Cool Melons- Turn to Frogs!: The Life and Poems of Issa

by Matthew Gollub, Kazuko Stone (Illustrator)

Overview

Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature - Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA)

For hundreds of years, school children in Japan have been introduced to poetry through the work of Issa.

Born in 1763 on a farm in central Japan, Issa began writing poetry as a young child, inspired by his deep love for the natural world. Later in his boyhood and throughout his life, poetry was also Issa's refuge in times of joy and in times of suffering.

Matthew Gollub's poignant rendering of Issa's life and over thirty of his best-loved poems, along with Kazuko Stone's sensitive and humorous watercolor paintings, make Cool Melons a classic introduction to Issa's work for readers of all ages. With authentic Japanese calligraphy, a detailed Afterword, and exhaustive research by both author and illustrator, this is also an inspirational book about haiku, writing, nature, and life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781584302414
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books
Publication date:	04/01/2013
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.25(w) x 10.25(h) x 0.11(d)
Lexile:	AD800L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 11 Years

About the Author

Matthew Gollub is the author of many award-winning books for children, including Ten Oni Drummers and Cool Melons, an ALA Notable Book and a Horn Book "Fanfare" selection, published by Lee & Low. He lives in Santa Rosa, California, with his wife and their son. To find out more about Matthew Gollub, visit his website: www.matthewgollub.com.

Kazuko G. Stone has illustrated many books for children in the United States and her native Japan. Some of her American titles includeDorobo the Dangerous, Good Night, Twinkle Gator, and Aligay Saves the Day. Stone was born in Tokyo and now lives in New York City. She has two grown children, a daughter and son. In addition to illustrating, she teaches design at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parson's School of Design. Visit her online at kazukogstone.com.

Editorial Reviews

* "This superb homage to the 18th-century Japanese haiku master is as elegant and spare as the poet's form... Readers would be hard-pressed to find a more eloquent, concise and inspiring approach to understanding (and writing) this deceptively simple art form." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "This introduction to an eighteenth-century Japanese writer of haiku is as restrained, graceful, and concise as the art form it honors." — The Horn Book, starred review

Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature - Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA)

Best Children's Books of the Year Outstanding - Bank Street College of Education
CCBC Choices - Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Horn Book Fanfare - The Horn Book
Notable Books for a Global Society - International Literacy Association (ILA)
Notable Books in the Language Arts - National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People - National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)

From the Publisher