Wabi Sabi
This is an excellent read aloud for pre-schoolers and elementary school just on the story line and illustrations alone. Older children can use this story to develop understandings of philosophy, art, Japanese culture and so on. The haiku are delightful and are excellent springboards for teaching poetry. I loved the book.
A subtle book that this parent reads most nights to his 3 year old
What a wonderful way to expose a young audience to meaningful simplicity. One reviewer said this wasn't a children's book but I guess it depends on the child. Curled up in bed with his dog and his cat my son pays rapt attention to this story. As the reader I was struck by the fact that even the physical pages of the book are thick, I kept thinking I was turning two pages (parents know about one-handed-book-reading), until I realized they had used very thick paper. A nice touch.
If we want our children to see beyond the flashy sound-bite world of TV then we have to give them compelling alternatives. Its never too early to start and this "children's" book is a fine beginning.
Wabi Sabi
Beautiful illustrations and thoughtful message. My four-year old grandson enjoyed the story as did his nine-year old sister.
Zen-themed haiku and accompanying art - marvelous, but misses by a mile its target audience
As an adult, former resident of Japan (for 3.5 years), visitor of Ginkakuji, and cat lover, I enjoyed this book with its wonderfully done collages, calming story and accompanying haiku about a cat named Wabi Sabi. But it is more appropriate for a homeschooling parent, poetry teacher, or Japanese culture fan than any elementary-school-aged child I know. My favorite seven-year-old girl bookworm (and cat lover) begged me to stop reading it at about page three. And my favorite nine-year-old boy bookworm and ravenous reader wanted nothing to do with it. Pick it up for your parental reading pleasure at your local library to find out what all the fuss is about. But if you are looking for a kid-friendly picture book about things foreign, you'd do better with: Three Samurai Cats: A Story From Japan by Eric A. Kimmel and Mordicai Gerstein; Bee-Bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park and Ho Baek Lee; or Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat by Amy Tan and Gretchen Schields.
Wabi Sabi
This is a beautifully written AND illustrated book, for adults as well as children. Meaningful, a lovely lesson in our troubled world...A joy ! Marta Blades
(12 reviews)
