Don't Step on the Sky: A Handful of Haiku

by Miriam Chaikin, Hiroe Nakata (Illustrator)

Poetic gems for the very young.

"After the rain
a puddle.
Careful.
Don't step on the sky."

This whimsical collection of poems in the haiku tradition celebrates the joy and wonder of nature. The twenty-eight playful poems take the young reader from early morning, through the day, and into the night's "gallery of diamonds." Sometimes serious, sometimes funny, but always surprising, these poems are sure to capture the imagination.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2002

About the author

Miriam Chaikin was born in Jerusalem and raised in New York. She served as editor-in-chief of children s books in various publishing houses and has published over thirty books for children of all ages. In 1984 she won the Sydney Taylor Award for Body of Work.

Reviews

[Maizie Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a book full of haiku poems. There are wonderful illustrations throughout this book that I really enjoyed. Some of these poems may be a little difficult for young readers to understand so maybe a read aloud with some questions along the way would be helpful but definitely one I would keep in my classroom!

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read a poem by the author I liked so found this book. Love the poems.

[Sarah Holland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal Reaction: I love the exploration and relationship the young girl in the book is creating with nature through the use of haiku. Her curiosity sparks more wonder and awe. The haiku format is especially useful for explaining nature and its many curiosities. I wrote my first haiku in 4th grade. We used Chinese charcoal paints to illustrate our poems.

Purposes
-read aloud for enrichment: Reading aloud haikus is especially enriching for the purpose of gaining deeper understanding. Short poems often require a read loud to understand fully what the poet is trying to convey. I would likely have students convey their understanding of the poem through a medium of artwork. The topic of the poems, nature, is a great topic for art.

-read aloud for curricular purposes: This book introduces haiku in a very easy-to-understand format. The poet's introduction includes the definition of a haiku, as well as its history and how it is used in modern times. I would definitely use this book to introduce my students to haikus and as they were beginning to write their own.

Age level
-I would target this book to 4th graders. Students understanding and writing their own poems begins around this age. Haikus are an excellent introduction into the world of poetry for their simplicity and structure.

[Samantha Penrose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a good introduction to haiku for a young child.
The first page offers a clear and simple explanation of what Haiku is. I can see how it might inspire a slightly older child to try their own hand at it.
Out of 29 poems, I really enjoyed 6 of them. My kids (3 & 5) enjoyed most of them.
The illustrations are very cute and definitely add to the enjoyment for my boys.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

cute poems

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the pictures
a watercolor backdrop
that poems inhabit