This delightful book is the perfect gift for chicken lovers. Its 24 haiku and complementary full-color illustrations are both sophisticated and humorous to appeal to adults and children alike.
The poems incorporate traditional haiku elements with a playful twist. Each haiku captures a moment in time—from droll to wistful, revelatory to whimsical.
Many of the illustrations are collages that entail painting on papers reassembled from discarded books, with clever, layered details that lend to the reading of the poem. Pencil and watercolor also help convey the nature of these endearing creatures.
The two arts play off each other charmingly, as in this haiku that matches the cover image:
Scratch, scratch, scratch,
digging for gold flecks—
when do dreams hatch?
Backyard chicken owners will recognize their own hens on these pages, and readers less familiar with chickens’ entertaining personalities will come to see them in a whole new light.
More sample poems and images can be found on chickenhaiku.com.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Originally from Iowa, Karin Wiberg now lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she and her husband tend a flock of five hens in their urban backyard. Karin’s poetry has been published in a number of literary magazines; her day job is helping business professionals write and publish books. She holds an MBA from the University of Iowa, and regularly volunteers as an arts grant panelist and a judge for student essay contests. She can be found online at clearsightbooks.com and karinwiberg.com.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Dawn Marie Rozzo’s paintings can be found in private collections across the United States. When Dawn isn’t in the studio, she’s working in her flower garden accompanied by her two nosey cats. Her lifelong love of nature informs her semi-abstract collages and landscapes. Dawn has also been an art educator for over 25 years. For the past 15, she’s focused on providing art-related programming for the elderly and those living with dementia. Dawn and her art can be found online at dawnrozzo.com.
