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If It Rains Pancakes: Haiku and Lantern Poems

by Brian P. Cleary

illustrated by Andy Rowland

Millbrook Press           1/1/2014

978-1-4677-4412-6

Age 7 to 10           32 page

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“What is a haiku? It sounds like a sneeze. And isn’t a lantern a light source? Actually, they are two types of ancient Japanese poetry. Award-winning author Brian P. Cleary explains how each form works—and shows how these little poems can contain big surprises! If It Rains Pancakes is packed with poems to make you chuckle, puzzle, and ponder. And when you’ve finished reading, you can try your hand at writing your own haiku and lanterns!

“If it rains pancakes,

I’ll need no umbrella, just

syrup, fork, and plate.”

Opening

“Haiku is a short, Japanese form of poetry that has been around for more than four hundred years. That’s much longer than your teacher or your parents have been alive.”

Review

I like books that, even though written for a kid, teaches me something. I know a Haiku has 7 syllables in the first line, then 5 in the next, finishing with 7 in the third and final line. Everyone knows that, right? But, did you know that in Japan syllables are not what matters. Maybe they don’t even have syllables. In Japan, they count sounds and each Haiku has 17 sounds known as on (pronounced a faster than normal “one”). That I did not know, until I read If It Rains Pancakes. Traditionally, haikus are about nature, but Mr. Cleary takes liberties with this and writes Haikus on all sorts of kid-subjects: pets, pizza, and pancakes. I also love something else Mr. Cleary wrote,

“Poetry’s not a spectator sport, so try your hand at this ancient form, and be sure to have fun!”

I love fun as much as I love humor, so here is my haiku.

RAIN

It may rain kittens and pups.

It may rain water.

To be safe, watch where you step.

**I now challenge you to follow Mr. Cleary’s advice and write a haiku or a lantern (see below) in the comment section. I know there are lots of writers, poets, and aspiring writers and poets reading this blog. NOW is the time to show what you have!

Returning to the review: If you don’t like my haiku, Mr. Cleary wrote 20 for you in If It Rains Pancakes. Here are some of the titles, though many will not help you with the subject of the poem. Color Me Confused, City of Brotherly Lunch, The Mind and Yummy. There is one that is helpful to all of us not as poetically inclined as Mr. Cleary is. Kids will want to remember this one for when school resumes—much too soon.

HAIKU

When you’ve written one

without enough syllables,

you add words. Football.

The other half of If It Rains Pancakes is about Lanterns. This is all new to me. A lantern, or lanturne, is also Japanese. This poem has five lines. Line 1 is a 1-syllable noun and the subject of the poem. Line 2 “sheds light” (describes) the subject in two syllables. Line 3 has three syllables, line 4 has four, and line 5 has a 1-syllable word. The poem will look roughly like a lantern, hence the name. Mr. Cleary wrote 15 lanterns, all very cute, most very funny. Since I am a pet person and would have written a lantern about pets, and could not write one better than Mr. Cleary, the example I will share—by Mr. Cleary—is about a pet I know well.

Cat:

“Feed me.”

“Pet me too.”

“Feed me. Pet me.”

“Now.”

The illustrations, which play out the poems, are colorful and as crazy as the poem it represents. If the illustrations do not amuse you, I am lost for words. I love the images that perfectly match each poem. At the end of If It Rains Pancakes is a list of reference books to learn more about haikus and lanterns, and other poems, including one of the author’s, entitled “Rainbow Soup: Adventures in Poetry.”  Finally there is a list of websites with more poetry activities, including one I had not heard of—but love the name—called Giggle Poetry at gigglepoetry.com

If It Rains Pancakes is a wonderful little book that packs a punch. Teachers would do well to have this on hand when teaching haikus or other Japanese poetry like lanterns. Kids will have fun learning about haikus and lanterns when reading these 35 mostly hilarious poems. Mr. Cleary is a master at teaching kids about writing of every type. If It Rains Pancakes upholds his genius.

IF IT RAINS PANCAKES: HAIKU AND LANTERN POEMS. Text copyright © 2014 by Brian P. Cleary. Illustrations copyright © 2014 by Andy Rowland. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Millbrook Press, Minneapolis, MN.

Buy a copy of If It Rains Pancakes: Haiku and Lantern Poems at Amazon—B&N—Book Depository—Lerner Books—or your local bookstore.

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Learn more about If It Rains Pancakes: Haiku and Lantern Poems HERE.

Meet the author, Brian P. Cleary at his website:   http://www.brianpcleary.com/

Meet the illustrator, Andy Rowland, at his website:  http://andrewrowlandillustration.blogspot.com/

Find more books at the Millbrook Press website:

Millbrook Press is a division of Lerner Publishing Group:  https://www.lernerbooks.com/

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Bookmarks (4) are available free HERE.

Also by Brian P. Cleary in 2014

Feet and Puppies, Thieves and Guppies: What Are Irregular Plurals?

Madam and Nun and 1001: What Is a Palindrome?

Ode to a Commode: Concrete Poems

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A Bat Cannot Bat, a Stair Cannot Stare: More About Homonyms and Homophones

-ful and -less, -er and -ness: What Is a Suffix?

Review HERE

Also by Andy Rowland in 2014

Ode to a Commode: Concrete Poems

The Elves and the Shoemaker (November, 2014)

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**PLEASE DON’T FORGET — SHOW YOUR STUFF! WRITE A HAIKU OR A LANTERN OR REALLY BLOSSOM AND WRITE BOTH IN THE COMMENTS! It is as easy as RAIN.

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—full and —less, —er and —ness: What is a Suffix? (Words Are Categorical)

by Brian P. Cleary & Martin Goneau, illustrator

Millbrook Press

978-1-4677-0610-0

Age               32  pages

“A good paper, poem, or book isn’t written, it’s rewritten.” ~ Brian P. Cleary

“What is a Suffix? You’ll find the answer inside this book—it’s overflowing with wonderful suffixes. Brian P. Cleary’s playful rhymes and Martin Goneau’s humorous illustrations creatively present the concept of suffixes for young readers. For easy identification, key suffixes appear in color, and the comical cats reinforce each idea. —full and —less, —er and —ness: What is a Suffix turns traditional grammar lessons on end! Read and reread this book aloud and delight in the sense—and nonsense—of words.”

Opening

“Suffixes are word parts that are tacked on to a word. You’ll find a suffix at the end of farmer and preferred.”

Review

—full and —less, —er and —ness: What is a Suffix is one book of many in Cleary’s series Words are CATegorical. Kids will learn and have fun reading this funny book with the funniest illustrations. They will understand suffixes, and the probability of remembering what they learned increases with each rhyming sentence.

What is suffix? A suffix changes the meaning of the root word. In this edition of Words are CATegorical, Cleary used the four title suffixes and engaging rhyming sentences that kids will understand almost immediately.

“The E-R part of farmer speaks of someone who is doing, like the baker who is baking or the viewer who is viewing.”

Adding crazy illustrations of cats dressed as chefs and decorating cakes—one a disaster—while a third cat waits to eat the finished confection, helps kids remember what the suffix —er adds to a word with their sense of sight. The more senses that are involved, the easier it is to remember the information.

I doubt anyone could have done a better job with suffixes than Cleary and Goneau. Brian Cleary’s writing is a gift. He understands the best way to teach kids and have them truly understand and remember the concept. That would explain the success of not only this series, but nearly everything Cleary has written. Goneau’s illustrations comically present the concept so kids can actually see the suffix at work.

Homeschooling moms and dads need the Words are CATegorical series. The English language, being a difficult language to learn, comes alive in What is a Suffix? One read through and you will understand the mastery Cleary has over the English language and his ability to explain its concepts so kids can understand and remember by book’s end. It makes sense that school libraries should invest in this series. Kids having trouble grasping a language arts concept in class can read the applicable book, from the 25 thus far in the series, adding one more approach to teaching the English language. Sometimes with a new approach, kids get it and Cleary’s approach is most assuredly an “I get it” approach.

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—FULL AND —LESS, —ER AND —NESS: WHAT IS A SUFFIX? Text copyright © 2014 by Brian P. Cleary. Illustrations copyright © 2014 by Martin Goneau. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Millbrook Press, Minneapolis, MN.

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Learn more about the series Words are CATegorical HERE.

Get your copy of What is a Suffix, or any of the 25 books in the series at Amazon—B&N—Millbrook Press—your local bookstore.

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Meet the author Brian P. Cleary at his website:  http://www.brianpcleary.com/

Meet he illustrator, Martin Goneau, at his website:   http://www.goneau.com/

Follow at the Millbrook Press facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/millbrookpress

Millbrook Press is a division of Lerner Publishing Group

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Also by Brian P. Cleary

The Bug in the Jug Wants a Hug

Whose Shoes Would You Choose?

Stop, Drop, and Flop in the Slop

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Also by Brian P. Cleary & Martin Goneau

Sparrow, Eagle, Penguin, and Seagull: What Is a Bird?

Apples, Cherries, Red Raspberries: What Is in the Fruits Group

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Brian P. Cleary, the author of a series of bestselling, very clever, rhyming grammar series, Words Are CATegorical (which includes titles like Lazily, Crazily, Just a Bit Nasally: More About Adverbs), also has other poetry/wordplay books, which I didn't realize.

One is Rainbow Soup (Millbrook Press, 2004), which fits my mood perfectly after a full week's worth (today's the final day) of exhausting but exhilarating Young Authors Conferences!

 

He mixes puns and all kinds of wordplay with humor for a collection that I think elementary kids would love!

Here are a few poems from the collection:

Mr. and Mrs.

She Mrs. him while he's away
And thinks of how he's kissed her.
The few times he's been out of town,
He tells her that he's Mr.

--Brian P. Cleary, from Rainbow Soup


Rest in Pieces

Here lies Owen Matthew.
He was found about the plain.
He caught bugs and butterflies
And tried to catch a train.

--Brian P. Cleary, from Rainbow Soup


Here's one of his haikus, an unexpected dash of seriousness in a collection mostly light and funny.

Report Card

Four days of the year,
One tiny piece of paper
Turns my stomach sour.

--Brian P. Cleary, from Rainbow Soup


This fun collection not only introduces kids to various poetic forms (see "We're Going to the Villa, Nell"), but it's also filled with modern references ("My Cat Bytes"). This is a great light poetry book to share with kids!

The Poetry Friday roundup this week is at the fabulous Elaine Magliaro's Wild Rose Reader. Go check it out!

NOTE TO SELF: JUST WHO IS NAUGHTY AND NICE, ANYWAY?


Every year Canada Post gets into the holiday spirit by acting as an intermediary between children and the North Pole in its annual "Write to Santa." To this end kids are encouraged to mail their letters to Santa at "SANTA CLAUS, NORTH POLE, HOH OHO, CANADA" The service in both English and French, has been offered going on 26 years and is overseen by 11,000 Canada Post employees known affectionately as Postal Elves. More than a million children send letters to the jolly, old, elf and receive a reply but some received an unexpected response. Make that shocked response.

Seems that somebody - likely not "the" Santa - has been dropping letters in the mail box over the last couple of days to kids living in Ottawa, Ontario, but not the nice kind. In fact some of them contained filthy messages, much to the consternation of parents'. For its part Canada Post is understandably shocked and along with the Ottawa police, have been attempting to trace down the baaaaaad Santa.

One young recipient aged 2 years received a P.S. to her letter that read: "This letter is too long, you dumb shit." Definitely not Santa-like content. Her 10 year old brother, meanwhile, had the add-on message: "Your mom is s****d**** and your dad is gay."

Lucky their mother read the letter before she handed it to her children.

Meanwhile, yesterday Canada Post shut down its Write to Santa program across the city in a joint effort with the police to track down Santa's un-helper.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071214.wsantletters1214/BNStory/National/home