GUYKU: A YEAR OF HAIKU FOR BOYS by Bob Razcka

Raczka, Bob. 2010. Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys. Illustrated by Peter Reynolds. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 9780547240039

                                     

Haiku by definition is a Japanese nature poem of three lines using five syllables in the first and third lines and seven syllables in the second.  It has become an increasingly popular form of poetry.  It has become so popular that subject matter is no longer limited to nature but expanded to include anything from the alphabet to zombies.  Bob Raczka, however has stayed true to its original intent and has written a delightful book of haiku celebrating his love of nature and his boyhood memories.  

Peter Reynolds' loveable cartoonish boys are drawn alone or in a pair until the end page when he draws three boys with shirts that sport numbers 5, 7, 5 to mirror the syllable count of the poetry.  Raczka dedicates this book to his two sons, and Peter Reynolds dedicates his work to his 16 nephews.  With so many male experiences to draw from, each poem is a picture of a real event that most any boy would be able to experience or imagine.  The book is written by seasons, with each new season named in black script on a double spread with one small touch of identifying color (green dot for spring, yellow sun for summer, etc.).

Raczka’s poetry is so natural, it sounds like talking.  For example,

How many million

flakes will it take to make a

snow day tomorrow?

His childlike imagery is easy to visualize and makes me smile when he says,

Winter must be here.

Every time I open my

mouth, a cloud comes out.

I love when he wonders if his melting snowman might have a “spring allergy.”

Kite flying, camping, bike riding, skipping stones, and fishing, are just a few of the universal entertainments on an American boy-card that Raczka consecrates in verse.  In 24 poems he encapsulates boyhood. 

Guyku would make a great gift for boys of all ages as it calls up so many good memories.  But as an academic tool, it is very versatile too.  The book has a natural appeal to boys as well as girls and could inspire a class to try their hand in preserving a memory in 17 syllables.  A class book of the poems and illustrations would make an impressive feature at open house or a end of the year keepsake.  But even just listening to the poetry and recalling the carefree joy of childhood is a gift all by itself worth sharing aloud with someone special.