KerriRowland's Reviews > GUYKU: A Year of Haiku for Boys

Guyku was written by Bob Raczka. In the very back of the book he explains that he wrote this book because he’s a “guy”. He’s a “guy” that happens to love haiku’s. He talks about his love of nature and how as a boy he spent a great deal of time outside with his friends. He relates his love of nature for his love of haiku’s because they too are an observation of nature, and nature is a place where guys love to be.

I loved this book because it reminded me of growing up and being outside all day until the sunset. Even though I can’t relate to his gender, I do know that both girl’s and boy’s love nature. Riding bikes, catching fireflies and running in puddles are just a few of the actions we see in the storybook. I love the simplicity, yet powerful meanings in the book.

Peter Reynolds illustrates the book and it is in all black and white with a splash of color to match the season. He shows the change of season by big, bold letters in between two pages. The book starts with spring and we see splashes of green, yellow for summer, brown for fall and blue for winter. Simple, yet powerful pictures of what real life used to look like when I was growing up. The pictures provided me with a sweet memory of some of the best days of my childhood.

This is a great book to use when introducing poetry for both boys and girls. I think it would be a great book to show exciting word choice to students. It can be used for all ages and I believe anyone could find a way to relate! Adorable!