{"id":5848,"date":"2011-11-15T00:12:26","date_gmt":"2011-11-15T04:12:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=5848"},"modified":"2011-11-15T00:14:52","modified_gmt":"2011-11-15T04:14:52","slug":"review-of-guyku-by-bob-raczka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=5848","title":{"rendered":"Review of Guyku, by Bob Raczka"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Guyku<\/p>\n

A Year of Haiku for Boys<\/em><\/p>\n

by Bob Raczka
\nillustrated by Peter H. Reynolds<\/p>\n

Houghton Books for Children, Boston, 2010. 48 pages.
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

At the end of this book, Bob Raczka explains why he wrote Guyku<\/em>, a collection of haiku for boys.<\/p>\n

“Now that I’m a grownup (sort of), I realize that haiku is a wonderful form of poetry for guys like us. Why? Because haiku is an observation of nature, and nature is a place where guys love to be….<\/p>\n

“One more thing about haiku: they’re written in the present tense. In other words, whatever happens in a haiku, it’s happening right now. From my experience, guys are always interested in what’s happening right now.<\/p>\n

“In case you were wondering, every haiku in this book is about something I did as a boy. Or something I’ve seen my own boys do. It’s the kind of stuff I — along with amazing and inspiring illustrator Peter H. Reynolds — wanted to share with guys like you.”<\/p>\n

The poems are wonderful, with a section for each of the four seasons. The illustrations beautifully capture the playful, adventurous spirit expressed in the haiku. I’ll give an example from each season, but please remember that the illustrations make them all the more wonderful!<\/p>\n

Spring:<\/p>\n

“In a rushing stream,
\nwe turn rocks into a dam.
\nHours flow by us.”<\/p>\n

Summer:<\/p>\n

“Pine tree invites me
\nto climb him up to the sky.
\nHow can I refuse?”<\/p>\n

Fall:<\/p>\n

“Hey, who turned off all
\nthe crickets? I’m not ready
\nfor summer to end.”<\/p>\n

Winter:<\/p>\n

“Winter must be here.
\nEvery time I open my
\nmouth, a cloud comes out.”<\/p>\n

Check this book out and share it with a guy in your life!<\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Childrens_Nonfiction\/guyku.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from the Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

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