Monday, October 1, 2007

Dogku Haiku For You


Dogku
By Andrew Clements
Illustrated by Tim Bowers
Simon & Schuster, 2007

I am a big fan of haiku books, especially ones that appeal to kids. Every year I teach haiku in the fall, mainly because my local reading association has a kids’ haiku contest. I always have some kids that enter in the contest. I purchased this story told in haiku this year so that I could use it in my 4th grade classroom.

Many of my collections of haiku are collections of haiku. That is, they stand alone and are not related to the other haiku in the book, except through a common theme. This book by Andrew Clements tells the story of a dog that a family adopts through haiku. Each haiku tells a piece of the story. Most of these haiku are very simple, geared for a younger audience, unlike some of my haiku collections, which have more profound messages.

I love this book! I like haiku that are connected in some one and that tell a story. This was no easy feat to write, I’m sure. Plus, I think it would be a great way for younger students to really get a kick out of haiku.

My favorite haiku from the book:

Scratch, sniff, eat, yawn, nap.
Dreams of rabbits and running.
Could life be sweeter?

Andrew Clements includes two other haiku and an explanation of what haiku is in his author's note at the back.

My haiku that describes this book:

Dog wants family
Haiku extravaganza
Clements hits homerun

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