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

~ (Author), Kazuko G. Stone (Illustrator) "Issa was born long ago in a small mountain village in Japan..." (more)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)

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Customers buy this book with Grass Sandals : The Travels of Basho by Dawnine Spivak

Cool Melons-Turn to Frogs!: The Life and Poems of Issa + Grass Sandals : The Travels of Basho
  • This item: Cool Melons-Turn to Frogs!: The Life and Poems of Issa by Matthew Gollub

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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.

Product Details

  • Reading level: Ages 4-8
  • 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 (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #660,636 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

More About the Author

Matthew Gollub
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Issa was born long ago in a small mountain village in Japan. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Cool Melons--Turn to Frogs!, July 11, 2000
By A Customer
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!
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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 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.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and touching, October 5, 2009
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
The impressive quality of the illustrations and translations presented in this children's book makes it a cherished Haiku collector's item. What can haiku (or this book) do for our children? If the child is scientist-oriented, he/she will have fun see the world through insects' perspectives and experience the transforming power of imagination turning cool melons into frogs. If the child loves drawing, the book will enrich their interests with Eastern style paintings where Japanese character itself is a fascinating art. If the child has a writer in them, this book will share the strength of ISSA who first found comfort and hope in writing haiku after losing his mother at a very young age, had then emerged, through persistence and faith, to be the Japanese cultural icon whose name we equates with HAIKU today.

The Spring of My Life: And Selected Haiku
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Learn that famous frog in Haiku tradition
Issa(1763-1827) is one the most accomplished and loved haiku masters and now his beautiful work of poetry is made accessible to children and parents through Matthew Gollub's... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Logan Clark

5.0 out of 5 stars Haiku master
Since I'm trying to learn about Haiku, this was the perfect book. Matthew Gollub translated poems of a renowned Japanese Haiku writer Issa. Read more
Published 3 months ago by lmj

4.0 out of 5 stars Cool Melons Turn To Frogs
I am a big fan of Issa, and this is a lovely book. I returned this purchase (soft cover) only because I had bought it for a gift, and for a gift, the book just doesn't look as... Read more
Published 15 months ago by C. Day

5.0 out of 5 stars The place to start one's study of haiku
The best introduction to haiku, by way of the life of Issa, that I have read thus far in my study of haiku. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Harriet M Welsch

5.0 out of 5 stars A plum tree in bloom
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. Read more
Published on April 3, 2007 by Linda Austin

4.0 out of 5 stars Haikus great but story of Issa not so good
The haikus in this book are excellent. They match beautifully with the illustrations. What a great way to introduce haiku to a young person (and an older person! Read more
Published on November 17, 2006 by A. M. White

5.0 out of 5 stars Can we name Favorites? This must be in THE TOP TEN Books of HAIKU* !
Kazuko Stone's watercolors accompany Matthew Gollub's with great style, and his text always pleases. Do you feel a childlieke innocence in the verses of ISSA? Read more
Published on March 7, 2006 by mcHaiku

2.0 out of 5 stars Didn't Spend my Money
Based on what I saw about this book it seems the "editors?" "Authors?" of this children's book were hybridizing the engenious works of Issa for their own gain. Read more
Published on April 8, 2005 by C. Olsen

5.0 out of 5 stars Haiku for all. A little boy writes his feelings.
When the little boy, issa, starts to fell lonley he starts writing haikus. In his travels he wrote a lot of haikus. Read more
Published on November 18, 1999

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