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The Horse's Haiku
Paired with Stan Fellows's splendid illustrations, Michael J. Rosen's resonant haiku is a gift to anyone who loves horses, nature, or poetry.
From field to stable, from rest to riding, poet Michael J. Rosen captures the nature of horses with spare and graceful haiku. Filled with Stan Fellows's evocative artwork, this collection celebrates the beauty of horses while peacefully grazing or in all their powerful and dynamic action. Lovers of horses or haiku or those who simply appreciate the natural world will enjoy this contemplation of one of earth's most beautiful creatures.
From field to stable, from rest to riding, poet Michael J. Rosen captures the nature of horses with spare and graceful haiku. Filled with Stan Fellows's evocative artwork, this collection celebrates the beauty of horses while peacefully grazing or in all their powerful and dynamic action. Lovers of horses or haiku or those who simply appreciate the natural world will enjoy this contemplation of one of earth's most beautiful creatures.
48 pages, Hardcover
Published March 13, 2018
35 people want to read
About the author
Michael J. Rosen
126 books29 followersRosen's Website should provide all this and more. It's http://www.fidosopher.com.
Nonetheless: Michael J. Rosen is an American author and illustrator with over 120 books of fiction, nonfiction, humor, picture books, poetry, and more. With a strong interest in nature and animals, reflecting his animal behavior degree from Ohio State University, Rosen resides within a peaceful crease of Central Ohio with his pack of animal companions that include 2 small koi ponds he helped build on the 100 acres he shares in the foothills of the Ohio Appalachians. An avid dog lover, he was inspired by Chant, his newest Australian stumpy-tail cattle dog, which led to the creation of his newest book of fiction, The Tale of Rescue, which will be released in October 2015. With an MFA in poetry from Columbia University, Rosen also showcases his skills and talents in other projects such as The Maine Coon’s Haiku: And Other Poems for Cat Lovers (2015).
Nonetheless: Michael J. Rosen is an American author and illustrator with over 120 books of fiction, nonfiction, humor, picture books, poetry, and more. With a strong interest in nature and animals, reflecting his animal behavior degree from Ohio State University, Rosen resides within a peaceful crease of Central Ohio with his pack of animal companions that include 2 small koi ponds he helped build on the 100 acres he shares in the foothills of the Ohio Appalachians. An avid dog lover, he was inspired by Chant, his newest Australian stumpy-tail cattle dog, which led to the creation of his newest book of fiction, The Tale of Rescue, which will be released in October 2015. With an MFA in poetry from Columbia University, Rosen also showcases his skills and talents in other projects such as The Maine Coon’s Haiku: And Other Poems for Cat Lovers (2015).
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
August 4, 2019
Absolutely gorgeous illustrations and wonderfully expressive haiku engage the senses in this lovely book! The connection between animals, or between animals and humans is particularly well captured. Indeed, the sense of trust, or joy expressed in the exchange is delightful to see. Then, one of my favorite haikus, which immediately conjures images of the expectant horses waiting with ears pricked for sounds in the stillness of early morning is:
"winter dawn's wan glow...
from each stall door, vapor clouds
answer your boot steps"
"winter dawn's wan glow...
from each stall door, vapor clouds
answer your boot steps"
April 2, 2019
Considering that horses have always been amongst my very favourite animals, I was seriously hoping and praying that Michael J. Rosen's The Horse's Haiku would be both textually (poetically) and illustratively right up my proverbial alley so to speak (and would thus in no way be a personal disappointment). And yes indeed, I can definitely and with absolute certainty and pleasure state and claim that The Horse's Haiku is a truly wonderful and lyrical celebration of the horse, with Michael J. Rosen's haikus totally and utterly capturing and focusing on equines, on both their physical characteristics and attributes (such as that unlike us, horses see not straight ahead but to the side) and how they tend to act and react in the field, in the barn and under the saddle (although truth be told, I personally could do without the illustration of what is likely a three day eventing cross country event, as these types of competitions often do sadly involve multiple dangers, as horses are often seriously injured and sometimes even killed because they are raced and jumped at generally break-neck speeds in order to place first, in order to win).
But generally and for the most part, Stan Fellows' accompanying illustrations in The Horse's Haiku, they expressively and with both realism and imagination present and visually show equines, they portray horses as a species as aesthetically lyrically and luminously as author Michael J. Rosen distills and presents them in and with his enchanting and utterly delightful haikus (although once again, I am forced to not grant a five but a four star ranking to and for The Horse's Haiku, as while I do appreciate the supplemental information and details on both horses as obligate grazers and how they according to the author are therefore also somehow predestined and lead themselves so very well to having their lives and their behaviours rendered into haiku poetry, there really also should be, there really does need to be a list of suggestions for further reading and study included at the back of The Horse's Haiku and on both horses as a species and on haikus as a poetical form).
But generally and for the most part, Stan Fellows' accompanying illustrations in The Horse's Haiku, they expressively and with both realism and imagination present and visually show equines, they portray horses as a species as aesthetically lyrically and luminously as author Michael J. Rosen distills and presents them in and with his enchanting and utterly delightful haikus (although once again, I am forced to not grant a five but a four star ranking to and for The Horse's Haiku, as while I do appreciate the supplemental information and details on both horses as obligate grazers and how they according to the author are therefore also somehow predestined and lead themselves so very well to having their lives and their behaviours rendered into haiku poetry, there really also should be, there really does need to be a list of suggestions for further reading and study included at the back of The Horse's Haiku and on both horses as a species and on haikus as a poetical form).
July 9, 2019
Lovely poetry and stirring illustrations.
July 26, 2018
The fifth installment of Rosen's haiku series focuses on the ever-favorite horse. This time he has divided up his 5-7-5 syllable haiku poems into four sections: In the Field (10 poems that flow one into the other and loosely make up a story), At the Barn (11 poems that loosely tell a tale), and Under Saddle (12 poems that show the horse's majesty). There is a bonus haiku in back, with brief thoughts from the author.
With some poems sharing a two-page spread, plenty of them have their own two-page spread to share with the grandness of the watercolor illustrations by Stan Fellows. Fellows illustrations are lush and dreamy at the same time -- just right for girls looking for quick books to read about horses...
As with others in the series, this will be useful in the classroom to teach how to write poetry.
Recommended for grades 1-5
With some poems sharing a two-page spread, plenty of them have their own two-page spread to share with the grandness of the watercolor illustrations by Stan Fellows. Fellows illustrations are lush and dreamy at the same time -- just right for girls looking for quick books to read about horses...
As with others in the series, this will be useful in the classroom to teach how to write poetry.
Recommended for grades 1-5
March 15, 2018
Prolific poet Michael J. Rosen (author/editor of over 100 books) here turns his attention to horses. Rosen uses the poetry form of haiku to address three aspects of domesticated horses’ lives: unfettered in the field, comfortably installed in the barn, and partnering with a rider in the saddle. The watercolor illustrations are gorgeous.
April 10, 2018
Rosen continues his animal haiku exploration with a collection of horse poems. The poems are lovely small moments in a horse's life, stellar examples of haiku. The watercolor illustrations are beautiful and suit the poems. This collection will span a wide age range of readers who love horses. It would make a nice gift book for the rider in your life.
July 13, 2018
This book of haiku poetry focuses solely on horses and their daily lives. Starting with their time in the field as young foals, the poems include dust baths, rainwater pools, and dappled shade. Moving into the barn, readers get to see humans interacting with horses, feeding them apples, and going on a ride together. The next chapter of poems has an even greater focus on riding, galloping and jumping.
The poems capture the beauty and grace of horses, the unique relationships they have with the people who care for them, and the joy of running fast. Each haiku is a separate moment in time, showing the importance of slowing down, of seeing each moment as unique and in sharing them to create a universal joy of horses.
The illustrations are done in watercolor that dapples the page, creating sunlight and shadow, hoofprints and breezes in the grass. They have a wonderful sense of freedom about them that mirrors the celebratory tone of the haiku, inviting readers to feel movement on the page.
A stellar book of focused haiku. Appropriate for ages 6-9.
The poems capture the beauty and grace of horses, the unique relationships they have with the people who care for them, and the joy of running fast. Each haiku is a separate moment in time, showing the importance of slowing down, of seeing each moment as unique and in sharing them to create a universal joy of horses.
The illustrations are done in watercolor that dapples the page, creating sunlight and shadow, hoofprints and breezes in the grass. They have a wonderful sense of freedom about them that mirrors the celebratory tone of the haiku, inviting readers to feel movement on the page.
A stellar book of focused haiku. Appropriate for ages 6-9.
June 30, 2018
Softly-colored watercolor illustrations complement 33 haiku that celebrate the splendor of horses. The poems are divided into different sections: "In the Field" and "Under Saddle," and readers will be hard pressed to decide whether they love the poetry or the illustrations the best since both work together so well, capturing the essence of this most noble of beasts. My favorite lines were these: "frozen hoofprints stamp / into the fossil record / of February" (unpaged). Readers and aspiring poets won't want to miss Rosen's ruminations on how he regards haiku writing. I cannot imagine anyone who loves horses or poetry who won't want this book for a personal or classroom library.
January 11, 2019
It would be too easy to skim through this and not absorb its beauty. Slow down and really read these lovely poems with even lovelier watercolor paintings. Quiet wow.
frozen hoofprints stamp
into the fossil record
of February
(painting is smudged horseshoe prints in the snow -- gorgeous)
frozen hoofprints stamp
into the fossil record
of February
(painting is smudged horseshoe prints in the snow -- gorgeous)
April 14, 2018
Lovely collection of haiku poems chronicling small moments in the daily lives of horses. Beautiful watercolor illustrations. A delight for horse and poetry lovers.
May 31, 2018
The paintings are stunning and full of emotion. The poems are beautiful the word choice in several is amazing.
July 1, 2025
I have a hard time accepting that any horse would claim ownership of any haiku in this book.
Although there are a couple of nice turns of phrases or metaphors -- on the whole, this book of horse haiku is laughably pathetic. If there was ever a Mystery Science Theater 3000 for books, this one would be featured.
After the last haiku, the author explains haiku in a really pretentious way. There's also never any attempt to break from the 5-7-5 pattern. Real haiku is not so straightjacketed.
Although this is marketed as a kid's book, some of it is clearly going to be over the average kid's head. Are they going to know about marimbas? Or words like "vigilance"? Are they going to follow the afterward?
And it amazes me that a publisher like Candlewick Press would green light a book that mostly consists of watercolors of horses ... and then hire an artist that can't paint horses to save his fucking life. What kind of alternate universe did Stan Fellows live in to think horses look like this? There is a frightening attempt at realistic painting, but Fellows has no concept of horse anatomy or motion. His horses are grotesque sausages with legs, with blocky heads, frozen in space and time.
If you can't paint a realistic horse, don't even try. Just go abstract. Depict the free flowing motions (see The Magic Carosel) or even go Cubist, but don't pretend you're Ted Lewin when YOU'RE FUCKING NOT.
This is almost a primer on how NOT to do a book about horses.
Although there are a couple of nice turns of phrases or metaphors -- on the whole, this book of horse haiku is laughably pathetic. If there was ever a Mystery Science Theater 3000 for books, this one would be featured.
After the last haiku, the author explains haiku in a really pretentious way. There's also never any attempt to break from the 5-7-5 pattern. Real haiku is not so straightjacketed.
Although this is marketed as a kid's book, some of it is clearly going to be over the average kid's head. Are they going to know about marimbas? Or words like "vigilance"? Are they going to follow the afterward?
And it amazes me that a publisher like Candlewick Press would green light a book that mostly consists of watercolors of horses ... and then hire an artist that can't paint horses to save his fucking life. What kind of alternate universe did Stan Fellows live in to think horses look like this? There is a frightening attempt at realistic painting, but Fellows has no concept of horse anatomy or motion. His horses are grotesque sausages with legs, with blocky heads, frozen in space and time.
If you can't paint a realistic horse, don't even try. Just go abstract. Depict the free flowing motions (see The Magic Carosel) or even go Cubist, but don't pretend you're Ted Lewin when YOU'RE FUCKING NOT.
This is almost a primer on how NOT to do a book about horses.
April 3, 2020
The Horse’s Haiku By: Michael J. Rosen
Poetry-Collection of Poetry
No awards given
Audience: 2-5th grade
- From field to stable, poet Michael J. Rosen captures the nature of horses with spare and graceful haiku. Filled with the evocative artwork, this collection celebrates the beauty of horses while peacefully grazing or in all their powerful and dynamic action. Haiku is an ancient Japanese verse form that is traced all the way back to the thirteenth century. As you read this book you will see that there are only seventeen syllables in the haiku; the first and third lines contain five syllables and the second line contains seven. Haikus can be divided into two parts: first, a simple picture-making description that usually includes some reference, direct/in-direct, to the season; and second, a statement of mood or feeling. This book illustrates all of this and was a really enjoyable read.
- This Collection of Poetry had a lot of sensory imagery. This is any description that involves one or more of the five senses - touch, sight, taste, smell and sound. This book is rich in sensory detail which helps us as readers perfectly envision the scene that the poet is describing. The water color images in this Collection of Poetry contribute a lot to the visual aspect of the sensory imagery.
Poetry-Collection of Poetry
No awards given
Audience: 2-5th grade
- From field to stable, poet Michael J. Rosen captures the nature of horses with spare and graceful haiku. Filled with the evocative artwork, this collection celebrates the beauty of horses while peacefully grazing or in all their powerful and dynamic action. Haiku is an ancient Japanese verse form that is traced all the way back to the thirteenth century. As you read this book you will see that there are only seventeen syllables in the haiku; the first and third lines contain five syllables and the second line contains seven. Haikus can be divided into two parts: first, a simple picture-making description that usually includes some reference, direct/in-direct, to the season; and second, a statement of mood or feeling. This book illustrates all of this and was a really enjoyable read.
- This Collection of Poetry had a lot of sensory imagery. This is any description that involves one or more of the five senses - touch, sight, taste, smell and sound. This book is rich in sensory detail which helps us as readers perfectly envision the scene that the poet is describing. The water color images in this Collection of Poetry contribute a lot to the visual aspect of the sensory imagery.
September 20, 2023
This book is great for introducing haiku's as a form of poetry. With almost every page having an example, there are 33 haikus in this book! It would be great for students to choose a page that they enjoy and practice writing their own haiku. It will have the students practice dividing words into syllables and exploring their creativity with words while they make their short poem about nature. I gave my rating because even though the illustrations are helpful in understanding the poems, some of them are complex, which might make comprehension difficult for elementary students. However, I think poems are supposed to cause us to pause and think. Overall it's a great book and I think that it could start great conversations in class!
August 26, 2019
Haiku, presented in three sections (“In the Field,” “At the Barn,” and “In Saddle”), explores such shared experiences of horses and humans in pastoral settings as the birthing of a foal, caring for cattle in the fields, and enjoying a ride on the beach at low tide. Lush watercolor paintings, rendered in earth tones with touches of red and blue, complement the haiku for a rich sensory experience. Back matter includes “Grazing: A Note on the Haiku” in which Rosen makes an apt comparison: “horse champs another / clump of grass . . . munching . . . chewing— / like this haiku!”
October 17, 2024
Poetry (Haiku), 6-9 year olds
This was a beautiful poetry book, written in Haiku. I liked how in the simple format of a Haiku it could really tell so much of a horse's story, from tending to horses, riding them or just watching them be. The book was enjoyable and an easy read and could easily be used in a classroom learning of poetry. The illustrations are beautiful! They're almost like an oil painting or a water color.
This was a beautiful poetry book, written in Haiku. I liked how in the simple format of a Haiku it could really tell so much of a horse's story, from tending to horses, riding them or just watching them be. The book was enjoyable and an easy read and could easily be used in a classroom learning of poetry. The illustrations are beautiful! They're almost like an oil painting or a water color.
September 27, 2018
Beautiful and surprising haiku.
October 10, 2018
I'm not as much of a horse person, so the theme here didn't reach me as well. But those horse lovers out there (of all ages) will probably LOVE these. And the illustrations are beautiful.
July 21, 2019
Lovely. I appreciate the smaller format, as this is for all ages not just the picture-book crowd. If I were into horses I'd surely give it at least one more star.
September 9, 2020
So many great moments captured in THE HORSE'S HAIKU, by @fidosopher & @StanFellows @Candlewick. Gorgeous #haiku and a feeling of peace...
October 30, 2020
So beautifuly illustrated
February 11, 2021
"The challenge is finding words to suspend one instance within a poem's sparse lines." Another beautifully written book by Michael J. Rosen, beautifully illustrated by Stan Fellows.
July 24, 2021
The poems are beautiful and so are the illustrations.
February 26, 2025
I loved the artwork but the haikus left a little to be desired. I’d flip through and just look at the pictures any day though!
January 31, 2022
I love these haikus and the illustrations.
May 12, 2018
I always look forward to new releases from Michael J. Rosen....and this one did not disappoint!! I loved every part of it.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews