If Not for the Cat

If Not for the Cat
Haiku by Jack Prelutsky
Paintings by Ted Rand
Published by Scholastic Inc. 2004

If Not for the Cat is a great piece of poetry by Jack Prelutsky. Each page contains a different animal haiku. One of my personal favorites is this one:

Wingless we went in,
But we emerged as fliers-
And oh, such colors!

The images of animals are quite realistic and colorful throughout. This piece of poetry would be a great model for students learning about haikus. It would be awesome to create your own classroom book of animal haikus like this one. It could connect well to a science lesson on animals. You can never go wrong with Jack Prelutsky!

Prelutsky, J., & Rand, T. (2004). If not for the cat: Haiku. New York: Greenwillow Books.