Hi, Koo! by Jon J. Muth

Hi, Koo! by Jon J. Muth. 32 p. Scholastic Inc., February, 2014. 9780545166683. (Finished copy courtesy of the publisher for review.)

Koo (Zen Shorts) is back, tripping through a year and 26 haiku. While they all are not technically haiku, the reason explained in the Author's Note at the beginning, they all evoke simple joys found in each season. They are, at turns, contemplative, celebratory and hilarious. Each haiku is illustrated charmingly in watercolor and ink in a lovely palette dominated by greens and blues in the spring and summer, reds in the winter and browns in the fall. Adorably rotund Koo is front and center in each painting, but joined by two or more friends in most.

Arriving just in time to incorporate into a poetry unit for National Poetry month, this is a sparkling addition to your collection.