Boo! Haiku

by Deanna Caswell, Bob Shea (Illustrator)

Overview

A witch, a bat, a skeleton, a jack-o’-lantern, a ghost, and other Halloween friends are all hiding in the pages of this clever book. Deanna Caswell’s playful haiku cleverly hint at the creatures revealed after each turn of the page while Bob Shea’s bright illustrations capture the scary silliness.

Enjoy frights that delight while enjoying the satisfying rhythms of haiku.

Here’s a spooky haiku just for you!
broom across the moon
pointed hat at the window
hair-raising cackle
Can you guess who from this haiku?

“Gorgeous poetry, vibrant illustrations, and masterful use of the page turn.” —Kirkus, starred review

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419721182
Publisher:	Abrams Appleseed
Publication date:	08/16/2016
Pages:	24
Product dimensions:	4.30(w) x 1.30(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Deanna Caswell’s picture books include First Ballet (Disney, 2009) and Beach House (Chronicle, 2015). A mother of five, she founded the blog Little House in the Suburbs.


Bob Shea is an acclaimed children’s book author who has written and illustrated over a dozen picture books, including the Dinosaur vs. series and Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great. Shea’s characters have appeared on Playhouse Disney, PBS Kids, and Nick Jr. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, Colleen, and their son, Ryan. He and Colleen own Perfectly Nice, a graphic design studio.

Editorial Reviews

08/01/2016
Caswell and Shea follow their recent Guess Who, Haiku with another poetry-based guessing game, using haiku to hint at the identities of 10 Halloween standbys. There are some especially lovely haikus in the mix, and they often strike a pleasing balance between evocative language and casual phrasings: a pumpkin is “an orange porch pal/ scooped for pie and roasted seeds/ a candlelit grin,” while a ghost is “footsteps without feet/ woo-ooo-ing in the basement/ heavy chains floating.” Playing inky black against bold shades of olive, mustard, and violet, Shea opts for treats over tricks, creating smiley and wholly unthreatening portraits of witches, spiders, scarecrows, owls, and more. A closing note includes information about the haiku form, including the “element of play” common to many of them and the concept of syllables. Ages 3–5. Illustrator’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"With its cheerful colors, welcoming smiles, and predictable, participatory pattern, this ghoulish gathering is more friendly than frightful."

The Horn Book

"This just begs to be read aloud to a group of preschoolers, who won't be able to help shouting out their answers. More please."—Kirkus

"There are some especially lovely haikus in the mix, and they often strike a pleasing balance between evocative language and casual phrasings... Playing inky black against bold shades of olive, mustard, and violet, Shea opts for treats over tricks, creating smiley and wholly unthreatening portraits of witches, spiders, scarecrows, owls, and more."—Publishers Weekly

"With its cheerful colors, welcoming smiles, and predictable, participatory pattern, this ghoulish gathering is more friendly than frightful."—The Horn Book

"This picture book is just as clever as the first collection and just as much fun."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

09/01/2016
PreS—A Halloween-themed follow-up to Guess Who Haiku. This picture book is just as clever as the first collection and just as much fun. Caswell's various haiku provide enough clues ("broom across the moon," coupled with Shea's simple and graphic black hat) that preschoolers will be able to guess the answers ("Boo! It's a witch!") before they turn the page. Even the endpapers have graphic Halloween appeal. VERDICT This interactive title would be great to use in seasonal programs or for classroom writing prompts. Recommended for purchase.—Sarah Wilsman, Bainbridge Library, Chagrin Falls, OH

School Library Journal

2016-07-20
In their second collaboration, Caswell and Shea use the same format as in their Guess Who, Haiku (2016) to ask readers to identify some common Halloween creatures.Each turn of the page presents children with a new haiku and asks them to guess whom the poem is about: “broom across the moon / pointed hat at the window / hair-raising cackle.” A simple graphic in a circle on the page gives a visual clue (in this case, a black, pointy hat), but children will have to use their listening skills to identify the witch, revealed with the page turn. The witch then presents listeners with a new haiku. The other Halloween creatures include a bat, a skeleton, a jack-o’-lantern, a ghost, a black cat, a spider, an owl, a scarecrow, and “YOU!”—aka trick-or-treaters. Shea’s digital pictures are perfect for little listeners, with spare, bright backgrounds and just enough detail for identification. A final page explains the poetic form and what a syllable is. As with the first, this just begs to be read aloud to a group of preschoolers, who won’t be able to help shouting out their answers. More please. (Picture book/poetry. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews