My First Book of Haiku Poems: a Picture, a Poem and a Dream; Classic Poems by Japanese Haiku Masters (Bilingual English and Japanese text)

by Esperanza Ramirez-Christensen, Tracy Gallup (Illustrator)

Overview

"Gallup's illustrations are stunning dreamscapes that stimulate a child's imagination and focus on a child's connection to nature, which complements the haiku so well. --Nichi Bei Weekly"

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781462920693
Publisher:	Tuttle Publishing
Publication date:	03/26/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
File size:	26 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

Esperanza Ramirez-Christensen is a professor at the University of Michigan and an award-winning teacher and scholar of classical Japanese literature. She has written extensively on the subjects of Japanese poets and poetry and Buddhist philosophy.

Tracy Gallup is an author, illustrator and lifelong artist. She has a BFA from Eastern Michigan University and an MFA in painting from Syracuse University. Tracy worked as an elementary school art teacher for many years, and celebrates imagination and childhood in her own artwork. She is the author and illustrator of 9 children's books, including Paint the Night, A Roomful of Questions, four books in A Crazy Little series, King Cat, and also illustrated the book Beastly Banquet. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan with her husband. As a child, Tracy had and loved her very own collection of Tuttle books.

Editorial Reviews

02/18/2019

Classic haiku works by Japanese poets—appearing in their original script as well as Romaji and in English translation—are compiled in this artful collection. Ramirez-Christensen invites readers to contemplate the poems’ meanings. One haiku reads: “The colors of/ the dawning sky—a change to/ a whole new garment.” A question follows: “When night becomes day or winter becomes spring, does it ever seem to you that nature is changing its clothes, the same way we change ours?” Another poem reads, “The year’s first dream—/ a secret I spoke to no one,/ smiling to myself” and in an accompanying illustration, a boy rests on the back of a cloudlike, blue cat, hovering over his bed. Readers are encouraged to create their own haiku to accompany a final illustration, which shows a girl preparing to step through a doorway into the outdoors. The poems gracefully encourage reading, contemplation, and creativity, and Gallup evokes wonder through her gently surreal imagery. Ages 5–9. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"…the illustrations by Gallup are just stunning! Thoughtful 'dreamscape' paintings accompany each haiku, bringing them to life." —A Little Literary Love blog

"Classic haiku works by Japanese poets—appearing in their original script as well as Romaji and in English translation—are compiled in this artful collection. Ramirez-Christensen invites readers to contemplate the poems' meanings…The poems gracefully encourage reading, contemplation, and creativity, and Gallup evokes wonder through her gently surreal imagery." —Publishers Weekly

"Each two-page spread of this enigmatic collection of poems features a three-line verse by a haiku master—printed in English, Japanese, and romanized Japanese syllables—accompanied by a full-page painting of a surreal, imaginative scene…Haiku is a mainstay of classroom poetry sections, and this volume does an unusually good job of putting the form in context and emphasizing its evocative, quiet beauty." —Booklist

"I love how this book combines the words of the haiku with the picture from the artist." —Crafty Moms Share blog

"An extraordinary and unique bilingual picture book, My First Book of Haiku Poems: a Picture, a Poem and a Dream will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to family, elementary school, and community library poetry collections and bilingual picture book collections." —Midwest Book Review

"Each poem is paired with a stunning original painting that reflects the strength and beauty of the words, opening the door to the world of imagination. Illustrator Gallup's superb artwork vividly captures the nature of the poet's meaning…Well-constructed and thoughtful, this collection is a recommended title." —School Library Journal

"Haiku is often a gateway to writing poetry for youngsters, and this brief, image-focused form encourages sharing and discussing at home and school. Artist Tracy Gallup's luminous 'dreamscapes' beautifully convey the tone of curiosity and wonder in these 20 poems from Japanese masters such as Basho, Buson and Issa. Esperanza Ramirez-Christensen provides graceful translations, guiding questions, short biographies and historic background. A gem of a book!" —Washington Parent magazine

"Nature comes alive in each classic haiku accompanied by an expressive, imaginative painting. The poems appear in both English and Japanese, which is also transliterated to facilitate pronunciation." — Reading Rockets

From the Publisher

04/01/2019

K-Gr 4–This book introduces children to haiku poetry through 20 classic works by historical haiku masters including Issa, Shiki, Gomei, and others. Composed of 17 syllables and three lines, these short but powerful poems speak of our connection to the natural world. Ramirez-Christensen, a professor of Japanese literature at the University of Michigan, has chosen and translated the poems of these great haiku masters and offers the text in both English and Japanese. Each poem is paired with a stunning original painting that reflects the strength and beauty of the words, opening the door to the world of imagination. Illustrator Gallup's superb artwork vividly captures the nature of the poet's meaning. Along with the crisp and contemplative translations, the text also includes questions about both the words and illustrations to stimulate keen observation and discussion. Although the book's main demographic is children, it offers many ideas and suggestions for parents and teachers on ways to read, understand, and share the tradition and expressive meaning of haiku poetry. The book also includes a textless illustration to encourage would-be poets to write their own haiku. The final pages of the book feature the history of haiku and short bios of the master poets. VERDICT Well-constructed and thoughtful, this collection is a recommended title. Teachers and librarians could pair with other recent titles featuring haiku poetry such as Hi, Koo! by John Muth, Guyku by Bob Raczka, and Won Ton by Lee Waidlaw.-Carole Phillips, Greenacres Elementary School, Scarsdale, NY

School Library Journal