H is For Haiku – For Mother’s Day, Give the Gift of Poetry
H IS FOR HAIKU:
A TREASURY OF HAIKU FROM A TO Z
Written by Sydell Rosenberg
Illustrations and lettering by Sawsan Chalabi
With a forward by Amy Losak
(Penny Candy Books; $16.95, ages 4 and up)
I cannot think of a more fitting tribute for Mother’s Day than to share this moving and thoughtful collection of haiku that Amy Losak, daughter of late poet Sydell Rosenberg, assembled and submitted for publication. The release in April of Rosenberg’s picture book, H is For Haiku, was ” … the culmination of a decades-long dream,” says Losak. I’m so glad that Losak was determined to share her mother’s gift with children and that Penny Candy Books made that dream a reality. Now we get to reap the rewards—reading them! Over and over again.
It’s easy to tell when haiku comes from the heart as is the case for this New York inspired alphabetic haiku journey. Rosenberg’s homage to her city jumps off the pages and transcends time. Nothing escaped her observant eye, whether it was a bird, a parked car, a squirrel, an umbrella or a watering can. Having grown up in New York, I found so many favorites but I’ll try to pick out just a few. The rest will rely on you. No doubt you’ll agree that three simple lines of poetry can be oh so powerful.
With each letter comes a new delight, an awakening of the senses. Feel the wind blow alongside the gentle touch of petals in Plunging downhill/Petals falling in her hair/Girl on a bike or imagine your favorite ice cream flavor as you claim your spot on a long line in Queuing for ice cream/Sweat-sprinkled office workers/On Queens Boulevard. How amazing that in just 17 or so syllables (Rosenberg wasn’t a stickler) I could be transported instantly to my commuter days from decades ago when I took the subway daily to work! I recalled the heaviness of the humidity on my face, the barrage of assorted smells and the oppressiveness of the heat culminating with the need for a cool scoop of chocolate chip in a sugar cone. Rosenberg’s masterful haiku crafting shines yet again in Jumping Quietly/The cat follows a peach pit/Tossed from the terrace. Can you picture the fire escape or the cat jumping high to catch the pit before it hits the pavement?
The treasury includes imaginative and colorful artwork from Sawsan Chalabi. A particular favorite is letter D where she created a concrete poem in that she gives the haiku raindrop shapes adding to the sensation the language creates. The illustrations have an upbeat and retro feel at the same time and are not only pleasing to the eye but wonderful interpretations of Rosenberg’s words.
Treat yourself, your kids, friends and family to the joy that is H is For Haiku and see which ones resonate with you. Most importantly, listen to your mother, and your heart. Happy Mother’s Day!
- Review by Ronna Mandel
Amy Losak’s comments:
“Years after Syd died in 1996, I took up her goal of publishing one of her kids’ manuscripts from the 1970’s/1980’s. She was a charter member of the Haiku Society of America in 1968, which was “born” in NYC. It turns 50 years old this year. (I am a member now too.) Many of mom’s “city haiku” reflect her urban surroundings and sensibility, but they are universal and timeless, as well.
Haiku are brief (they make perfect “pocket poetry”) but they impel readers to slow down and linger over something they may ordinarily overlook. As I say in my introduction, haiku help make so-called “small moments” big. Haiku is a way to enter with awareness into the world around us. Children and adults alike will relate to these evocative ‘word-pictures.'”
To order the book:
https://www.pennycandybooks.com/shop/haiku
Read more here:
https://www.pennycandybooks.com/blog-1/losak
http://readlearnandbehappy.blogspot.com/2017/04/happy-international-haiku-day-national.html
About the publisher:
PCB is dedicated to diversity in children’s literature. It’s a small, traditional press having “big conversations.”
Check them out at www.pennycandybooks.com or on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter