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Haiku has become popular across the world, and many poets have devoted themselves to helping kids of all ages enjoy this short poetry form. In this big list of haiku books for kids titles and descriptions are organized by content. Many of these books are suitable for any age, even adults, so don’t let the age recommendations deter you from taking a closer look.
Although you can find haiku in poetry anthologies, this list includes only those books dedicated to haiku, with the addition of a few books that also contain haiku’s close relative, the tanga, or a story told in prose that accompanies the haiku. Most of these haiku books for kids are available through Amazon, but some older publications can be found through other sellers, like ebay.
In this article you’ll find…
- Haiku for Little Ones
- Haiku That Tells a Story
- Haiku as Nonfiction
- Animal Haiku Books for Kids
- Haiku for the Seasons
- Haiku About Life Around Us
- English Translations of Famous Japanese Haiku
- Lighthearted Haiku
- Informational Haiku Books for Kids
Haiku for Little Ones
Ideal for little hands, this board book includes six haiku: rain, flower, sun, leaf, snow, and moon. Kids will enjoy finding the little bluebird in each colorful illustration. The character for each title is given next to the English word. A fun introduction to haiku for babies and toddlers!
The author has written another book in the same format called, Haiku Night.
One Leaf Rides the Wind by Celeste Mannis
This counting book takes kids through a Japanese garden. As they read each haiku they discover something new in the garden, such as five roofs on the pagoda, six wooden sandals, and nine koi.
Guess Who, Haiku by Deanna Caswell
Filled with some helpful hints to help young readers have fun with haiku and get familiar with syllables. Like putting your hand below your chin. Kids read a haiku and are asked, “Can you guess who from his/her haiku?” When they turn the page they can check to see if they guessed correctly. There’s also a clue in the illustration for each haiku. This book adds a playful element to haiku for young children.
The author and illustrator have also teamed up to create another haiku book for Halloween called, Boo! Haiku that has the same “guess who” format.
H is For Haiku: A Treasury of Haiku From A to Z by Sydell Rosenberg
Kids can read through the alphabet with this collection of haiku. This collection of Rosenberg’s haiku was put together by her daughter, Amy Losak as a tribute to her mom who always dreamed to publish a children’s book. The poems are based on her experiences living in New York City. She wanted to help children and their parents learn to notice the small moments in life, and that’s what she does in her haiku.
Haiku That Tells a Story
Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw
Cleverly written all in haiku, this book tells the story about a cat who is adopted by a little boy. It’s written from the cat’s perspective. Kids will get lots of laughs as they read about Won Ton riding home in the car, getting named, and being dressed up like a doll.
Similar in style to Won Ton, this book is written entirely in haiku and tells the story of an adopted pet. Mooch doesn’t like the school bus because it takes the children away. So Mooch has to keep himself busy, and into some mischief, while waiting for their return.
Whoo-Ku Haiku: A Great Horned Owl Story by Maria Gianferrari
This beautifully illustrated book tells about an owl couple raising their brood in a tree. It’s written as non-fiction, so children learn all about the amazing great horned owls-what they eat, how they care for their young, and the predators that are lurking about to take advantage when possible. All this information is packaged in the form of haiku.
There are twenty-eight poems in this book that follow a young girl through the course of her day and into the night. The book also has a simple explanation of haiku for kids wanting to write their own.
The haiku in this story of a boy and his mother is not presented in the three line form. Each poem has the traditional seventeen syllables, but they are written vertically, sometimes with just one word per line. The illustrations are soft charcoal on warm parchment.
Yuki and the One Thousand Carriers by Gloria Whelan
Yuki accompanies her parents on the long 300-mile journey on the Tokaido Road. Since Yuki will miss so much school her teacher assigns her the task of writing haiku every day during the trip. As she looks through her wooden shutters Yuki describes the sights and her feelings.
Basho and the Fox by Tim Myers
Basho the famous Japanese poet is challenged by the fox to write one good haiku by the full moon. If he’s successful, the fox will give him the cherries from the tree. The haiku that Basho writes in this story are the famous, familiar haiku that are great for kids to learn to recognize.
Grass Sandals: The Travels of Basho by Dawnine Spivak
In this book the story of Basho is told in prose while samples of his haiku are interspersed throughout the pages. Demi’s illustrations help kids see the Japanese culture and also be an introduction for learning different calligraphy characters.
Wabi Sabi tells the story of a little cat in Kyoto that goes on a journey to discover the meaning of her name. Haiku is interspersed throughout the book, helping to tell the story. The illustrations are collages full of texture from a variety of materials.
Haiku as Nonfiction
Earth Verse: Haiku From the Ground Up by Sally M. Walker
Children can explore the earth and learn new geology terms in this collection of haiku. There are notes at the back that refer to each haiku to help kids learn more. The illustrations are done in soft crayons giving them an impressionist feel.
Yum! Mmmmm! Que Rico!: America’s Sproutings by Pat Mora
This book of haiku is about foods in the Americas. Kids will love the vibrant colors of the illustrations. Each food has added text offering more background information. Phrases such as, “Dad bites green mouth-fire” make it easy to discuss how the five senses are used in haiku.
Animal Haiku Books for Kids
The Horse’s Haiku by Michael J. Rosen
The horse lovers will enjoy the beauty of this book. The watercolor illustrations add to the soothing feeling of each haiku.
Two other beautiful haiku books for kids by Michael J. Rosen:
- The Hound Dog’s Haiku: and Other Poems for Dog Lovers by Michael J. Rosen
- The Cuckoo’s Haiku: and Other Birding Poems by Michael J. Rosen
If Not for the Cat by Jack Prelutsky
This book of haiku is all about animals and beautifully illustrated by Ted Rand. The poems stick with the traditional syllable pattern, so reading this book would be a great way to introduce haiku and to ask children what they notice the poems all have in common.
yThe Maine Coon’s Haiku and Other Poems for Cat Lovers by Michael J. Rosen
I may be biased, because I live in Maine and love cats, but this book is a delight. Children who also love cats will enjoy getting to know all the different breeds, as each one gets it’s own haiku and two-page illustration. This book is a good model for talking about the use of punctuation in haiku.
Black Swan White Crow by J. Patrick Lewis
Black Swan White Crow is a collection of thirteen haiku about different animals. Each haiku is written on one per page with an accompanying illustration on the opposing page. The wood cut illustrations are beautiful pieces of art.
Least Things: Poems About Small Natures by Jane Yolen
Fourteen haiku about little animals and insects, like a hummingbird and a spider, are showcased with eye-catching photographs. Each page also gives a fact about each animal.
Haiku for the Seasons
Follow the adorable panda, named Koo, in these twenty-five haiku about the four seasons. The author doesn’t use the strict 5-7-5 syllable pattern in these haiku.
Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys by Bob Raczka
Kids who love to play outside will relate to the poems in this book. From jumping in puddles to flying kites, every haiku clearly relates to a season of fun activities in nature. The haiku follow the 5-7-5 syllable pattern and are illustrated with cartoon-like drawings in subtle colors.
Lion of the Sky: Haiku for All Seasons by Laura Purdie Salas
As the title implies, the haiku in this book are written like riddles. Young children will enjoy reflecting on how the author chose to describe the subjects. A wriggling tube, a wind bird, and colorful flowers that sprout on stems of people are some of the clever word choices.
The Year Comes Round: Haiku Through the Seasons by Sid Farrar
One poem for each month of the year, children will get a good understanding of the meaning of haiku while learning about the natural cycles in our world.
Spring: A Haiku Story by George Shannon
Kids may be inspired to mimic the style of the illustrations in this spring story told in haiku. The illustrations are colorful and somewhat abstract, but the words of the haiku help the reader clearly see what’s being depicted.
In a Spring Garden by Richard Lewis
You can listen to this book for free with an Audible trial on Amazon. It was published back in 1965 and illustrated by Jack Ezra Keats.
Cricket Never Does: A Collection of Haiku and Tanka by Myra Cohn Livingston
Published back in 1997, this book is a collection of more than sixty haiku and tanka poems illustrated in simple pen-and-ink.
Wink in the Long Grass: A Collection of Haiku
The haiku in this book are not written by one author, but are a collection of haiku from around the world. The illustrations are done in soft pastels in an impressionist style. Some poems stick with the 5-7-5 pattern, while others stray from it.
Haiku About Life Around Us
Seeing Into Tomorrow: Haiku by Richard Wright
Nina Crews uses photo collages to illustrate the twelve haiku in this collection that were written over fifty years ago. She photographed African American boys doing everyday things, like walking the dog and sitting on the porch, so readers could imagine the world through their eyes.
Stone Bench in an Empty Park by Paul Janeczko
A collection of modern and traditional haiku written about life in the city, this book is illustrated in black and white photographs. It’s written for older children, even those in middle and high school.
Swedish author and illustrator, Anders Homer, expresses scenes from around the world. The only common thread among the poems is that in each illustration something is falling from the sky, such as rain, petals, or ashes. The simple haiku and earth-toned illustrations make this a beautiful book.
English Translations of Famous Japanese Haiku
In the eyes of the Cat: Japanese Poetry for All Seasons by Demi
This is a collection of haiku written by the famous Japanese poets and illustrated by Demi. The poems are about living creatures that kids love, and they’re organized by season.
My First Book of Haiku Poems: A Picture, A Poem and a Dream by Esperanza Ramirez-Christensen
A collection of twenty classic poems from the famous Japanese poets translated into both English and Japanese. Kids can see what each poem looks like in the original script. Each poem is illustrated in colorful paintings. There’s also information about the history of haiku and the biographies of the well-know masters.
Today and Today by Kobayashi Issa
Brian Karas translated and illustrated twenty-two of Issa’s poems that tell the story of a family going through a year of loss and healing, as they face the death of their grandfather.
Birds, frogs, and Moonlight by Sylvia Cassedy
Sylvia Cassedy translates original Japanese poems with the help of Kunihiro Suetake. Each poems holds to the traditional 5-7-5 pattern and is illustrated with brush paintings. Each haiku is also done in calligraphy.
Cool Melons–Turn to Frogs!: The Life and Poems of Issa by Matthew Gollub
Issa, a famous Japanese poet, wrote more than 20,000 haiku in his lifetime. In the book the author tells the story of Issa’s life interspersed with selections of Issa’s poetry. The haiku is translated from the original, so it doesn’t always have as many syllables. The illustrator included calligraphy along the edges of the pages for each haiku so children can see what it would look like in the original script.
Haiku Picturebook for Children by Keisuke Nishimoto
Haiku is written in both English and Japanese with pronunciation. However, the English translations do not keep the 5-7-5 syllable pattern. Each poem has a short commentary about the context. Good for primary grades.
Lighthearted Haiku
If It Rains Pancakes: Haiku and Lantern Poems by Brian P. Cleary
This light-hearted collection of poems introduces kids to haiku and lantern poetry. Haiku is made up of three lines following a 5-7-5 syllable pattern, whereas lantern poems consist of five lines following a 1-2-3-4-1 syllable pattern. The illustrations are colorful and playful and the subjects of the poems are not what you expect in traditional nature haiku…hello pizza and cheesesteaks!
Wing Nuts: Screwy Haiku by Paul B. Janeczko and J. Patrick Lewis
A collection of short, funny poems are written in a form of haiku called senryu. These poems are less about nature and more about people and tend to be witty. The authors add plenty of wordplay and puns, making this a humorous read for a wide range of ages.
Informational Haiku Books for Kids
Write Your Own Haiku for Kids by Patricia Donegan
This book has five specific haiku writing projects for kids covering four different haiku styles. It teaches kids to use seven keys when writing haiku: form, image, kigo, here and now, feeling, surprise, and compassion. Additional fun haiku activities are included, as well as a glossary of haiku terms and resource guide. A good fit for grades 2-6.
This is an informational book written as a story. Kids can learn how to write haiku by following the Henry and Hala on their camping adventure. Includes specific steps and writing exercises. For grades 2-4.
Valeri Bodden explains the history of haiku, how to write it, and provides a glossary and list of books for further reading. For grades 5-7
Origami and Haiku: Inspired by Japanese Artwork by Nosy Crow
Kids can read haiku and make origami to go with it by following the step-by-step illustrated directions. Each haiku is paired with a piece of beautiful Japanese artwork.
With so many wonderful haiku books for kids available, learning about this poetry form that originated in Japan centuries ago has never been easier. Use these books as tools for your poetry unit or read aloud enjoyment.
