Deanna Caswell

It’s summer! A family of five (plus dog) pack up their van and head to the beach, unpack and begin their first day of vacation. Watercolors depict the exuberant family and are a fine complement to the staccato, rhyming text.

A witch, a skeleton, and other icons of Halloween each ask readers to guess what is being described in haiku. A spot illustration provides a clue which is answered with a turn of the page presented in a strong graphic design. A brief explanation of the poetic form concludes this playful book. 

Short, evocative poems – haiku – present clues about familiar animals.  With a turn of the page, the answer is revealed in bold typeface and a charming illustration. This short poetic form is effectively used to play a guessing game.