This week, I had the pleasure of reading H is For Haiku: A Treasury of Haiku from A to Z by Sydell Rosenberg. Though Sydell Rosenberg is no longer with us, her daughter, Amy Losak, gathered Ms. Rosenberg's poems into an anthology. The anthology was published by Penny Candy Books in 2018, and lucky for us, Ms. Rosenberg's work lives on for all of us to read and enjoy.
This book introduces young readers to the Japanese form of poetry, haiku. It includes helpful notes by both the author and her daughter. The author had an eye for seeing the poetry in everyday experiences. Her work encourages readers to slow down and pay attention to the world around them. This anthology is a lovely introduction to haiku and a superb addition to any poetry bookshelf. Below, are a few of my favorite moments that Ms. Rosenberg's words and Ms. Chalabi's illustrations captured so beautifully.
Holding umbrellas
Children like rows of mushrooms
Glisten in the rain
Neon wings of moth
Exploding into headlights
On a country road
See what I mean? Those little/big moments are captured so vividly.
Hi For Haiku: A Treasury of Haiku From A to Z
Written by Sydell Rosenberg
Illustrated by Sawsan Chalabi
Published by Penny Candy Books
40 Pages
ISBN: 0998799971
In other news this week, I contributed a writing workout to the Teaching Author's blog.
Also, in STEAM Powered Poetry news, Heidi and I are looking for a high school senior or college class that would be willing to create 1-minute videos for our poetry vlog. Cash prizes are awarded for the best, and all videos of good quality will be published. If you teach a high school or college class and think you might want to participate, please email me at kimberlyhutmacher at gmail dot com as soon as possible. This would be a great class project leading up to National Poetry Month, and we would love to work with your group.
