On our latest library trip I picked up a copy of Guyku A Year of Haiku for Boys written by Bob Raczka and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. We have a lot of "fancy" books at our house and this looked like a fun celebration of being a boy. It did not disappoint.
The book is a series of haiku poems for each season of the year. Bob Raczka writes at the end of the book why he wrote this book about haiku for guys: "Because a haiku is an observation of nature, and nature is a place where guys love to be." One of my favorite haikus comes in the spring section -
If this puddle could
talk, I think it would tell me
to splash my sister.
I love that haiku - my brothers would have loved to do that and I can see my son hopping on that puddle as well. This is a very fun way to enjoy poetry with your boys. I think haikus are very unassuming. I read this book to my 4-year-old son and after I finished it he asked me to immediately read it again. And we did. He really enjoyed it. However, my husband saw the book on the table and picked it up and he LOVED it. The haikus are very reminiscent of a type of boy childhood that my husband definitely experienced. So while it is fun for the younger audience I think it might be even more enjoyable for older boys (or men) to laugh at the ways they enjoy(ed) nature.
7 comments:
Hi Camille! A number of people have said they like Guyku, too!
I'm imagining Calvin reciting this to Hobbes as Suzie comes down the sidewalk towards them.
It's always good to find poems that are accessible to some boys, who often profess to hate poetry. Maybe if they read this one...? Thanks for telling about it.
Love this book!
Sounds like a fun read. Would check out this book next time I visit the library. We're going to have a poetry-theme next month and it seems like a good addition to our ever-growing list of books. :)
I will be giving this one as a gift this holiday season. Thanks for your take on it!
I'm so getting this for Riley for Christmas. The clip you included sold me!
Post a Comment