(Book Cover compliments of Titlewave)
Bibliography
Wardlaw, Lee. Won-Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku. Ill. by Eugene Yelchin. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 2011. ISBN 9780805089950
Review
In this winsome poetry picture book about a lanky gray shelter cat with wide-open blue eyes, Wardlaw utilizes 33 Japanese senryu (similar to haiku format) to unfold the tale. While haiku focuses on nature themes, senryu focuses on the quirks of human (or cat) nature. When the stray cat is looked over by prospective owners at the shelter, he feints disinterest “Visiting hours! / Yawn. I pretend not to care. / Yet-I sneak a peek”, but the cat cannot help hoping that the Boy will choose him “No rush. I’ve got plans. / Gnaw this paw. Nip that flea. And / wish: Please, Boy, pick me.” After a stress-filled ride to his new home, the cat imperiously comments on the unsuitability of all the names being considered, and when he is dubbed “Won-Ton”, he concedes that this name is not his REAL name. Through playful poetry with crisp wording and punctuation to fit each 17-syllable poem, Won-Ton continues to adjust to his new home, food, sleeping routines, dress-up tea party, strange cat in the yard, and an evolving affection for his new Boy (“Your tummy, soft as / warm dough. I knead and knead, then / bake it with a nap.”)
Eugene Yelchin’s pictures leap off the page with brilliant yellows, reds, oranges juxtaposed against the lanky charcoal-gray cat. Using graphite to create dark outlines around the gouache images gives the pictures an almost cartoonish-feel furthered by the amusing expressions on Won-Ton’s face and his gangling body language. The bold, over-sized cover image of Won-Ton will entice many young readers to sink their claws into this kittenish tale.
Honors
2012 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award
2012 CCBC Best Children’s Books of the Year
2012 ALSC Notable Children’s Books
2011 SLJ Best Books of the Year
2012 ALA Notable Children’s Books 2012
2011 Book Links Lasting Connections
2011 Librarian’s Choice
Starred Reviews in Kirkus, School Library Journal, Booklist, Library Media Connection, Publishers Weekly
Reviewed also in Horn Book, Wilson’s Children
Sample from the book
The Feeding
Sniff. Snub. What is this
stuff? True, I liked it once. That
was then, this is now.
Fine. If you insist.
I’ll try Just. One. Nibble. But—
I won’t enjoy it.
Another sample from the book
The Choosing
Dogs have hair. Cats, fur.
Dogs whine, yip, howl, bark. Cats purrr.
I say: No contest.
Connections
Haiku Writing
Have students sort themselves into dog-lovers and cat-lovers groups. Challenge students to brainstorm the virtues of their animal with their group and then make a class Venn diagram of dogs and cats. Each student will then compose senryus highlighting the quirky qualities that make their animal endearing and unique. Have students share and critique one another’s poems within their animal group and then compile the poems into a dog book and cat book. Students will be invited to bring in photos, images, original drawings of cats and dogs to illustrate their book. (Connect poetry writing with ELAR TEKS.)
Cats in Art
Collaborate with the art teacher to create a unit exploring cats in art. After reading the book, have students create their own picture of Won-Ton utilizing the graphite outlining and gouache painting style of Yelchin. Over the course of several sessions, explore cats in art history as seen in many mediums and formats. Start with the cat art slideshow at http://www.donstinson.com/scatt/calicocat/cats_art.html .
Service project for animal shelter
Explore some of the recommended national organizations from Lee Wardlaw’s website to locate an animal shelter which students can support. In particular, have students check out the ASPCA site to find local shelters in your particular community. http://www.aspca.org/Home/About-Us/ASPCA-In-Your-Community. Students could host a Poetry Read-a-Thon or Poetry Slam to raise funds for the animal shelter.
Other follow-up activities :
Encourage students to read other picture books about cats, especially cat poetry books! Try some of these:
- I am the Cat by Alice Schertle, Illustrated by Mark Buehner
- Curious Collection of Cats Concrete Poems by Betsy Franco, Illustrated by Michael Wertz
- Kat Kong Written & Illustrated by Dave Pilkey
- Catku: Cat Haiku Poems by Diane Grindol
More Resources:
See author Lee Wardlaw’s website of resources for enjoying Won-Ton http://leewardlaw.com/Won-Ton-A-Cat-Tale-Told-in-Haiku.htm . The site has lesson plans and activities for teachers as well as fun cat-related sites and resources for readers of all ages.
