Boo! Haiku

Caswell and Shea follow their recent Guess Who, Haiku with another poetry-based guessing game, using haiku to hint at the identities of 10 Halloween standbys. There are some especially lovely haikus in the mix, and they often strike a pleasing balance between evocative language and casual phrasings: a pumpkin is "an orange porch pal/ scooped for pie and roasted seeds/ a candlelit grin," while a ghost is "footsteps without feet/ woo-ooo-ing in the basement/ heavy chains floating." Playing inky black against bold shades of olive, mustard, and violet, Shea opts for treats over tricks, creating smiley and wholly unthreatening portraits of witches, spiders, scarecrows, owls, and more. A closing note includes information about the haiku form, including the "element of play" common to many of them and the concept of syllables. Ages 3-5. Illustrator's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Aug.)

PreS—A Halloween-themed follow-up to Guess Who Haiku. This picture book is just as clever as the first collection and just as much fun. Caswell's various haiku provide enough clues ("broom across the moon," coupled with Shea's simple and graphic black hat) that preschoolers will be able to guess the answers ("Boo! It's a witch!") before they turn the page. Even the endpapers have graphic Halloween appeal. VERDICT This interactive title would be great to use in seasonal programs or for classroom writing prompts. Recommended for purchase.—Sarah Wilsman, Bainbridge Library, Chagrin Falls, OH