Kiyoshi's Walk

by Mark Karlins, Nicole Wong (Illustrator)

Overview

Where do poems come from? This beautiful picture book about a young aspiring poet and his grandfather shows that the answer lies all around us--if we take the time to look.

After Kiyoshi watches his grandfather, Eto, compose his delicate haiku, he wonders out loud: "Where do poems come from?" His grandfather answers by taking him on a walk through their city, where they see a cat perched on a hill of oranges; hear the fluttering of wings; imagine what's behind a tall wall; and discuss their walk, with each incident inspiring a wonderful new haiku from Eto. As Kiyoshi discovers that poems come from the way the world outside of us meets the world within each of us, he also finds the courage to write a haiku of his own.

This lovely book will speak to any reader who treasures poetry, city life, grandparents, or the beauty of the everyday.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620149881
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books
Publication date:	03/09/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	80 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

About the Author

Mark Karlins was the author of six picture books, two books of poetry for adults, and a number of reviews and essays on poetry. He ran poetry workshops for children and teenagers and also taught at a number of colleges, including the MFA Program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. He lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico and passed away in January of 2022.

Nicole Wong is a full-time illustrator with a BFA degree from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her twenty-plus books include Three Lost Seeds: Stories of Becoming; No Monkeys, No Chocolate; and illustrations for Andrea Cheng's Only One Year, published by Lee & Low Books. She lives in Fall River, Massachusetts, with her husband, daughter, two sleepy cats and two hyperactive dogs. Please visit her on the Web at nicole-wong.com.

Nicole Wong is a full-time illustrator with a BFA degree from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her twenty-plus books include Three Lost Seeds: Stories of Becoming; No Monkeys, No Chocolate; and illustrations for Andrea Cheng’s Only One Year, published by Lee & Low Books. She lives in Fall River, Massachusetts, with her husband, daughter, two sleepy cats and two hyperactive dogs. Please visit her on the Web at nicole-wong.com.

Editorial Reviews

02/08/2021

White-haired grandfather Eto, a “wise poet,” sits at a table writing a haiku with a brush. When Kiyoshi asks him where poems come from, Eto suggests a walk. At the corner store, the sun shines while a cat knocks over a pyramid of oranges. Eto writes: “Hill of orange suns./ Cat leaps. Oranges tumble./ The cat licks his paw.” Kiyoshi’s still puzzled: “Does that mean poems come from seeing things?” But Eto doesn’t reply; instead, the two continue their journey, Eto writing haiku about experiences they have and feelings elicited. Digitally created illustrations by Wong (I’ll Be the Water) portray grandfather and grandson in careful detail and give plenty of visual information about the town they walk through and the riverside park where they sit and talk. At last, Kiyoshi writes a haiku of his own. Each poem brings Kiyoshi closer to the insight that poetry combines sensory perception and emotion—and closer to his grandfather, too. Karlins’s (Starring Lorenzo and Einstein, Too) explanation is clear and accessible, and provides a fine springboard for discussion. An author’s note further describes haiku. Ages 6–8. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

* "A beautiful book on making art out of observations." — School Library Journal, starred review

* "See, hear, touch, taste, smell...and imagine poetry all around you." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Each poem brings Kiyoshi closer to the insight that poetry combines sensory perception and emotion—and closer to his grandfather, too." — Publishers Weekly

"By writing to all the senses, Karlins places readers right alongside Kiyoshi on his walk." — Booklist

"This warm, loving picture book might just inspire a poetry walk." — The Horn Book

Delaware Diamonds Awards 2022 - Diamond State Reading Association

From the Publisher

★ 05/01/2021

Gr 1–3—Kiyoshi wishes he could write haiku like Eto, his grandfather. When Kiyoshi asks him "Where do poems come from?" Eto responds by putting paper and a pen in his pocket and taking Kiyoshi for a walk. As they traverse the city all the way to the river, Eto writes poems based on what they see and hear including tumbling oranges, the flap of wings, an abandoned teddybear, and the ending of a day. Meanwhile, Kiyoshi puzzles out how to find a poem. At the river Eto asks Kiyoshi if now he understands where poems come from. Kiyoshi has been paying attention: "'They come from here,' he said, and opened his arms wide to take in the river and the sky and the distant buildings. 'And they come from here,' he said, and pointed to his own heart." The text does an excellent job of showing the process, as it unfolds, without overexplaining or complicating the narrative. Wonderful digital illustrations complement and expand on the text, combining clean lines, realistic details, and a variety of perspectives, from bird's-eye views to close-ups. Warm, inviting colors with pops of bright pink on the flowering trees (cherry blossoms, perhaps) provide quiet clues to location, while the people in a multicultural cityscape have a variety of skin tones and an attitude of friendliness. An age appropriate author's note further explains the art of haiku. VERDICT A beautiful book on making art out of observations. Whether employed to invite children and adults into writing or as a nurturing read-aloud, this is recommended for all collections.—Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Lib., Troy, NH

School Library Journal

★ 2020-12-15
A neighborhood walk unleashes the power of poetry.

Kiyoshi, a boy of Japanese heritage, watches his poet grandfather, Eto, write a poem in calligraphy. Intrigued, Kiyoshi asks, “Where do poems come from?” So begins a meditative walk through their bustling neighborhood, in which Kiyoshi discovers how to use his senses, his power of observation, and his imagination to build a poem. After each scene, Eto jots down a quick poem that serves as both a creative activity and an instruction for Kiyoshi. Eventually Kiyoshi discovers his own poetic voice, and together the boy and his grandfather find poems all around them. Spare, precise prose is coupled with the haiku Kiyoshi and his grandfather create, building the story through each new scene to expand Kiyoshi’s understanding of the origin of poems. Sensory language, such as flicked, whooshed, peeked, and reeled, not only builds readers’ vocabulary, but also models the vitality and precision of creative writing. The illustrations are just as thoughtfully crafted. Precisely rendered, the artwork is soft, warm, and captivating, offering vastly different perspectives and diverse characters who make up an apparently North American neighborhood that feels both familiar and new for a boy discovering how to view the world the way a poet does. Earth tones, coupled with bright yellows, pinks, and greens, draw readers in and encourage them to linger over each spread. An author’s note provides additional information about haiku.

See, hear, touch, taste, smell...and imagine poetry all around you. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews