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December 4, 2008 by Travis Jonker

Book Review: Wabi Sabi

December 4, 2008 by Travis Jonker   6 comments

wabsabcover

Wabi Sabi
By Mark Reibstein
Illustrated by Ed Young
Little, Brown
ISBN: 9780316118255
$16.99
Grades 4 and Up
In Stores

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*Best New Books*

“Wabi Sabi” is a book you have to see and hold – a review doesn’t do it justice. From its beautifully grotesque illustrations (and I mean that as a compliment) on luxuriously thick paper to its unusual layout filled with poetic text, “Wabi Sabi” is laboriously detailed in every way. Lovingly created, the biggest challenge facing this book is finding an audience that will read it, understand it, and appreciate it.

Wabi sabi means finding beauty in the ordinary, and that is the theme here. From start to finish, the writing slips back and forth between poetic text and outright poetry in the form of Haiku. The story follows an ordinary brown cat, named Wabi Sabi, as she attempts to discover the meaning of her name. Turns out that it is difficult to explain. Our feline protagonist asks her master and other pets before receiving advice to find a monkey named Kosho. Wabi Sabi seeks out Kosho, who, through his actions, teaches the cat the meaning of her name.

Ed Young’s (“Lon Po Po”, “Seven Blind Mice”) heavily textured illustrations are amazing. Layers of paper collage and fabric are combined with watercolor and found objects (such as leaves) to set an earthy tone. Arranged (a la “Tops and Bottoms”) with the spine at the top, the book operates much like a wall calendar, providing tall spreads to work with. This, combined with the large size of the pages gives Young the opportunity to do some striking things with perspective.

Younger children may pick this up for the artwork, but the theme and poetic text will be difficult for many kids to enjoy. This fact makes it hard for me to recommend it as a K-6 must-purchase, but its potential in the classroom for teaching poetry makes it a good one to have on hand. Any way you look at it, “Wabi Sabi” will surely stand out as one of the more memorable picture books of the year.

Watch an outstanding interview with author Mark Reibstein and Illustrator Ed Young:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca2Ly4Vpb5Y&eurl=http://www.powells.com/biblio/%209780316118255]

(Thanks to BookVideos.tv for the clip)

Also reviewed by A Fuse #8 Production, Kids Lit.

Find this book at your local library with WorldCat.

Filed under: *Best New Books*, Reviews

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About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. grrlpup says

    December 23, 2008 at 4:33 pm

    Beautiful! I love seeing Ed Young’s studio– the hammock! and how he can lay out all the pages in a row. Looking forward to reading the book.

  2. cloudscome says

    February 12, 2009 at 9:13 am

    I really must get this book for our library. Thanks for including the clip – it is so wonderful to see/hear the story behind the book and artwork. I am curious about what you thought of the haiku. Any thoughts about that?

Trackbacks

  1. 2008 Children’s Lit: The Year in Miscellanea « 100 Scope Notes says:
    December 17, 2008 at 6:17 am

    […] book that’s more for the chapter book crowd: Wabi Sabi (100 Scope Notes Review). A beautiful, detailed, deep book best digested by the upper elementary/middle school […]

  2. ayuddha.net » “Tired but glad”: a personal response to Wabi Sabi says:
    February 13, 2009 at 12:26 pm

    […] Sabi has been reviewed at:  100 Scope Notes | A Fuse #8 Production | Kids Lit | Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast […]

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