For lovers of both animals and words, The Hound Dog’s Haiku (Candlewick Press, 56 pp.) by Michael J. Rosen with illustrations by Mary Azarian, pairs the gentle wit of haiku with playful woodcuts of 20 different breeds of dogs. (The book serves as a companion to the equally delightful “The Cuckoo’s Haiku.”) My favorite is the beagle’s haiku: “far off, one dog barks/ dreams blur like smoke from chimneys/ he barks at barking.” But each poem highlights the special features of some particular breed, and young readers will enjoy recognizing the dogs that they love best. For those who want to learn more about dog types they don’t know as well, the book includes thumbnail sketches of each breed in the back.
