Customer Reviews

The Cuckoo's Haiku: and Other Birding Poems

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I occasionally like watching birds out a kitchen window or when sitting quietly beneath a tree. I'm not a birder, but after looking through and reading THE CUCKOO'S HAIKU AND OTHER BIRDING POEMS, I found myself wanting to purchase a pair of binoculars and waking up early in the morning to go look for some pretty birds. The book examines twenty-four different birds by dividing the birds into seasons. Each bird is featured in brilliant watercolors on its own page with a haiku that reveals something about the bird. Both the haikus and illustrations are beautiful. Besides the haiku, there are a few notes about the bird on each page. The book concludes with several pages where the author gives a few more sentences to each bird explaining how the haiku for that bird developed and why certain words were used. The birds in the book are the Eastern Bluebird, Canada Goose, American Goldfinch, Northern Cardinal, American Crow, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Mourning Dove, Chimney Swift, Belted Kingfisher, Barred Owl, Great Blue Heron, Pleated Woodpecker, Northern Mockingbird, Common Grackle, Cedar Waxwing, White-breasted Nuthatch, European Starling, American Robin, Black-billed Cuckoo, Dark-eyed Junco, Wild Turkey, Blue Jay, House Sparrow, and the Purple Finch.

THE CUCKOO'S HAIKU is marketed as a children's book and though children can enjoy the book, the book also makes an excellent gift for adults who like to go birding. I could easily see the book being used as a field book by a grandparent as they go birding with their grandchildren.

This is a seriously gorgeous book. Downright stunning, actually. A poetry volume cleverly disguised as a field guide that offers beautifully written haiku on twenty-four birds. As if the prose weren't enough, the pages are also filled with most wondrous watercolors by Stan Fellows.

The selections are arranged by season, beginning with the Eastern Bluebird of Spring and closing with the Purple Finch of Winter. Brilliant colors appear in the plumage of Golden Finches, Cardinals and Blue Jays. Even the American Robin, which is so common in our own backyard, is spectacular here with her puffed orange breast and white speckled throat. She sings "cheerily, cheer up, cheer up, cheerily, cheer up!" Every detail of the book is carefully arranged, right down to the perfectly chosen fonts.

Author Michael J. Rosen says "Now I live on a 100-acre farm in the foothills of the Appalachians. Writing about wildlife is really writing about my own life." He offers us a delightful peek at what he is privy to on a daily basis. Here there are feeders heavy with Purple Finches, Morning Doves building their nests and Belted Kingfishers catching fresh fish for dinner. Pileated Woodpeckers drum in the forest while the sky turns black with by the wings of a thousand Starlings.

It's lovely to find a book such as this - a children's book that is just as much a joy for adults as well. Readers of any age will take so much pleasure in this volume. If readers are not already fascinated by birds, this is an amazing introduction to the how amazing bird watching can be. Be prepared to be hooked, as this is one book far too beautiful to be relegated to the bookshelf.

if you like watercolor, birds, landscape, it is a super book you must have! nice price and high quality.

Rosen, Michael J. 2009. The Cuckoo's Haiku and Other Birding Poems. Somerville: Candlewick. ISBN: 978-07636-3049-2.

Research on children's poetry preferences shows that haikus are one of the least favorite forms of poetry and that children prefer humorous poetry or poetry written about familiar situations (Vardell 75). With that research in mind, it is understandable that a book of haikus about birds may not interest young children. This collection of poems, marketed on Amazon as a book for children ages 4-8, did not break the mold that research found. The book is divided by the four seasons, and each haiku is devoted to one bird. In addition to the poem, there is side information about the bird. The side information is in a beautiful scroll type, which is difficult for young children, many of which do not know how to read or write cursive, to decipher. Struggling readers will not invest the time to read the small scroll. So, while the script adds to the whimsical pictures, it does not help students who are curious about the birds. While the pictures in the book are beautiful, vivid watercolors of unique birds and their surroundings, they lack appeal for young children.
March brings the beginning of spring for those in Texas (April for the rest of the country), and for many, it's the first chance in a long time to get outside and feel the warmth of the sun. The haiku entitled "Eastern Bluebird" reminds the reader that the birds are spring's first song.
"On a staff of wires
Blue notes inked from April skies
Truly, spring's first song" (Rosen 3).
When spring brings those beautiful crisp afternoons, these poems make for a great break from the classroom. After reading this haiku, the students can take a break outside, enjoying spring's first song, writing about the birds and sounds they hear. Seeing and hearing the birds can spark interest in writing about them, and although most kids do not enjoy haikus, maybe the same beautiful birds that inspired the author will inspire them as well.
I reviewed this book for my poetry class at Texas Woman's University.
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This book is simply charming.Perfect for yourself,or as a gift.The haiku's are sharp,and clever.However,my favorite thing about this book is the lovely illustrations! Beautiful! I love haiku,and am a huge bird fan,so I bought this for myself,and I am so enjoying it.Perfect for the poetry fan,or even just a birding enthusiast,as again, the illustrations are charming.So glad I " found" this item!

This book is a treasure for anyone who likes haiku, but especially for those who also love birds. The illustrations are remarkable. Clearly the author / illustrator know their birds well. I purchased multiple copies to give as gifts to relatives 11, 32, up to 64 years old! All will enjoy it!

I used to be into birding for a short while, until I recognized that I simply am not a "march into the swamp at 6:00 a.m. with camera and notebook in hand" sort of person.
But I still enjoy watching the birds and trying to identify their calls.


The art work here is stunning and the haiku is fine except that given its parameters it really isn't so useful in actually explaining a bird. Of course, a bird does not necessarily
need to be explained to be enjoyed, and this book does have many "side bars" that tells of the birds' physical characteristics if not their behavior. But if you approach this book
as you might approach a bird from your back porch, for shear enjoyment, you will not be disappointed.

If you would like to get a little info on a particular bird's personality and behavior by way of some humorous poetry, I recommend the book "Today at the Bluebird Cafe" by Deborah
Ruddell.

I've read several reviews of this book, and this about sums it up:
It's "Basically a birder's journal if said birder were a gifted poet accompanied by a particularly talented artist." In 56 pages, the author and illustrator feature 24 American birds with a haiku about each species, gorgeous renderings of the bird in its environment, and insightful birding-watching field notes about the creature's markings, song, behavior, both on the pages and in an accompanying supplement in the back of the book. By no means a book that's exclusively for kids. Both Publisher's Weekly and Kirkus gave this book starred reviews, citing its extraordinary beauty. A great gift book.

I picked up this book because I'm trying to learn about good haiku. This is not it. If, however, you want a beautifully illustrated book of bird poetry, this would be perfect. My problem is that the author, Michael J. Rosen, has followed the form erroneously taught in so many elementary schools that a haiku must have three lines of 5 syllables, 7 syllables, then 5 syllables. In actuality, the syllable counts are appropriate if one is writing or speaking Japanese. It does not necessarily work in English. That said, the book is beautifully illustrated by Stan Fellows. The artwork is realistic and a consummate portrayal of the poetry words. The book ends with a notes explaining characteristics about each of the 20 birds which appear in the book. A beautiful book.

example: "phased like tilted moons / half shadow, half reflection / juncos cross the snow"

Being more interested in the haiku side of the book, I was disappointed. But the watercolors are incredibly beautiful, and the sketchbook format of the pages makes one want to go do some art. This is a book for artists and birders, more so than haiku lovers and poets.