Penny Harter

This is an absolutely excellent and very thorough introduction to haiku. Despite it's subtitle, the book really doesn't talk much about writing haiku per se. Rather, the majority of the book is about the history and theory of haiku. No writing exercises. All the same, it's highly-readable and does a great job of presenting both traditional and modern approaches to haiku. The teaching sections are lesson plans targeted at elementary school age, but the book as a whole is clearly targeted at show more adults. The book is full of haiku examples from around the world and has excellent appendices: season words, a glossary of Japanese haiku terms, and a long list of books to refer to. show less

More teachers need to read this book! We have been guilty of teaching the structure rather than the spirit.

Really helpful. Could've done without the "how to teach" section, but I'm guessing it's pretty useful for anyone engaged in instruction.

Genre: Peotry
Age Appropriateness: Intermediate
setting, characterization, plot: the haikus all seem to take place in the night time hours
Review: This book is a good example of poetry because all the pages are haikus about the evenings events that take place through all the seasons of the years.
Media: Oil Paint
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