Sunday, January 6, 2013

I Haiku You by Betsy Snyder

Here's an uplifting little picture book that is full of the haiku form of poetry.  It will make young and old smile.

Random House sent me a copy of this book for review (thank you).  It has been published, so check for a copy at your local bookstore now.

I don't know much about haiku poetry.  I know it's different from simple rhymes or repetitive syllables in poetry.  So I looked it up:  Haiku is an unrhymed, syllabic form adapted from the Japanese: three lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables. Because it is so brief, a haiku is necessarily imagistic, concrete and pithy, juxtaposing two images in a very few words to create a single crystalline idea. The juxtaposed elements are linked in Japanese by a kireji, or “cutting word”—poets writing haiku in English or other Western languages often use a dash or an ellipsis to indicate the break or cut between the linked images.  (From http://poetry.about.com/od/poeticforms/g/haiku.htm) 

While I wouldn't want to tackle it, this author has done a very good job of using haiku to spread a message of love and to reaffirm a child's self-confidence.  

This book would be a great book for a grandparent to share with a child.  It's an easy way to let them know they are loved and both old and young will enjoy the book.

Happy reading.  

1 comment:

Shan said...

I must admit I hated poetry writing in school, and had a hard time grasping anything that didn't rhyme, which haiku does not.
I hope this book can be a teaching tool and a fun read for all who read it.

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