Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Nonfiction Wednesday - Trying Out Haiku Again



I'm excited that Alyson Beecher, at Kid Lit Frenzy, is continuing her Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge for the fourth year in a row.



 
Thank you Margaret Simon for encouraging us to link up poetry this month using the hashtag #digipoetry.  Also, thank you Leigh Anne Eck for creating a button for us to use.
I wrote reviews several weeks ago for Nonfiction Wednesday in haiku to stay in the spirit of National Poetry Month.  This week, I write both my traditional review and then try out the haiku again.

 
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt
 
 
 
I enjoyed this lovely book, written in the same vein as Over and Under the Snow, by Kate Messner, and wonderfully illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal. Kids will once again be captivated by what is busily thriving under the ground while we enjoy what's growing on top of it! I also love the relationship between grandmother and granddaughter, the legacy of respecting nature being passed on, and the circle of life shown by the passing of seasons.
 
Haiku
Nana and I dream
and plan, a garden awaits
with a world below.
 
Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh
 
 
 
 
I never knew the real story behind what I thought was a fictional Winnie-the-Pooh. I'm happy to know there was an adorable baby orphan bear who was the real Winnie and was taken care of and loved by a veterinarian soldier in WWI. When the soldier, Harry Colebourn, realized Winnie could be hurt on the battlefield, he took her to the London Zoo where she stayed and met Christopher Robin. The affection they had for each other inspired the boy's father, A.A. Milne to write the beloved Pooh books. Delightful illustrations accompany the story, and wonderful photographs adorn the end pages. Kids will be excited to learn the real story of Winnie-the-Pooh!
 
Haiku
 
An orphan bear is
rescued by a kind soldier,
Milne's stories are born.

 

10 comments:

  1. Holly, love your reviews and the haikus, especially the turn that occurs in each with your 3rd line. I've read two reviews of Winnie this week, so it's off to request it from the library.

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  2. You have featured two of my favorites so far this year, made even better by your two haikus. Thanks for sharing them today. I can see what Ramona means by the turn in your 3rd line. It really works.

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  3. Love Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt! I haven't yet read Winne, but I am eager to do so. Winnie-the-Pooh was an essential part of my reading childhood. Thanks!

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  4. Kate Messner is such a diverse writer, from picture books to YA. I'm amazed by her talent. I ordered Winnie. I couldn't resist. Love the idea of haiku reading responses. Bet our students would like to do them.

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  5. Isn't the Pooh story just the sweetest one, Holly? I knew that Milne made those stories for Christopher, but didn't know that there was a "real" bear involved. Love that you wrote a haiku about it, too. And I love all of Messner's books. This one is especially good for young children, much to learn from it! Thanks!

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  6. I adore both of these books, Holly. Your haiku are wonderful! There is another book coming out this year written by the great granddaughter of the soldier. It is illustrated by Sophie Blackall.

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  7. It is always so fascinating to read about an author's inspiration for his stories. I have to find The True Story of Winnie the Pooh - sounds very inspiring. :) Love the haiku, Holly! :)

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  8. I have to find Up in the Garden. I loved Winnie. And thank you for the haiku to go with the books.

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  9. I too adore both of these books! I am so impressed with your poetry! My students just wrote reviews of the book Winnie They were very intrigued by the story.

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  10. Both of these are books that I really want to read! I need to request them on the library :)

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