Author Bob Raczka
Illustrator Peter H. Reynolds
Publisher Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Copyright 2010
40 pages
Children’s Poetry
I chose to read this book because of the title. It is rare that boys are interested in reading at all, so I was surprised to see a poetry book written with boys as the focus. In Guyku the author takes the reader on a journey through the life of a boy for one year. The haikus in Guyku are amusing and funny. Some of the haikus ask questions and others give imaginative explanations to simple things such as why a snowman melts. Each season of the year is highlighted with different activities that boys can do during that particular season.
The text placement of Guyku is formal; however, the text is handwritten so the book does not feel very formal. The illustrations were completed using watercolors and digital colors. There is also a great deal of negative space throughout the book which highlights the illustrations and their simplicity. The illustrations use blue and green hues; however, the intensity of the colors is rather dull. The colors that are used coincide with the season in which the poems were written about. For example; the fall illustrations are done with mostly brown hues whereas the spring illustrations were done with mostly green hues. The illustrator matched the words of the poem with the colors that represent each season.
Guyku can interest almost any boy between the ages of six and eleven because of its amusing haikus. This book would also be appropriate for younger boys that are being read to or learning to read. Most teachers could use this book to teach their classes about haikus and hoe they are formatted. Teachers could also use this book as a way to interest young boys into reading different literature or interest them into reading anything. This book has not received any awards; however, it will become a part of my future classroom library.
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