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Won Ton and Chopstick: A Cat and Dog Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw

 

    Won Ton and Chopstick: A Cat and Dog Tale Told in Haiku is written by Lee Wardlaw and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. It is a collection of haikus that create a story about a cat and his boy and then his boy gets a puppy. The story is about the interactions that happen after the puppy comes home. There is no table of contents or index. The book does contain titles that act more like chapters. Most have multiple haikus under one except one title with just one haiku. The language is easily understandable for the intended audience. The titles help with the curiosity of what is going to happen next in the story. If anyone has brought home a new pet with an existing pet or pets, it is a familiar set of interactions as the pets get to know each other. This would be a great talking point for children who have an existing pet and want to get another one.


    The author uses sound, emotional impact, and imagery. The book is written from the experience of the cat and through the words and illustrations it is clear the emotions that the cat is experiencing. The author uses imagery such as words like “q-curled tight” and describes the night as cold. The author uses the sounds of the animals such as “yowl” and “hiss” to give the cat speech that is different from what the cat is thinking (Wardlaw and Yelchin 2015).


    The illustrations are graphite and gouache on watercolor paper. They are bright and inviting. They capture the description of what is happening in the story and create curiosity about what is to happen next. Again, the illustrations describe the emotions of the animals, especially the cat. In The Bath, the dog is given a bath after a smelly experience and his emotions in the illustrations show how much he hated it. In The Adjustment, the cat is illustrated ask looking sad and missing their boy (Wardlaw and Yelchin 2015).


The Sneaking Suspicion (excerpt)


Yawn. Who dares disturb

my beauty snooze? Duty calls!

Must snoop before snack.

                                               (Wardlaw and Yelchin 2015)


    This would be a great addition to storytime on making new friends. The story ends with the cat and dog getting along. I would introduce this by talking about how they can make new friends during story time. I would also read books about making friends, new friends, or friends in general. I would have the children do a New Friend Scavenger Hunt which is a page with boxes and they have to fill out the page with their information, such as their favorite color, and find someone who shares the same answer and write down their name. This would be a great activity for the first day of school as well.


References:

Wardlaw, Lee, and Eugene Yelchin. 2015. Won Ton and Chopstick: A Cat and Dog Tale Told in Haiku. New York: Henry Holt And Company.


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