#11 The Cuckoo's Haiku

Title:  The Cuckoo’s Haiku: and Other Birding Poems

Author:  Michael J. Rosen

Illustrator: Stan Fellows

Publisher:  Candlewick Press

Copyright: 2009

Pages:  61

Genre/Category:  Poetry

I chose The Cuckoo’s Haiku because I liked that it was a book centered on animals – specifically birds – and they were all written in haiku form. I like poetry well enough, but I like the conciseness of the haiku poem. The Cuckoo’s Haiku is a collection of haiku poems centered on birds and bird watching. The collection is broken up into the four seasons, with each season being represented by several birds. On every page there are informative notes about the bird featured in the haiku.

The illustrations in this book were done in watercolor and pencil. The illustrations are very colorful and vibrant. The colors leap off of the page. The illustrations vary in color from warm to cool. Lines are thin, as the illustrations are a mix of painting and pencil drawings. The illustrations are spread across two pages, with several smaller illustrations appearing in boxes on many pages. The illustrations are very realistic and are somewhat blotchy in places. There are many instances of white space with pain splatters done in blotches of color.

I feel that this book is appropriate for all ages, though I could see upper grades appreciating the book more for its vocabulary. Haiku is a short poetry form, so this book can be easily shared with younger grades. The pictures are a great focal point. I could use this book in an art lesson for an example on watercolor and pencil drawings. This book could also be incorporated in a science lesson, introducing birdwatching.