I confess I’m not much of a fan of pop culture-themed haiku collections. I’ve read ones based on hockey, pirates, and zombies lately, and none of those did much for me. The haiku part was always just a gimmick. And if you took away the gimmick, the poems that were left weren’t that strong, to me.
So I wasn’t all that excited to open Guyku, by Bob Raczka, ill. by Peter H. Reynolds (Houghton Mifflin, 2010). But then I started reading. I LOVE this collection. These are totally kid-friendly poems, accessible and about everyday things they might notice if they’re looking hard enough. But they’re also real haiku–seasonal, sensory, of the moment, and at least partially to do with nature. Here’s one of my favorites: Winter must be here. |
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Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect has the Poetry Friday Roundup today. Enjoy!