Spanish Haiku

Each year the Texas Library Association sponsors the The Texas Bluebonnet Award reading program (my experiences with it were discussed here). It was established in 1979 to encourage Texas children to read more books, explore a variety of current books, develop powers of discrimination, and identify their favorite books.

One of this years nominees is Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!: America's Sproutings.

From the School Library Journal:

This concept book serves as a delicious introduction to 14 types of food, all of which have their origins in the Americas. Snippets of information and a haiku poem accompany each one, ranging from blueberry and chili pepper through papaya, prickly pear, and vanilla. Using English and a smattering of Spanish words, Mora crafts a playful introduction to each one.

Here is one of my favorites:

Pumpkin

Under round luna,
Scattered tumblings down the rows,
autumn's orange face.

I love that a traditional Japanese form of poetry steeped in thousands of years of history is being used to reach Texas school children.