A Cat Named Haiku comes in again from Arcana with its second volume. I obviously picked this book for the amazingly awesome title and cute cat pictured on the front. You can’t help but fall in love with this kitten. What really makes me happy is how the comic is written. The whole book is a collection of haiku poems that unite to tell a story about Haiku, the cat. An orange tabby has never been cuter while accompanying the famous Japanese poetry of haiku. If you don’t remember 5th grade Language Arts, haiku consist of three lines of poetry. The first line has five syllables, the second line has seven syllables, and the last line has another five syllables. It is so popular with kids, because the poetry is easy and it is fun to have a structured creative outlet. Most kids between the ages of 7-14 remember this poetry, so it could read as a prelude to the students writing their own haiku poetry stories. Any book that makes kids want to create is a pretty cool idea. So the book reads like a children's book. Big pictures and big text. There is a splash page and then a text page consisting of the poem. It is an extremely easy read, but who doesn’t love children’s books?
Well I loved every minute of this comic. First the pages look like run down paper probably reflecting upon the paper from the old days. The paper also has decorative flowers and doodles bordering the edges. Again it gives it this old time feel, as well as, the cloud around a memory feel like you are retelling a story. Speaking of the story, it is crazy fun.
The story follows Haiku on all his cat adventures. I feel like my cat is always going on adventures. There is one closet that my cat swears is different than every other closet in my place. If you are a crazy person like myself, you start to believe the cats and search for the difference. Of course don’t ever confess to this like I just did. Anyway, Haiku decides to explore his owner’s room. Which by the way is so cute how the pictures of the family show up in the background. But my favorite part is when the Haiku jumps on the counter and the boy sprays him with the bottle. Oh man cat owner problems. The destination ends up being under the bed. The only place humans refuse can’t fit. Damn cats. There Haiku meets dust. Dust as an enemy, and dust as a friend. These two characters then go on their own adventures.
The story is very cute. I just love how all the poetry and pictures are brought together for a complete story. This comic is definitely geared for younger kids though. I enjoyed the book, but I would much rather read it to a class or child before bed. The pictures are just as entertaining as the poems. I think there are some cute lessons tied into the novel as well. It is very simple but clear as day. We all love a good adventure story, so sit the kids down and read A Cat Named Haiku. Then go and create your own stories.
Score: 5/5
Writer: Mark Poulton Artist: Dexter Weeks Publisher: Arcana Studios Price: $5.95 Release Date: 7/1/13