Guess Who, Haiku: A Picture Book

by Deanna Caswell, Bob Shea (Illustrator)

The picture book Guess Who, Haiku is a unique poetic guessing game illustrated by bestselling and beloved artist Bob Shea.

Author Deanna Caswell’s playful take on the inventive Japanese form of poetry offers clues about the creatures hiding on every page in this creative and clever picture book of charmingly illustrated poems for the very young.

As readers meet a cow, a bee, a horse, a bird, a frog, a fish, a mouse, a cat, and a dog, they will be delighted to learn that they are the subject of the final poem. Parents will appreciate the simple guide to understanding the haiku.

Perfect for story time and for poetry month in April, Guess Who, Haiku is a must-have collection of poetry for the youngest readers.

“Overall, a superb introduction to this potent poetic form, teaching pre-readers both the evocative power of description and the reward for listening closely. Not to be gorgeous poetry, vibrant illustrations, and masterful use of the page turn.” — Kirkus Reviews

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Animals, Storytime, Childrens, Nonfiction, Nature

24 pages, Hardcover

First published March 8, 2016

About the author

I write children's books, I'm more famous in my area for my pets! See my new book Little House in the Suburbs and videos uploaded below and the newspaper links here, here, here, here, and here.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a series of ten haikus, each presented by the previous animal, the young reader is asked to guess the creature under discussion in the poem. The initial haiku - "new day on the farm / muffled mooing announces / a fresh pail of milk" - is followed by those which lead to a bee, a bird, a horse, and eventually to the young reader/listener themselves.

A fun interactive book, one which involves the reader in a guessing game, Guess Who, Haiku is also a lighthearted introduction to the haiku poetry form, which, as the author observes in her afterword, is intended to involve play. The colorful, cartoon-like artwork by Bob Shea, creator of Ballet Cat and Dinosaur , is well-suited to the entertaining nature of the text. Recommended to those looking for fun poetry titles for toddlers and younger children.

[Chrissi Guarnieri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked Deanna Caswell's haiku book for children aged 2-4. Each Haiku is a "Guess Who"riddle, which implores the child to think more deeply about the words or sounds an animal may make, on the back of the page is an image of the animal, and the word that answers the riddle. At the end of the book is an easy to read informational page about haikus, their origin and syllables. The illustrations are bright, simple and stylized.

[Jennifer Fenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The basic concept of this book is simple but great. The author wrote a series of haikus about different animals. At the end of haiku the reader is prompted to guess the animal. Great intro to the poetic form, cute pictures! My daughter is 2 1/2 and she thought it was so fun! She immediately wanted to read it again. I hope this becomes a series!

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Admittedly we love everything involving Bob Shea. Love this new/slightly different take on Brown Bear, Brown Bear.

[Alyssa Wagor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guess Who, Haiku plays with the Japanese poetic form of haiku to create many riddle poems asking readers to guess which animal is being described. Animals include a cow, bee, horse, bird, frog, fish, mouse, cat, and dog. The poems work together to move the book along to different animals until the big finish where children are the subject of the final poem. The illustrations create bold pictures for the reveal of each animal. The book finishes with an explanation of how haiku's are written and a bit more about the form from Caswell. Large illustrations and a small trim size make this an eye catching book with lots of appeal.This book should be read to Pre-K & K students. In a classroom, I would use a memory game- after reading the book, we would play a memory game with animal pictures.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are definitely some challenging words for young ones in this book, but the illustrations are fun and help reinforce the rhymes and keep kids guessing. This is a great introduction to poetry, particularly the haiku form, and could even (possibly) be incorporated into a preschool or early elementary storytime!

[Jamie Lauver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This very cute picture book just landed on my desk today! Excellent book for introducing haiku to children. Bright colors, flowing text, and cute illustrations will draw children into this book and have them guessing who is behind each haiku.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

My new favorite book. I think this book would be a lot of fun.

[Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary: This book of haiku poems that have the readers guess what animal is behind each page. In the end, they find out they are part of the book as well.
Evaluation: This book is made more for younger students who are starting to read. This can be made as an introduction to poems for lower grades.
Teaching Idea: I could use this book for students to read during silent reading time. for this, I would make sure the students would be able to read these books on their own.

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this might be a good one to use in a 1st (or maybe 2nd) Grade classroom to introduce the Haiku style of poetry. It gets a bit lengthy for how repetitive the pages are but it would be a book fun to pick a few from and have the children try to guess the animals it’s describing. I like that the last page gives a little explanation in case a child is reading this without any prior knowledge of what I haiku is but the amount of words on that last page is something an adult would likely need to read to a child in the age range this book is geared towards.

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Text: 5 stars
Art: 4 stars

This interactive picture book uses haiku as clues in a guessing game. Each poem describes a different animal that appears on the next page. There are also visual clues provided underneath each poem. Fun way for children to learn about haiku poetry. There is an explanation of the haiku form in the back of the book. It even defines a syllable and teaches you how to count them. Would make an engaging series with a different focus for the guessing game in each book.

[Sandra Lemus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: This book contains many mystery Haikus that readers will guess. The Haikus are fun and tell a story.

Evaluation: I think this book does a great job with the creative haikus. The haikus are understandable for young readers.

Teaching Idea: I would read this book in a kindergarten or 1st grade class. Even though students do not learn about poems, they can get a glimpse of it with this book.

[Alissa Pletcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bob Shea's exuberant illustration style works well here to create bold pictures for the reveal of each animal. The design of the book also lends a zany bit of charm to this humorous title that reads a bit like a game show adventure. The book finishes with an explanation of how haiku's are written and a bit more about the form from Caswell. Large illustrations and a unique (smaller and more square) trim size make this an eye-catching book with lots of appeals.

[Eleah Billings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetry
3rd-5th grade
I think that this book is a great way to teach students about Haiku and poetry in general as well. I think there is definitely in school a big negative connotation of poetry, so having a fun book with haiku could be a fun way to incorporate it into the classroom. I think it is also fun to let students write their own haiku as well and to let them make funny ones that they enjoy writing.

[Bethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Love this cute, toddler friendly, introduction to haiku. Lots of clues in the engaging, almost too cute, illustrations. Note in the back explains haiku - I never knew the hai meant to make light of. Love the endpages as well. Back cover shows Boo Haiku - will need to order that one too!

[Kendra Thiry · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an avid lover of haikus, I found this to be an adorable way to introduce this style of poetry to young children. As you flip through the pages you read haikus about animals, and the reader is asked to guess what animal the haiku described. It is fun and interactive, and the artwork is happy and whimsical. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a fun, lighthearted introduction to haiku poetry. The writing is fun, simple, and loaded with alliteration that is easy for kids. The book is interactive and leads the reader on a guessing game, trying to figure out which animal is described in the poem. This book could also be a good introduction into syllables/syllabic awareness, as the haikus follow the traditional 5-7-5 syllable pattern throughout the story.

[Nathan Boozer · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Guess Who, Haiku" introduces children to haiku poetry in a fun and interactive way. Each page presents a playful haiku that gives clues about an animal, encouraging readers to guess before turning the page. The fun images make the book extremely entertaining for readers. It’s clever, educational, and a wonderful introduction to both poetry and nature for young learners.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book that not only introduces young children to the haiku form, but allows them to interact with the text and have fun doing it. A great read aloud possibility for pre-school and kindergarten.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute book filled with farmyard haiku. I don't know if it was just that I've been living in Japan too long though, but the language in the haiku seemed a little high level for the subject matter. As far as introducing haiku to a young age set goes, it does alright I suppose.

[Buffie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great way to introduce little readers into the world of haiku. The riddles were engaging and easy to follow. It also added some new vocabulary that led to some discussions. Good addition to a collection.

[Tayler Sarson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really glad I came across this book, it was so cute! I think it is perfect for a read aloud with young readers. I like that it is a book that involves guessing from the reader using text clues and picture clues.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great choice for reading aloud with primary students.

[Camille Caliman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super adorable and really makes me want to write some haiku.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This works well as a picture book, or even as an explanation of haiku, but I can't imagine grabbing it when I have the itch to read some poetry.

[Amanda Blau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haikus to guess the animals. Fun for poetry month storytime

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, and will read it to preschoolers!

[Niki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun interactive poetry book for young children.

[Farhana Afroz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book for the children. Every page puts a clue to guess the animal hiding on the next page. Enjoyed reading this book.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, different farm book! Good for storytime, with some extra explanations.