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

Matthew Gollub (Author), Kazuko G. Stone (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Born in 1763 on a farm in central Japan, Issa began writing haiku as a young child. Matthew Gollub has integrated the story of Issa's life and selections of his best-known work with Kazuko Stone's visual interpretations in the form of whimsical watercolors. Full color.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This superb homage to the 18th-century Japanese haiku master is as elegant and spare as the poet's form. Gollub's (The Moon Was at a Fiesta) brief biography introduces Issa's pertinent haiku and tells the story of Issa's transformation from a sad child (his stepmother thwarted his gift) to a recognized, talented poet. Japanese artist Stone (Dorobo the Dangerous), who chose the haiku represented here for Gollub's translation, captures the moment described in each poem with exquisite details, imbued with quiet emotion. For example, for the poem "Climb Mount Fuji,/ Snail, but slowly,/ slowly!" Stone puts readers at a vantage point above a snail traversing a tree branch that appears to lead the way up the great mountain's slope. The poem and image come at the point in the biography when Issa is just beginning his studies, in the long journey to master poet. The book's design lends a fluidity to the interlacing elements: within the narrative, a poem appears on each page, coupled with Stone's expressive visual representation, while the haiku in Japanese calligraphy runs down the outer border. For students of haiku, Gollub explains his deviation from the 17-syllable definition (he chose to adhere closely to Issa's words) and gives a brief history of haiku. Readers would be hard-pressed to find a more eloquent, concise and inspiring approach to understanding (and writing) this deceptively simple art form. Ages 4-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5-A successful collaboration of verse and prose that brings a famous 18th-century poet to life. Gollub's original translations of Issa's haiku are interspersed with biographical narrative (slightly fictionalized) so that each one lends context to the other. Each poem is illustrated with a realistic spot or framed watercolor-and-colored-pencil picture, and rendered in Japanese calligraphy in the outer margin. Stone elaborates on her artistic research in endnotes. Gollub explains in detail how he went about his translations so that readers can understand what to look for and what's lost. Although just an introduction, this book explains much about haiku and those who wrote it, information not usually included in titles written for this age level. However, no mention is made of what made Issa so different from his predecessors-his poetry had a casualness and sense of humor that was both criticized and popular. Along with Dawnine Spivak's Grass Sandals (Atheneum, 1997), this book works at restoring the historical and literary context to this popular form of poetry as well as at instilling an appreciation for one of its most enjoyable practitioners.
Nina Lindsay, Oakland Public Library, CA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Lee & Low Books (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880000717
• ISBN-13: 978-1880000717
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,356,161 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cool Melons--Turn to Frogs!, July 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Cool Melons-Turn to Frogs!: The Life and Poems of Issa (Hardcover)

I think this has got to be the best haiku book I've ever read. The illustrations are magnificent, and its power and sensitivity communicate Issa's poems to readers of all ages. The author's translations of the Japanese poems to English capture Issa's timeless charm and the love he felt for all living things--including frogs and crickets! And what makes this book so valuable to me as a teacher is the whopping 3 page author's note. It lends perspective, and plenty of background information, on reading and writing haiku. My 2nd grade class felt so inspired by this book that they've been REQUESTING time to refine their own haiku ever since I read it aloud!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cool Melons - Turn to Frogs!, July 30, 2001

By 

Lisa (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cool Melons-Turn to Frogs!: The Life and Poems of Issa (Hardcover)

This is an excellent account of Issa's life and poetry. This story goes through important stages of Issa's life and incorporates his poetry into the stages. This unique book explains how Issa succeeds as a poet even though he endures difficulties in his life. Children of all ages will enjoy the story and beautiful illustrations. I think the author and illustrator did a great job of working together to create a fine story abour this Japanese haiku writter. The best part of this book is the poems. The poems are written in English and also in Japanese. This book will capture your interest.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A plum tree in bloom, April 3, 2007

By 

Linda Austin "Moonbridge" (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cool Melons - Turn To Frogs!: The Life And Poems Of Issa (Paperback)

Recommended to me by a school librarian, this book was a sweet delight which I read to my child thinking to encourage her to enjoy poetry. We both enjoyed this book and its wonderful illustrations of Japanese life, learning about the sad life of Issa and what is behind some of his poems, especially as haiku are not as simple as they appear on the surface. While the story may be a bit intense for very young children, the book accomplishes its intention of providing an interesting and eye-catching introduction to haiku and the sensitivity to feeling and experience that helps create the art of poetry. It also carries an underlying message of how one can not only persevere through mistreatment and adversity but keep a caring and uplifted spirit. LOVED the author's informational notes at the end.
Also see Grass Sandals : The Travels of Basho