Betsy E. SnyderRezensionen

This book contained various haiku poems that the author wrote to her friend, Jeffrey. I thought this was a very cute book. The pictures and poems within were equally beautiful and conveyed a wide varieties of feelings from romantic love to friendship.

I think that this book is an excellent introduction into poetry, specifically haikus. I personally have not had a lot of experience with haikus and this inexperience led me to avoid them. After reading this book, I have now read twenty more haikus. This plethora of examples has allowed me to garner an understanding for what makes a haiku, and has increased my appreciation of the poetry itself.
All of the haikus included in the compilation revolve around a central theme of love, but the author includes a large variety of love. Romantic love, love between friends, love for a pet, love for a parent, and even love for s’mores are all topics in the pieces. I think that it would have been a very meaningful book if the author had elected to include love been a heterosexual couple or an atypical family. Not having these included did not detract from the book or the power of the poetry, but I believe that the inclusion would have spoken volumes and made it all the more powerful.
The message of this story is: many types of love can be expressed in many ways.

I enjoyed this book for many reasons. I like how the whole book is written in haikus. I think that this book would be perfect for a poetry lesson where the teacher is introducing the different types of poems. I like how each page has a haiku and an illustration to go with each. The poems are simple and easy for children to understand. The whole book is about love which i thought was very charming. This book would be a great resource for poetry lessons.

I enjoyed this book because of the writing and the illustrations. The book features all haikus but instead of being separate poems, the author makes sure that there is one story going on throughout the whole book. Because of this the book flows very well and it's easier to understand what each haiku is about since they all share the same theme. The illustrations are another good element. They really help to give context to what would be a very vague haiku. For instance, one haiku is "Little by little I love watching you grow up, each and every inch." That could be a mother talking to their child, or a child talking to their pet, but the picture shows it's a girl watering plants. The big message to the reader is that whoever gave them this book loves them.

A short but engaging book about animals, their features, characteristics, and behavior. This book would be very interesting, especially for the youngest children. Very high quality pictures catch the reader's attention. As well, it has a number of different textures to be felt, including whiskers, leather, velcro, etc. Each texture is linked to an animal, such as a walrus, armadillo, or porcupine.

I liked this book for many reasons. This book had a variety of bright vibrant pictures that would make the reading enjoyable for anyone. I also like how this book goes through the seasons, it starts in winter and makes a full circle to the end. This book is also easy to read because haiku's are only 17 words per page. This book also has rhyming words in it. For example, one haiku reads "noodles so yummy, love letters for your tummy- warm alphabet soup." The main idea of this story is love. Each haiku is about a different thing the two characters in the story love.

I Haiku You is a book of many haiku poems. The one poem I focused on says
"your rainbow colors
come out to play when it pours-
chase the gray away"
I think the big idea of this is to be happy because after it rains, the rainbow shows us how beautiful everything is, especially after a storm.
I liked this poem for two reasons. The first reason was because it was a haiku. Haiku's are short poems but have a lot of meaning. The second reason I liked this poem was because of the author's use of personification (and throughout the other poems). Adding personification portrays a message to the readers. "Chase the gray away" tells me as the reader that the rainbow is trying to get rid of the dark clouds after the rain so that is can show off its pretty colors. Personification also can add humor to the poems.
The illustration included was also a good effect to the poem because it showed how the girls had taken off their rain boots, and had now come inside to draw a picture of a pretty rainbow, foreshadowing what was to come next.

Many examples of haiku poems, all around the theme of love and friendship.

Such a precious and enjoyable book to read! Would be a great way to introduce children to a different type of poetry - they may enjoy the challenge of the "rules" of haiku.

“I Haiku You” is a lovely book of poems. This book has the main message of loving everyone you come into contact with. This is demonstrated through the use of language. On every page the language is simple yet allows for the reader to understand. The language also flows in the manner of haikus, which allows for the reader to have a flow. The illustrations with in this book also convey the message for with each soft color there is the feeling of love. This is also conveyed through the pictures of the people and how they all love one another.

Love this book. The haiku are sweet, the illustrations are bright and charming.

I shocked myself and really liked this book. I liked enjoyed both the illustrations and the writing. I liked illustrations because it was clear that this book was meant for a younger audience, and the pictures take up the majority of the space on each page. The illustrations help the reader also make sense of the text because they are so bright and eye catching. I liked the text the most because every single page reads a haiku; this is the way the author chose to go about telling his story. When I was younger I had a hard time making haikus and they were never my favorite to read or write so reading this book makes haikus a bit more interesting. This book is able to successfully tell a story about a little girls love for almost everything around her.

This was another beginning reader book I found during the library exploration. It's pretty much the most adorable book to ever hit bookshelves. I really like that the author understood the form of haiku and I could use this book to teach poetry with older audiences. I also think this is a book that young children will want to read over and over again.

In the beginning of this class i really didn't enjoy rhyming books, but as it goes on i am finding my self loving them. This book is a typical bed time story, it explains everything you should dream about when going to sleep. This story will be one that i remember for years to come!

Snyder has created a wonderfully sweet children's story written entirely in haiku form. Perfect for Valentine's Day or all year round, this book reminds us to remember to love the simple things in life. Also a great introduction to poetry and haiku.

[I almost never do holiday book posts, but I wanted to revise this review covering Valentine's Day-themed board books that I wrote a few years ago, so here you go.]

Two of the four books I am reviewing today are specifically holiday-themed and the other two are more generically "love" themed. I will say, first of all, that Valentine's Day is not a holiday I particularly like (I don't really like any holidays, to be honest) but the crafts are easy - lots of pink paper and glitter and both kids and parents are happy. Despite my own feelings, we do Valentine's programs every year if only so that people can't remind me, yet again, of the year I did a snake-themed storytime.

So, we begin with 10 Valentine Friends, a counting book. This is a tried and true formula from author Janet Schulman and illustrator Linda Davick. They also have a Halloween, Christmas and Easter book in the same format. Bland rhymes and flat, digital pictures walk the reader through Valentines for each child in the story. A separate space on the side of each page shows the cards made so far. It's easy to count, strongly holiday-themed, and boring. However, there aren't too many Valentine's Day books, parents ask for them, and they like the counting aspect. A book doesn't have to be amazing to be a successfully circulating title and this one will definitely go out every Valentine's Day. I'm fine with adding this to the holiday collection, but this is a book that I do not see a use for as a board book. The children pictured are much older than a board book audience and the story and counting are too complex for babies and toddlers, let alone the Valentines concept.

Next, we have Duck and Goose: Goose Needs a Hug. This is Tad Hills' very successful board book line with simple concepts illustrated by his cheery team of little birds. In this title, Goose is feeling sad and his friends keep trying to cheer him up. Finally, they take the time to listen to what he wants and find out that he just needs a hug. This would make a nice, non-romantic Valentine's Day read for even the youngest ones in storytime and Hills is expert at including just the right amount of text for young listeners. This is a definite must to add to your board book collection.

Sweet Dreams Lullaby is one of the lovelier bedtime board books I've seen, with sweet little rhymes and glowing pictures. A little bunny is inspired by the parent bunny to cuddle up in bed and "dream of water-lily beds/where baby peepers rest their heads./a daddy frog sings low and deep,/lulling all the pond to sleep." Each spread features a different verse about a different aspect of nature, including sunny days, clouds and sky, night sky, stars, etc. The pictures are my favorite part of this sweet little board book, with softly glowing pastels and cute, happy faces. I'm not really 100% behind this as a board book, since I feel the rhyming text is too long for most children aged two and under, which is who I buy board books for; however it's also available as a hardcover picture book. This would make a nice Valentine's Day present or a sweet read for an evening storytime.

Finally, Tweet Hearts is what I'd think of as a novelty book. It's a counting book, counting little hearts doing silly things, with a final spread that pops out a thin cardboard heart saying "I love you." The pictures are cute and parents will like this one, but it's not something I'd recommend to a library. The hearts are hard to differentiate from the illustrations, especially for a young audience. In one spread there are bubbles and heart-shaped bubbles, in another heart-shaped balloons and clouds. Older children would have no problem with this, but I can't see a reason to be reading this very small board book to an older child. The pop-out heart at the end will last about 30 seconds on the regular board book shelf.

Verdict: I highly recommend Goose needs a hug in board book format. I suggest purchasing Sweet Dreams Lullaby and 10 Valentine Friends as hardcover picture books. Give Tweet Hearts a miss.

10 Valentine Friends: A holiday counting book by Janet Schulman, illustrated by Linda Davick
ISBN: 9780375871306; This edition published 2012 by Alfred A. Knopf/Random House; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the library

Duck & Goose: Goose needs a hug by Tad Hills
ISBN: 9780307982933; Published 2012 by Schwartz & Wade/Random House; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the library

Sweet Dreams Lullaby by Betsy Snyder
ISBN: 9780307980601; This edition published 2012 by Random House; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the library

Tweet Hearts by Susan Reagan
ISBN: 9780307931535; Published 2012 by Robin Corey/Random House; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the prize box

Ilustrated in brightly colorful, yet soothing colors, Sweet Dreams Lullaby is cozy and comfortable, a rhyming journey through nature,

"Dream of water-lily beds
where baby peepers rest their heads.
A daddy frog sings low and deep,
lulling all the pond to sleep."

The double-spread illustrations of a rabbit enjoying nature's sounds and sights, highlight gradually darkening skies until the rabbit finally turns in for the night,

"May mother nature comfort you
and make your sweetest dreams come true!"

Nature is not realistically portrayed, however, Betsy Snyder's illustrations strike a balance of cheerfulness and calm.

This is a great book because of the amazing illustrations. The pictures are so clear and bright, they are great. Also the book is multilanguage, which is awesome when incorporating other cultures in curriculums.