retrieved from leewardlaw.com on 2/27/2013

Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku

Wardlaw, Lee. Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2011. ISBN 9780805089950

Illustrated by: Eugene Yelchin

Critical Analysis:

Written in the senryu form of Japanese poetry developed from and similar to haiku, the poems in this book examine the foibles of a cat’s nature and the emotional process of being an adopted shelter cat. The poetic structure follows the five, seven, five syllable pattern of traditional haiku verse. This lends a crisp feel to the work that is aptly supported by the clean lines and minimalist arrangement of the illustrations. The sparse format in no way detracts from the emotional impact of this purrrfectly wonderful work.

Wardlaw and Yelchin do an excellent job of conveying the staunchly independent nature of this homeless kitty while giving the reader glimpses of his secret hope of being adopted by that special boy. The fear of the unknown is artfully conveyed by an illustration of bright blue eyes on a totally black page and the following poems.

                                                                 Deep, dark bed cave. Me?

                                                                Hiding? I’m no scaredy-cat!

                                                                      I like dust bunnies!

                                                                      “Here, kitty, kitty.”

                                                                Ha. I’ll stay put till I know:

                                                                 Are they friend… or foe?

The catty attitude often exhibited by our feline friends is loud and clear as kitty states:

                                                                          I explained it loud

                                                                and clear. What part of “meow”

                                                                       Don’t you understand?

The words lead the reader to laugh out loud as we think of those catty attitudes we all know and love. The feelings of love and adoration between boy and cat are clearly expressed in an artfully portrayed painting and the giving of the secret name….”Boy, it’s time you knew: My name is Haiku.”

This book is heartfelt, touching and laugh out loud funny.

Book Reviews:

Wardlaw’s terse, traditional verse captures catness from every angle, while Yelchin’s graphite and gouache illustrations telegraph cat-itude with every stretch and sinuous slink. Perfect pussycat poetry for anyone who has ever loved a shelter cat. Kirkus Reviews, January 1, 2011 Vol. 79, No. 1

A surprisingly powerful story in verse. Publishers Weekly

Awards:

Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Poetry, 2012 Winner United States

Connections:

This is a wonderful introduction to Japanese poetry such as Haiku and Senryu. Read this book and Don’t Step on the Sky by Miriam Chaikin then discuss the characteristics of each type. End with students writing their own poetry to share in an anthology and a poetry reading for family.

Library Activity: Read this book before introducing a care of animals program conducted by the local SPCA. Have other poetry titles available such as The Hound Dog’s Haiku by Michael J. Rosen or The British Museum Haiku Animals edited by Mavis Pilbeam as well as books on animal and pet care.