Boo! Haiku

by Deanna Caswell, Bob Shea (Illustrator)

Bestselling illustrator Bob Shea and poet Deanna Caswell are back, this time with a haiku book filled with frights that delight.

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?

A witch, a bat, a skeleton, a jack-o’-lantern, a ghost, a black cat, a spider, an owl, and a scarecrow are all hiding in the pages of this clever Halloween-themed 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.

Praise for Guess Who, Haiku
“[G]orgeous poetry, vibrant illustrations, and masterful use of the page turn.”
— Kirkus Reviews , starred review

Genres: Poetry, Halloween, Picture Books, Holiday, Storytime, Childrens, Nonfiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

I write children's books, I'm more famous in my area for my pets! See my new book Little House in the Suburbs and videos uploaded below and the newspaper links here, here, here, here, and here.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Night filled with frights/Halloween is coming soon/treat your inner child - (my best shot) - book is MUCH better!

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this follow-up to their initial collaboration, Guess Who, Haiku , author Deanna Caswell and illustrator Bob Shea return once again to the haiku form, this time presenting a series of guessing-game poems with a Halloween theme. Each poem is presented by the subject of the previous haiku, with everything from a witch to a skeleton being featured.

A fun little celebration of the Halloween season, Boo! Haiku also make a good introduction to the haiku form of poetry for younger children. Readers and listeners will enjoy guessing the subject of each poem, and will find the colorful and entertaining cartoon-style illustrations quite engaging. For my part, I particularly appreciated the decorative end-papers, with their bright candy corn and pumpkins, and white ghosts and skeletons. Recommended to anyone who enjoyed the first picture-book in this style, as well as to anyone looking for children's books featuring haiku poetry and/or the Halloween season.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been introduced to the beauty of haiku through attending the poetry events at the Rate Center in Crystal Lake. So, I was thrilled to discover this book of haiku for children on the truck of new materials while working at the Library! I had so much fun reading some of the haiku aloud to my coworkers at the Circulation desk :) The illustrations are vibrant and fun. Then, on the last page there is an explanation of haiku. This is one very fun book that left me feeling very happy!

[Briquelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot understand why this book only has 3.4 stars. Haiku can seem too abstract to children but it comes alive in this book in the form of riddles. Great job!

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book!! What a great idea and the ideas from the author's in the back are great.

[Amanda Blau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun Halloween game of guess the character described by the Haiku with Bob Shea's bright see-it-from-the-back-of-the-room art.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple guessing game for young children.

[Aneesa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't love haikus for kids.

[Kenna Lorenzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non-fiction/twin text entry #3:

I chose this book because I really like Haiku's and I believe they are good ways for kids to use their brains to get the answers that are not given to them directly. I know this book will be exciting for kids because most kids love Halloween so they will be excited to read this. I think this book is more geared toward upper primary and mid intermediate readers, because of the haiku's it would be difficult for younger children, however, the small vocabulary and sentences may be boring for older intermediate readers. This book is informing children about different Halloween objects, such as witches, brooms, and ghosts.

I paired this book with "How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow" by Wendell Minor, a realistic fiction book about going to a pumpkin patch. I chose this book because one of the best things about Halloween is going to the pumpkin patch to pick your pumpkin and then carving your pumpkins to put on your porch. I know this book will be interesting to readers and better for intermediate readers because of the bigger vocabulary.

[Lauren Moses · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this poetry selection the audience is left to guess what Halloween character is on the next page by the Haiku written on the previous page. The illustrations are bright and vibrant. They kept my attention while reading and made me excited to see what was on the next page. This short story is definitely meant for a younger audience. In my future teaching career I could imagine me reading it to my preschool or kindergarten class and see if they can guess the character on the next page. It’s a great interactive book that would not be too difficult for young readers to follow the haiku style.

[Jillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the theme of this one, and the use of haiku as a guessing game.

I still hate the.... laziness? It seems lazy. I don't like that every single page has an identical, word-for-word format. "This ___ has a spooky haiku just for you. [Haiku] Can you guess who from the haiku?"

Bob Shea's illustrations are still ace.

[Breana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a fun and unique way of educating the young readers on the Haiku form of poetry. My girls enjoyed interacting with the book by guessing which Halloween characters the poems were describing. Overall we truly enjoyed this book. It’s short, interactive, fun and educational.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun but not quite as fun as Guess Who? Haiku. I do like how there is a little trick with each haiku though (covering the middle line for the ones featured in this book).

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful fun for Halloween. I love the structure and the bright wonderful illustrations. Perfect for the Pre-K set!

[Vannessa Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boo Haiku was a fun way to learn how to identify things from pictures and descriptions. Who knew Japanese poetry could be so much fun and educational.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

A combination haiku and riddle book...I don't think I've seen one of these before. I've never been a huge Halloween fan, though, so maybe I'd be more impressed if I were.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute. Great for Halloween story time. Not scary, just cute!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute illustrations and concept for little readers.

[Katherine Loyacano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boo! Haiku, written by Deanna Caswell and illustrated by Bob Shea, is a playful picture book that celebrates the spooky season using haikus. Each haiku is a riddle-like poem that invites the reader to guess the Halloween characters.

I love haikus (a style of Japanese poetry) and the spooky season, so the combination of the two in a picture book was a treat. I had a ball reading the haikus and guessing the Halloween characters while enjoying the vibrant illustrations. I think this whimsical and clever book would be a wonderful resource for teaching young students how to write haikus. It inspired me to write my own haiku about a Halloween character.

"This reader has a spooky haiku for you.

under the full moon
a shapeshifter prowls the woods
growling and howling

Can you guess who from my haiku?"

[Jacquelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is all about Haikus. The author and illustrator team up to create an adorably spooky guess who reading game. Do you think you can guess who by the Haiku? The illustrations in this book are pretty simple and cartoony. The simplicity of the illustrations works very well with the simplicity of a Haiku. The reader is suppose to guess which spooky thing or creature the Haiku is hinting at. I thought that this was an adorable read. I would definitely say that this is a book that the littles would love. I think that this book is a great way to introduce Haikus in an amusing and spooky way. I would say that this book would work well with the EC-Kindergarten range.

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. The cover looked very cute and the illustrations made me pick it. Nonetheless, the haikus were not as fun as other rhyming poems. Although this could be a good book for younger children, the story did not appeal to me due to its simple statements and redundant answers.
The illustrations are simple and very colorful. They capture the feel of the book perfectly. The characters are drawn in a cute and non-threatening way that allows young children to enjoy the book and take part in the Halloween spirit.

[Robin Berman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the cutesy illustrations of Bob Shea.

Adorable Halloween themed Haiku poems on each page which are a riddle with answers on the next page.

The last page is an explanation about what Haiku is.
"Haiku is a style of Japanese poetry. The "hai" means "to make light of" or "to make a joke of. " Traditional Haiku have an element of play."
Haiku are 3 lines - 1st with 5 syllables, 2nd with 7 syllables and 3rd with 5 syllables.

I never knew Haiku were meant to be light, silly and/or a joke.

[Julie Ditton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little kids are familiar with rhyming poems. But even preschoolers can have fun with Haiku. On each page this adorable book uses a haiku to describe a Halloween creature. It the asks the reader "Do you know who is in this haiku?" They can then turn the page for the answer which always follows the same format: "BOO! It's a ____." Adults can read the Haiku and then the little ones will enjoy the repetitive phrases. Even the youngest emergent reader, who is just starting out will have success reading the riddle answers. I read this with a three year old and we both loved it!

[Ryen Giddings · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Boo! Haiku" is a great book for introducing the poetry structure of haikus. The book is halloween themed and would best be used during October to give students a relation to the season in their current time. This book is interactive, colorful, and engaging while reading; it allows for students to infer based on the haiku given to them on the previous page. Thus, allowing students to use their context clues and yet keep them engaged at the same time while reading and learning about poetry.

[Karli Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

To start, I thought this was such a cute book! The images and they mystery behind what the creature might be, is inviting for any reader, especially young readers. I enjoyed the amount of description and variation of vocabulary that is seen throughout the book. The images caught my attention but the actual text kept me reading!

[Aliza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about the exciting characters of Halloween and their descriptions are revealed in a Haiku. The reader is given the opportunity to guess the Halloween characters’ identity by being provided with clues in the Haiku. The illustrations are spooky, colorful, and festive like Halloween. This would definitely interest a reader who admires the celebration.

[Juliana Gutierrez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book introduces the idea of Haikus by using Halloween characters to describe the next characters finding that there are specific characteristics for the next characters. With the descriptions of seen in the Haiku the reader is supposed to guess who the next Halloween character will be.

Notes: for younger readers, Halloween, development into rhyming and reading, book for younger kids.

[Kenedy Knott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personally, I loved this book. I think it would be a perfect fit for younger students who are just being introduced to poetry. This would also be a lot of fun for any class during October, and would be awesome for grades learning about haiku’s. This book is set up in a way that encourages student interaction, so I know they would all love it.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly creative Halloween book that introduces the poetic form of haiku with fun illustrations while asking children to use the poem clues to guess the item. I thought it was really clever and would be a fabulous, fresh Halloween story to use in storytime.

[Kate]

Book! Haiku is a cute short poetry book. This book was not what I was expecting it to be since it was a poetry book. I was very surprised by the words and pictures. This book is not like the other poetry books I remember growing up reading. I also really liked that it was a Halloween poetry book.