Out of This World: Star Studded Haiku Review

Out of This World: Star-Studded Haiku

Written by Sally M. Walker

Illustrated by Matthew Trueman

Bibliography

Walker, S.M. (2022). Out of this world: Star studded haiku (M. Trueman, Illus.). Candlewick Press.

ISBN 9781536203561

Summary

Sally M. Walker and Matthew Trueman have created a stunning collection of 32 haiku about space. They are written in 11 categories: constellations and astronomers; the universe begins; stars; the sun; Mercury/Venus; Earth/Mars; Jupiter/Saturn; Uranus/Neptune; Pluto/Ultima Thule; moons and eclipses; and asteroids, comets, and meteors for easy reference. Backmatter is arranged in these same categories, so readers have a handy reference for facts and explanations of each category. The backmatter also includes a glossary, a bibliography for further reading, and a list of online resources for readers who want to learn more about space.

Analysis

Walker manages to convey a wealth of information within the rigid structure of haiku. The sparse poetry manages to be "resplendent" (to use one of the author's well-chosen words) in its depiction of the vastness of space and her environs (8). I have not read a lot of haiku, and I was surprised by the depth of figurative language and imagery that this haiku contains. I thought haiku was all stark ascetism. Walker's is definitely not. She describes nebula as a cloud pregnant with gas and dust, a nursery for stars (11). She gives us comedic imagery: Saturn's rings circle her "waist/ cosmic Hula-Hoops" (23). She also gives us heart-warming imagery: Pluto "still circles the sun/ its heart unbroken," especially for those of us who are still outraged by its demotion (26). My favorite bit of imagery is in the last haiku. Walker calls shooting stars "grains of space [that] touch down" (36). I enjoy realizing that the dust and and rocks of shooting stars is actually the awesomeness of space shining down on us.

Walker writes beautiful haiku in this book, but Matthew Trueman's illustrations almost outshine them. For some of the pages, I had to check the backmatter to make sure that the pictures were illustrations and not NASA images. They are vivid and capture the immensity and grandeur of space within the picture-book page confines.

Highlighted Poem

I was hooked by the second haiku. I'm including a picture of the page, because the illustration is as important as the haiku (3).

sleuth Galileo

ponders telescopic clues

the moon's face unmasked

This contains lovely internal rhyme "sleuth" and "clues" that makes the haiku easy to read. The consonance of "telescopic clues" makes it pleasant to hear. The haiku is made entirely of the extended imagery of detecting: "sleuth," "clues," and "unmasked" as a through-line. This is my favorite of Walker's illustrations, because of the mix of realistic and whimsical. The moon feels real and up-close, but the stars are folksy. The house in the corner, basking in the moonlight, is upside-down in the frame, but that makes it both delightful and realistic, since there is no "right side up" in space.

Use

After reading this book and studying haiku forms, students will pick a planet and write a nonfiction(ish) haiku about it. Students love books about space, so this is a good fit.