by Alison

I am reposting this review which was written last year. Hanukkah Haiku is a great book that  has helped my daughter Penny and I get into the “Festival of Lights” spirit for the second year in a row.  Happy Hanukkah everyone!

Life gets a little complex in our household around the winter holidays. My husband is Jewish while I was raised with Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. And since Christmas can be pervasive around this time of year, we make a special effort to highlight Hanukkah in our household.

So I was thrilled to receive this great gift in the mail for Penny from her Grandma. Hanukkah Haiku, written by Marriet Ziefert and illustrated by Karla Gudeon, is a wonderful addition to our Hanukkah activities.

Hanukkah Haiku is a beautifully illustrated book that is perfectly suited for young children. It counts out the eight days and nights of Hanukkah through the imagery of the candles on the menorah and an accompanying haiku.

And I may be biased here, but Hanukkah Haiku is now my favorite Hanukkah book for young children. Through the simplicity of seventeen syllables the beauty of Hanukkah is clearly illustrated and functions as a wonderful introduction to the customs of this holiday. For example, with this haiku I was able to teach my two year old about the Shammash candle:

Two candles tonight.

Daddy holds the Shammash high.

It lights the others.

Penny has also learned about the excitement of the gift of gelt - gold coins (which in today’s world means shiny foiled chocolate coins). And so she especially enjoyed this haiku!

Five candles tonight.

Uncle gives a gift of gelt.

The coins are shiny.

The vibrant folksy illustrations are also a wonderful touch. With pictures of happy parents, uncle, grandparents and children enjoying latkas, dreidels, music and the beauty of the menorah, Hanukkah Haiku is charmingly festive.

And so yes, I’m feeling festive! We’ve been so busy enjoying the holidays that it has taken me to the 5th day of Hanukkah to publish this little review but all is good.

Happy Holidays everyone!

by Alison

There’s something about autumn that makes me feel like hanging out at the library. With the onset of the school year I’m feeling scholarly even if that means I spend most of my time with my 3 year old daughter in the children’s section.

And so in between looking for new Olivia books as well as classic Dr. Seuss we were lucky to find our way to haiku.

Dog-ku is a beautiful picture book about a stray dog written entirely in 5-7-5 haiku.

The dog, Mooch, needs a home, or as it says on the inside cover:

A tale in haiku

of one adorable dog.

Let’s find him a home.

One day, Mooch wanders up to a family’s back door. On a whim, the mother lets him in, almost as though she is trying him on for size.

The colorful illustrations show Mooch enjoying several serene moments in his new life. One one page, Mooch takes a nap in the sun while lying on the back stoop. On another, he gets to go for a ride in the car and stick his head out the window.

Nose out the window,

ears flapping, hair pushed straight back.

Adventures in smell.

But it’s not all puppy kisses. Mooch has more than a few bad-dog moments. He tears up the garbage. He chews on some socks. Will his antics get him kicked out or will he get to stay in this warm house with these nice people?

You’ll have to read the book to find out, but I shall say that this book of 5-7-5 puppy capers certainly resonated with Penelope who would often shout out during the story “That’s like Yuki!”.

The writer, well-known children’s author Andrew Clements, says in the book’s end notes that he thought a picture book would be the perfect medium for haiku. A haiku, he writes, is like a small vase, and so is a picture book. In both formats, the writer has very limited space to tell a story and must make sure every word counts.

Now, I can only hope he writes a picture book in haiku about a cat.

by Kelly

Sometimes, even the easiest things can seem so complicated.

Take haiku. Perhaps you’re new to haiku and you’re seeking a simple description about the poetry form. You want to know where haiku comes from, what a haiku is supposed to mean, and if there are any rules you need to follow.

Do a Google search on any of these topics and you’re likely to become so overwhelmed that you’ll lose your creative drive to write your own haiku.

Enter a new book by Valerie Bodden called Poetry Basics: Haiku. The haiku title is just one in a series of four books by Bodden, all with the title Poetry Basics. The series also features concrete poetry, limericks and nursery rhymes.

The haiku version explains the origins of haiku in straight-forward language before explaining how the form was introduced to Western culture.

The book explains the reasoning behind the 5-7-5 syllable rule, but also opens the door to “free form” haiku, or uncounted English-language haiku, encouraging readers to first try out the counted version before revising their haiku into something less rigid.

The author also explains the concept of a cutting word, or a break in the language of the haiku that divides the poem into two ideas.

She also emphasises the nature theme then moves on to explain that a haiku which is not about nature, but about people instead, is called senryu.

While the book is clearly a picture book meant for children, I must say I found it helpful to read. It reminded me of haiku points I’d already known but had forgotten.

If you’re seeking a resource to explain the very basics of haiku, this might be a title to put on your library list — even if you are an adult.

And if you’re a teacher or a school librarian this is definitely a resource that would get used.

If you want more ideas about teaching haiku to kids, check out this listing of picture books on the topic:

Haiku Picture Books for Kids

It’s that time of year again: summer vacation.

School is out, kids are jazzed and parents are wondering how to channel all that young-blood energy into something creative and productive.

We know! Why don’t you teach those kids to write haiku?

With that idea in mind, we’ve compiled a list a picture books that are either written entirely in haiku or incorporate haiku in some manner.

Asian Arts and Crafts for Creative Kids: Haiku
By Patricia Donegan

Even though this book is billed as one for kids, as an adult interested in the ways of haiku, I found myself paying close attention as I turned each page.

If the world of haiku is completely new, this book is a great starting place. It gives a brief history of haiku and also offers easy to understand instructions as to exactly what makes a haiku.

Learning activities give kids the first line of a haiku and encourage them to fill in the rest, making the writing of haiku more of a game than a serious endeavor and allowing children to feel successful with the genre right off the bat.

The book also suggests several activities designed to get kids outside. It teaches kids how to take a “haiku” walk and offers an entire chapter about how to combine haiku with paintings or drawings.

If you’re a parent looking for intelligent art projects to do with your kids, a teacher looking for classroom ideas, or a student looking for crafty things you can make on your own, this is a great book.

One Leaf Rides the Wind
By Celeste Davidson Mannis
Illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung

Follow a young girl as she explores a Japanese garden. On page one, she sees one leaf blowing in the wind. On page two, she notices two foo dogs. On page three, she spies three bonsai trees.

And so the story goes all the way to ten, making this a counting book combined with a haiku book. Each haiku describes the items the young girl has discovered, and each haiku is written in 5-7-5 format. The illustrations offer detailed views of a Japanese garden.

If there’s a Japanese garden in your neck of the woods, this would be a fun book to read in conjunction with a visit there.

Even if there isn’t a Japanese garden nearby, surely there is a park. Share this book with your child before going and then create your own version when you get home. In your park you see one slide, two picnic tables, etc. Challenge yourselves to write each item in haiku!
Author web site of Celeste Davidson Mannis

Wabi Sabi
By Mark Reibstein
Illustrated by Ed Young

The idea of “wabi sabi” is an ancient Japanese concept. It means, more or less, that you are able to appreciate the beauty in simple, everyday items or moments that might be missed by most. For example, if you think that the nicks and chips in a piece of pottery are pretty, then you have found wabi sabi.

In this gorgeously illustrated picture book, a cat named Wabi Sabi sets out to try and discover the meaning of her name.

Her journey takes her across Japan. Along the way, she stops to contemplate both the man-made and the natural beauty of the island. For example, she wonders at both the lights of Tokyo and a bamboo forest.

The author combines prose and haiku to tell the tale, which makes the book’s story line easier to understand for a younger audience.

There is a fantastic mini-film about the making of Wabi Sabi that interviews both the author and illustrator posted on YouTube. You can see it here:
Mark Reibstein: Wabi Sabi

Grass Sandals: The Travels of Basho
By Dawnine Spivak
Illustrated by Demi

This book can be approached in two different ways.

First, it could simply be read as a picture book about a man named Basho who one day decided to lock up his hut and set out on a walking trip across the island of Japan.

As you might expect in a picture book, there is text on each page that propels the story. In this case, the text tells you about the things Basho encountered on his walking trip – an old pine tree, cherry blossoms, kind strangers who shared their food. The illustrations support the story line and are interesting to look at.

On the other hand, if you wanted to use the book as a teaching tool, that is a possibility, too. After all, Basho was a real person; he was the original haiku master. This makes Grass Sandals a biography and in that case, the book can be used to explain the origins of haiku. Sprinkled throughout the book are nine haiku written by Basho in the course of his travels.

If Not for the Cat
By Jack Prelutsky
Illustrated by Ted Rand

Jack Prelutsky is a recognized name in the realm of contemporary children’s poetry. Here, he takes on haiku.

Each of the seventeen haiku in this book is about animals. There is a haiku about a rattlesnake, another about an eagle, and still another about a sloth.

Prelutsky’s haiku follow the 5-7-5 format and each is presented as a riddle. The answer to each riddle-haiku is the illustration on the page.

Each illustration is given a two-page spread, ensuring young children will engage with the big, bold pictures.

For older students, it would be fun to remove the haiku from the book and the illustrations, asking them to solve the riddle-haiku in small groups. Only after solving the riddles can they see the book to check their answers.
Author web site of Jack Prelutsky

Today and Today: Haiku by Issa
By Kobayashi Issa
Illustrated by G. Brian Karas

“Haiku,” writes illustrator G. Brian Karas in his introduction, “tries to capture a single moment, like a snapshot of time or a feeling, in a way that reveals the beauty of that moment and what it tell us about life.”

Well said. In fact, when people ask me to explain haiku, I often start with the idea of a single photograph. A haiku is like a camera, I say. Its job is not to capture everything. Its job is to capture a fleeting moment that you want to remember because it added meaning, depth or beauty to your life.

And this is, really, the only way to approach this book. If you pick up a copy of Today and Today thinking that you’ve picked up a bedtime story, you’ll probably be disappointed for that is not what it is.

It is, though, a collection of sixteen haiku, all written by Issa, a haiku master who lived in Japan during the 1700s. The haiku are divided into the four seasons and presented with images that illustrate the idea behind each poem. Because the haiku were translated from Japanese, not all of them fit the 5-7-5 construct.

This book would work best with older children and would be a particularly great tool if you were teaching the traditional purpose of haiku.

Cool Melons Turn to Frogs: The Life and Poems of Issa
By Matthew Gollub
Illustrated by Kazuko G. Stone

Poor Issa! After reading this book, your heart will break for him. What a tragic life he led!

First his mother died when he was just three. Then enter nasty stepmother. At the age of 14, his father cast him out, alone and penniless, into the world. And it only gets worse from there. Luckily, Issa had haiku.

Issa, one of Japan’s most beloved haiku masters, wrote over 20,000 haiku in the course of his life. This book presents 33 of them.

These haiku are spaced between portions of text that tell Issa’s life story. In this way, the haiku are easily understood as they seem to relate to what was happening in his life. Pretty pictures also illustrate each haiku. End notes share further detail about a handful of the haiku included.

This book is a beautiful biography that could be used during a unit on haiku, poetry, Japan or famous authors/people. As Issa’s life was quite dramatic, his story would even hold the attention of older students. Very young children would probably have a hard time sitting still for its duration, though, as it is longer than most picture books.
Haiku Lesson Plan (pdf) on author’s web site