Nature is beautiful! And also super gross! Haiku, Ew!: Celebrating the Disgusting Side of Nature highlights thirteen animals (and a few fungi) and the exceptionally icky things they do! The haiku are accompanied by additional facts that will delight—and disgust—readers of all ages.
Today author Lynn Brunelle joins us to talk about how she wrote these gag-worthy haikus, what surprised her the most during her research, and much more. Keep reading to find a video in which six of the animals tell their side of the story!
What is Haiku, Ew!?
Haiku, Ew! is a collection of original haiku that celebrate the more icky and disgusting side of nature. While gross and horrifying, the science behind the ew is fascinating!
Why did you write it?
I was standing under the great Blue Whale exhibit, waiting to meet up with my cousin, Matthew at the Museum of Natural History in New York. I was early, so I was taking a look around at the exhibits. I had never paid them any attention, frankly, I just thought they were abandoned dust-covered spaces. But then I read the exhibit notes and learned that this was what the bottom of the sea looked like. The description was so beautiful talking about marine snow, and the silence and the sparseness of living things. Then it talked about what marine snow is—poop and dead bits of sea creatures that rain down. Ew.
When Matthew came I showed him the display. His response was like mine. “Wow.” Then, “Ew!” The writing was so beautiful and then it disclosed a really gross element of nature.
It was fabulously inspiring and I made up a haiku on the spot declaring Haiku-EW! It was the beginning of something beautiful—and disgusting, too!
What do you hope kids and their parents tale away from the experience of reading Hailu Ew?
What I hope people take away from this is a curious wonder of the world around us. First, I hope they find it fun and funny. Then I hope they learn something new which makes them think and be delighted at the complexity and coolness of science and the world.
What was the most surprising thing you learned from writing the book?
So many things! But one stands out. I, who grew up in Maine, did NOT know that lobsters pee out of their eyes! It’s their amazingly cool way of communicating with each other! Also it reinforces the idea that I am truly grateful I am not a lobster.
Upcoming Events
Lynn Brunelle will visit the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, April 20th, 2:00-4:00 PM for a reading and reception. Swing by and say hello if you’re in the Seattle, WA area!
Meet the Animals
In this video, the animals speak their minds to defend their more disgusting adaptations. Each animal is unique, so listen to the haiku read aloud and then hear what they have to say!
Praise for Haiku, Ew!
“Brunelle subverts this normally staid 17-syllable Japanese poetic form in this collection celebrating nature at its grossest.”—Booklist
“Offers a crowd-pleasing angle on both nature and poetry.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Brunelle and Patton explore a side of nature that is no less awe inspiring, but rather pondering the beauty of nature, they dig into the disgusting, gross, and sometimes weird aspects of the world around us. . . The pencil-drawn, digitally colored illustrations bring to life the zany weird facts of the text with humor. Reviewer Rating: 5″ — Children’s Literature
Connect with the author
Lynn Brunelle is a four-time Emmy Award-winning writer for the television series Bill Nye the Science Guy, with over 25 years of writing experience. A former science, English, and art teacher for kids K-12, as well an editor, illustrator, and award-winning, best-selling author of over 40 titles, Lynn has created, developed, and written projects for PBS, NPR, A&E, The Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Disney and ABC-TV. She is based in Washington.
Hear more from Lerner’s fascinating authors and illustrators on the blog.