I would love to do a write-up on the blog!

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