The Maine Coon's Haiku

Gr 1–5—The brevity and poignancy of the haiku format perfectly capture the feline essence in this book of verse. Each spread defines an individual breed, some familiar and others less so, with a deft haiku and an inviting illustration about a brief moment. "American Shorthair" ("outside the old store/more strays sun as the screen door/bangs—bangs shut, again") depicts a slow, warm scene evoking senses of touch, sight, and sound, while "Turkish Angora" ("whooshing down the hall:/Angora, then her all-white/dust devil of hair") creates the feeling of speed and energy, with an image of a blur of white cat leaving fur balls in her wake. With rich colors and detailed, scratchy lines, each illustration uses clever page layouts and line work to convey movement or stillness as the featured cats dictate. Broken into alternating sections of "Inside" and "Outside," the book evokes the mood of the indecisive cat who always wants in—and, just as quickly—back out again. The volume concludes with back matter that provides a little more concrete information about each breed. Fans of the author's other collections, The Cuckoo's Haiku: And Other Birding Poems (2009) and The Hound Dog's Haiku: And Other Poems for Dog Lovers (2011, both Candlewick), will lap this one right up.