Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. ( )

I kind-of love this book. Its haiku are less strained-feeling than many in the didactic tradition, and engage well with the nature aspect of the haiku genre. At the same time, the poems are speaking enigmas, in the great Old English tradition. Fun to ask students to puzzle out what each poem is about before showing them the visual clue. ( )

This book is geared towards younger elementary students but can be used in a older elementary setting.

This book is broken up into 4 main chapters or main ideas that follow each season. Each poem on each page talks about a different aspect of that season. The illustrations were beautifully done and make the book fun to follow along with. ( )

‘you gasp as I roar,
my mane exploding, sizzling—
lion of the sky!

Haiku meet riddles in this wonderful collection from Laura Purdie Salas. The poems celebrate the seasons and describe everything from an earthworm to a baseball to an apple to snow angels, alongside full-color illustrations.’

Lion of the Sky by Laura Purdie Salas is a charming collection of haiku centered around the seasons, accompanied by gorgeous artwork. The author calls these 'riddle-kus’ because each haiku describes a common object using riddle language, including I and me. At the end there's a section detailing how to write riddle-ku, and a section of suggested reading books. I read this with my cubs,cand we all enjoyed it. I've written haiku before, but it's been awhile and these poems inspired me to write poetry again. And my cubs to try for themselves! Recommended for those who love poetry.

***Many thanks to Netgalley & Lerner Publishing for providing an ecopy in exchange for a fair and honest review. ( )