This second volume of haiku focusing on the animal kingdom takes you on a journey through a single day with a variety of animal companions. The book will reproduce works by the great 17th and 18th century poets such as Bash, Buson and Issa, as well as later works by contemporary writers and novelists. The haiku form is a perfect way of capturing a moment of experience or a fleeting impression, and in this book, the impressions are strengthened and extended by the illustrations. Special is made of Utamaros exquisite Ehon mushi erabi (A Selection of Insects). The fact that this sophisticated artist chose insects for one of his most luxurious woodblock printed albums underlines the Japanese appreciation of even the most diminutive of animals, which is shown repeatedly, too, in the haiku: even fleas can be the subject of an affectionate poem. Elsewhere in the animal kingdom, horses, dogs, monkeys and a variety of birds also make good subjects. There is a selection of beautiful prints, hanging scroll and hand-scroll paintings that illustrates these too.

The British Museum's vast collections include wonderful images of birds from all over the world. Some are primarily decorative, whereas Thomas Bewick and the Japanese artist Kitagawa Utamaro chose to show birds in realistic detail, going about their daily lives. Other artists concentrate on scientific accuracy. The endless variety of birds, their freedom of sky, land and water, and especially their song have also inspired writers through the ages. Each striking image in this beautiful anthology is matched with a poem about the same species. Some were composed by our best-loved writers - including Shakespeare, Chaucer and Tennyson - and others have been selected from less familiar or even anonymous voices around the world. Now in a fresh new paperback format, this is an irresistible gift for anyone who loves birds.