From Publishers Weekly
This small-format collection of poetry "in the haiku tradition" wanders slowly through a tranquil world, sensing the living pulse of creation in the singing of birds ("I hear their happiness, but where are they?"), the night sky ("The moon strolls by my window, looks in looks in moves on"), even a cat sitting in the window ("How like an eggplant!"). Chaikin (I Should Worry, I Should Care) moves easily between whimsy ("Duck glides across pond water doesn't notice") and wistfulness ("Lovely lily alive for only a day. Take good care of yourself"), and Nakata's (Lucky Pennies and Hot Chocolate) watercolors accommodate both. Through the pages, a girl in overalls and her cat go exploring, blissfully alone in meadows of wildflowers and cityscapes dotted with rows of street lamps. The flattened perspectives and not-quite-straight lines make Nakata's illustrations as comfortable as old toys; close-ups and wide-angle spreads alternate in refreshing succession. On the final page, the girl and her cat, kneeling at the edge of a pool, reach out to touch their reflections in the water, smiling at the clouds drifting across its surface. "After the rain a puddle. Careful. Don't step on the sky." Ages 3-8.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
reSchool-Grade 2-Accessible and light poetry, with a friendly backdrop of watercolors. In Chaikin's brief foreword, she states that the aim of this poetic form is "-to capture a moving experience in a few words." Her haiku highlight the delights of nature in the city and the country and the gifts of observation: "A cardinal in the yard. My heart stops. A red secret." Some of the images are lovely: "Night lights. Raindrops on my window. A gallery of diamonds." Most of the writing is charming, with only a few misses. For instance, "Rain. At last! How happy the grass is. Me too" lacks the specific imagery of the more successful poems. However, Nakata's graceful work carries these poems. Her fluid lines and pastel colors are nicely matched by a child's-eye perspective and sense of humor. "A blade of grass pushes through cement. Hello, world" is illustrated by a cross section showing the layers beneath the sidewalk as a frustrated mole tries to do the same as the grass. One caveat: Chaikin does not use haiku's traditional rhyme scheme, so these selections may not be useful for school assignments. If you have room and or money for only one haiku collection for this audience, stick with Matthew Gollub's Cool Melons-Turn to Frogs (Lee & Low, 1998). If your collection and budget are larger, this breezy volume will make a nice addition.
Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, ILCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
