Won Ton: A Cat Tale in Haiku Got 4 Stars

Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw is a fabulous picture book.  Cat lovers will love this book.  Teachers will also love this book for either the inference lessons in the lower grades to the example that poetry can be fun and the lessons that go with poetry in the upper grades (4th- 5th). 

Won Ton is a fun book with fun pictures with a fun lovable character.  I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars b/c of the capability it has for librarians and teachers to teach from.  There are numerous lesson ideas for this book including the inferring and poetry mentioned above, as well as good reading strategies that can be modeled and taught using this text.

B/c this book has fabulous pictures and is about a cat which kids can relate to, that makes this picture book a great read aloud and a perfect book for classroom and library book collections.  Second and third grade students will LOVE to read this one over and over again independently as well as with a parent or teacher.
    
Younger grades (Kindergarten and 1st grade) will enjoy the story b/c of the pictures and the cat, but they may struggle with comprehending it b/c of the inferring that is necessary.  A teacher, librarian, or parent will definitely need to guide them a bit more during the reading to aid in the comprehension.     

All in all, this cat tale told in Haiku, or actually senryu, is fun to read no matter the grade.

School Library Journal had the following book review; 

"Text and illustrations work together to craft an unforgettable character in a shelter cat whose veneer of cynical toughness masks his vulnerability. As he gazes from behind the bars of his cage, he quips: "Nice place they got here./Bed. Bowl. Blankie. Just like home!/Or so I've been told." He's adopted by a boy and his family, driven home ("letmeoutletme/outletmeoutletmeout./Wait-let me back in!"); and given a name: "Won Ton? How can I/be soup? Some day, I'll tell you/my real name. Maybe." Yelchin's superb illustrations, graphite and gouache on watercolor paper, depict an angular blue-black-haired Siamese, capturing all facets of his singular, feisty, and playful personality. Wardlaw relates his tale using a series of senryu, three unrhymed lines similar to haiku; in a note, he explains that the form focuses on "the foibles of human nature-or in this case, cat nature." The book's overall design, with text laid carefully between and around eye-catching, brilliantly composed illustrations, complements the engaging tale. Won Ton's sweetly humorous story will steal the hearts of readers young and old.-Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA"  

Any cat lovers already read this book?