Welcome to week two of Read, Discuss, Do's poetry celebration! This week we are encouraging you to read, discuss, and write haiku, a Japanese poetic form made up of 3 lines. A traditional haiku is often about something in nature, but it doesn't have to be.
Dogku by Andrew Clements and Wonton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw (illustrated by Eugen Yelchin) are both stories about pets told in a series of haiku. Also look for its companion book, Wonton and Chopstick: A Cat and Dog Tale Told in Haiku. And be sure to keep reading for an example of a "catku" that Lee was kind enough to share especially for this post!
Whoo-ku Haiku by Maria Gianferrari (illustrated by Jonathan Voss) is also a story told in a series of haiku. More true to the traditional haiku in subject matter, the story is about a family of great horned owls.
In Lion of the Sky by Laura Purdie Salas (illustrated by Mercè López) the haiku are also riddle poems!
A few other haiku books:
Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys by Chris Raczka (illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds)
If Not for the Cat by Jack Prelutsky (illustrated by Ted Rand)
I Haiku You by Betsy Snyder
Here are some examples of haiku:
Colorful leaves drift
streaming bits of confetti
fall's celebration
© Rebecca J. Gomez
Blind Tom hunched at old
hole, poised to pounce for so long -
slips into a nap
© Lee Wardlaw
Two miles. Heart pumping.
Wind rushing, affirmation
....I forgot my gloves.
© Samantha Coté
Are you ready to write your own now? Feel free to share your (or your kids') haiku in the comments.
About the poets:
Rebecca J. Gomez is the founder of Read, Discuss, Do!, an author, and a poet. Find out more about her and her books at www.rebeccajgomez.com.
Lee Wardlaw is an award-winning author and poet. Her book Wonton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku won the Lee Bennet Hopkins Poetry Award and the Myra Cohn Livingston Poetry Award, and many others. Wonton and Choptstick: A Cat and Dog Tale Told in Haiku was an NCTE Notable Poetry Book and it won the Booksource Scout Award for Poetry. Find out more about Lee and her books at her website, leewardlaw.com.
Samantha Coté is an outspoken poet and blogger, and the daughter of Rebecca J. Gomez. You can read more of her musings at her blog, thoughtmoot.blogspot.com.
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