Doodleku News Doodling Across the Internet

We interrupt your regularly scheduled doodles…

For more doodles.

This is too cute not to share. No, seriously; it’s so cute, I could die.

A little background: Christina Nguyen, a regular contributor to Yay Words! projects and all things doodleku left me a note on Facebook Sunday night saying that her daughter had created a booklet of doodles for her to ‘ku in. Of course, myself and others immediately gushed with delight and tried to patiently sit on our hands as Tina diligently and carefully crafted a ‘ku to accompany each of her daughter’s doodles.

Just a little bit ago, she let all of us know that Wishing I Had a Tail, a doodleku chapbook with haiku by Christina Nguyen and illustrations by Miriya Nguyen is complete and available for viewing on her blog. She’s included a PDF with Miriya’s doodles and the ‘ku, but the ‘ku are also available for reading on the blog post in case you can’t quite make out the words on some of the pages.

Aside from the fact that I’m a sucker for collaboration, and parent child collaboration such as this, I love this for its whimsy, for its simplicity and unbridled joy. Miriya is also a bit more willing to use color than me, something I go back and forth on repeatedly. The lightness shines through. Admittedly, I’m also a sucker for the fox/squirrel. And the tree with its lovely speckle of green needles.

Even though I personally emphasize playfulness in almost all haikai forms, it’s something that’s been in the concept of doodleku from the beginning. Admittedly, part of the reason I started doing doodleku was I had read in a set of guidelines that they didn’t want “quick sketches or childish drawings.” Immediately, I thought: Why not? If haiku means “play verse,” where can you find more play than in something drawn by a child? And isn’t there some magic in the spontaneity of a quick sketch, or as I like to call them, doodles. So this perhaps gives you a little insight why Wishing I Had a Tail tickles me to pieces.

Please take a moment to read through the chapbook and leave Tina and Miriya a comment if you’ve got the time.

Thank you, Tina, for encouraging your daughter to have such a great sharing and collaborative spirit. Thank you, Miriya, for being so creative and keeping your mommy writing! I hope I get to see more of your beautiful illustrations sometime soon.