Book Review: Guyku: A Year of Haiku For Boys

Guyku: A Year of Haiku For Boys by Bob Raczka and Peter H. Reynolds

Reviewed by: Chris Singer

About the authors:

Bob Raczka was born in Chicago, the oldest of four boys, and grew up in the suburb of Des Plaines.

Bob Raczka’s Art Adventures is his ongoing nonfiction series published by The Millbrook Press. There are currently 14 books in the series. The latest, called Before They Were Famous: How Seven Artists Got Their Start, is a Junior Library Guild selection. He's also written a series of four books about the seasons, published by Albert Whitman: Spring Things, Summer Wonders, Who Loves the Fall? and Snowy Blowy Winter. His current love is writing children’s poetry. Upcoming titles include Lemonade and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word(Roaring Brook, Spring 2011), Fall Mixed Up (Carolrhoda, Fall 2011), and Joy in Mudville: A Casey Sequel (Carolrhoda, Spring 2012).

For more information, please visit his website: http://www.bobraczka.com.

Peter H. Reynolds is a professional writer, storyteller and illustrator. He has illustrated the Judy Moody and Stink books, written by Megan McDonald. He also owns a book and toy store called The Blue Bunny. (Peters enjoys signing books for people there—if you happen to be in Dedham Square, MA, stop on by!) And if that isn't cool enough, he also owns an animation and multimedia studio, FableVision, headquartered high atop the Boston Children's Museum. For more information, please visit his website: http://www.peterhreynolds.com.

About the book:

When you’re a guy, nature is one big playground—no matter what the season. There are puddles to splash in the spring, pine trees to climb in the summer, maple seeds to catch in the fall, and icicles to swordfight with in the winter.

Nature also has a way of making a guy appreciate important stuff—like how many rocks it takes to dam up a stream, or how much snow equals a day off from school.

So what kind of poetry best captures these special moments, at a length that lets guys get right back to tree-climbing and kite-flying? Why, guyku, of course!

My take on the book:

Poetry can sometimes be a tough sell for kids - especially for boys. I think part of the reason for the tough sell though is the stereotype that poetry is effeminate. Maybe it's not as strong a stereotype these days (or at least I hope so), but I do remember it very vividly while I was in school. As a result, even as adults we can often feel intimidated by poetry and may be hesitant to introduce poetry to boys (and girls too!).

Another fear we have about poetry is that we won't be able to understand it. Here is where the haiku comes in. Haikus are short three line poems usually based on observations of nature and outdoors. The structure of a haiku is 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second and 5 syllables again in the third. Haikus are also written in the present tense so it's a poem about something happening right now. As author, Bob Raczka mentions on their website: "From my experience, guys are always interested in what's happening right now."

Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys is haiku for boys about play, the outdoors and friendship taking place in the four seasons. These are fun and easy to understand poems boys (and girls too!) will be able to enjoy. The illustrations accompanying each haiku are brilliant and also help make these poems more accessible for young readers.

Whether at home or in the classroom, haiku is easy to teach and can be done in conjunction with drawing or other art projects as well. All sorts of themes and topics related to outdoors and play can be explored which would immediately draw the interest of boys and spark their creativity. If you're a parent or teacher, Guyku makes a great addition to your library.

By the way, the book has a phenomenal companion website with lots of extras including a how to Guyku page, gallery and teacher resources. There's also an official Guyku Club complete with your own membership certificate you can print out.

Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys
by Bob Raczka