Whoo-Ku Haiku: Art, Poetry, & Science Activities

WHOO-KU HAIKU: ART, POETRY & SCIENCE ACTIVITIES

Best Users: Librarians, Educators, Home Learners
Best Audience: Children Grades 00-04

Looking for this book during lockdown? It is available as an e-book in select libraries, a Kindle edition, and is shipping from many independents.

ABOUT THE ACTIVITIES

Great Horned Owl Finger Puppets
Absorbed by the stunning illustrations of Jonathan Voss, readers of Whoo-Ku Haiku (G.P. Putnam’s Sons) will want to become part of the action. With a color, cut, and a good dose of STEAM-driven imagination, readers can use these finger puppets to raise a nest of Great Horned Owls.
DOWNLOAD Whoo-Ku Haiku: Finger Puppets (PDF)

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Haiku Writing & Reader’s Theater
Compelled by the simplicity and power of the poetic form, readers of Whoo-Ku Haiku (G.P. Putnam’s Sons) will want to try their hand at haiku. Author Maria Gianferrari teaches the form and invites the creation of haikus about the story’s other woodland animals. Haiku Reader’s Theater, anyone?
DOWNLOAD Whoo-Ku Haiku: Writing Haiku (PDF)

“So many children and adults alike connect or are in awe of owls and the Great Horned Owl is like the great grandfather of them all! Combining this with art, poetry and science is an ideal opportunity for parents and teachers to immerse children in the mysterious world of one of the night’s most fascinating predators.” —Jonathan Dolce, Public Librarian

Online STEM Resources
Enthralled with this magnificent bird, readers in the classroom or at home will want to know more about the Great Horned Owl. Explore this list of curated online resources.
DOWNLOAD Whoo-Ku Haiku: Great Horned Owl Resources (PDF)

ABOUT THE BOOK

Whoo-Ku Haiku: A Great Horned Owl Story
By Maria Gianferrari
Illustrated by Jonathan Voss
Published by Penguin Young Readers Group
ISBN-13: 9780399548420
Age Range: 4 – 8 Years

Stunning illustrations and gorgeous haikus lead young readers through the dramatic life cycle of one of America’s most beloved wild animals.

Pip. Pip. Pip. Poking
A hole. Cracking. Cracking. Out
Pecks the white owlet.

Watch as a pair of great horned owlets peep and squeak in their feathered nest. Mama and Papa hunt for food and fend off predators while the chicks grow strong enough to hop and flap between the branches of their tree, then leap and fly away, ready to explore the wild world around them.

In this thrilling nonfiction picture book, a combination of haiku and dazzling illustration shows readers the fierce majesty of one of North America’s most ubiquitous wild animals.

“Gianferrari [introduces]…children to an easy-to-grasp poetic form, against the appropriately moody naturalistic wash of Voss’s stunning pictures, in sepia ink and watercolor.”
—The New York Times Book Review
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“The great horned owl takes wing through illustrations and haiku. With the assistance of illustrator Voss, here, self-confessed “bird nerd” Gianferrari indulges her “fondness for raptors” by describing the life cycle of North America’s most common owl…Choosing the spare, declarative force of haiku to tell her tale, Gianferrari interestingly juxtaposes the raw, predatory nature of these birds, as the parents hunt prey and protect their young from numerous existential threats, with a verse form traditionally reserved for depicting nature’s more pastoral scenes: “Papa delivers a snake” and “alights on the nest” with “a skunk for supper” while “crows dive-bomb and caw.” Voss’ intricate double-page spreads often utilize inset panels to capture the tension of nature in action; especially effective is a gorgeous close-up highlighting mama owl’s razor-sharp talons and tawny-flecked eyes as “Red fox launches—pounce!” aiming for one of the newly flying owlets. As a bonus to this comprehensive window into nature, Gianferrari’s notes include engaging resources to help children better understand the unique qualities of this dominant predator. Vivid and accessible: an illuminating portrait of one of nature’s most iconic birds.”
—Kirkus Reviews

THE GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Thanks to a donation from Penguin Young Readers Group, we were able to give away a copy of the book to the following random entrants in May 2020: