Kiyoshi's Walk by Mark Karlins, illustrated by Nicole Wong

 

               Kiyoshi’s Walk by Mark Karlins and illustrated by Nicole Wong is a picture book that features poetry. It begins by introducing the main character, Kiyoshi, who asks his poet grandfather where poems come from as he watches him write a poem in Japanese calligraphy. Eto, his grandfather, decides to take him out for a walk to show him where he gets inspiration for his haikus. As they venture out, Kiyoshi learns that ideas can be found all around, if one only pays attention to their surroundings.

              To be honest, I didn’t know many children’s books that involved poetry, so I did a Google search. I found this book on a list on a teacher’s blog post about good books to use to teach poetry. I have always enjoyed reading haikus and attempting to write them, so I chose to add this book to my list to read and review. I’m glad I chose it because it was a very sweet read.

              I enjoyed the theme of the story, which was to always be open to the world around you and to notice what it’s trying to show you. The book also touches on being open to the emotions you feel and being able to recognize them. Kiyoshi learns that these are the things he needs to be aware of to inspire great poetry.

              The point of view was also a nice touch. The story is told in a limited third person point of view, where the reader mostly knows about Kiyoshi’s thoughts and feelings. I enjoyed this because we get to see the neighborhood walk through his eyes and experience everything he does. His eyes are opened to his surroundings, like the sights and sounds that he notices as he watches his grandfather write haikus while they’re on their walk. It feels like the reader is also learning an important lesson of being open to the world around them in order for creativity to strike.

              The illustrations do a great job of developing Kiyoshi as a character. The reader can easily see looks of observation and wonder on his face as he treks through his seemingly normal neighborhood with Eto. As time goes on, Kiyoshi’s opinion changes and he can see and feel everything his grandfather does. I also enjoyed the colors of the illustrations. For the most part they are more subdued, but there are random bursts of bright colors, like from the cherry blossom trees, that catch the reader’s eye.

              This is a sweet and pretty book that would serve as a great introduction to haikus for students. Kiyoshi is a great character that children can relate to, and he serves as a great guide for this story. The illustrations are simple but beautiful and can entertain children with all the details they can study. I give this book four out of five stars.

Karlins, M., & Wong, N. (2021, March 9). Kiyoshi’s Walk (Illustrated). Shen’s Books.