National Poetry Month: Review of WON TON: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku

I read a sweet book

about a cat named Won Ton,

told in haiku form

I had heard of this book, but not read it until my daughter, who is a senior in high school, checked it out from her school library and brought it home for me to read.

She happened to be in the library as the librarian was arranging a display of books for poetry month, when he showed this book to her. She love it immediately. So much that she sent me this series of messages:

This is awesome
Very cute
Go buy it

I did not run out and buy it, but I did read it. And I agree with my daughter that there is something awesome about it, and that is its format. The entire story is told in haiku from the perspective of a cat. It's a fairly classic tale of an adopted pet adapting to a new home and family, but the individual poems that link together to tell the story make this book stand out.

What I like best is how well the poems capture the voice of the cat as he adjusts his new environment. The book feels like a cat could have written it.

So if you are looking for books to add to your poetry library or just a sweet read to share with a child (while introducing him or her to the haiku form), consider Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw.