Like the haiku form of poetry itself, here is a book that is all grace and wonder. Writer/compiler Matthew Gollub has balanced biographical information about the Japanese haiku master Issa, who lived in the late 18th and early 19th century, with beautiful translations of Issa's haiku. Through the narrative story, readers meet Issa as a child and follow him through adulthood and old age. Gollub has skillfully chosen specific haiku poems by Issa to extend the reader's understanding of this sensitive, observant writer beyond the facts of his life to knowledge of his heart and mind as revealed in his poetry. This exquisite picture book is illustrated with Kazuko Stone's delicate watercolor and colored pencil paintings, and each two-page spread is bordered with the Japanese language characters for the haiku appearing on those pages. An author's note provides additional factual information on Issa, the decisions that went into haiku chosen for inclusion in the text, and the research that Stone conducted for the artwork. Background notes for several of the haiku poems along with information on the translations and the haiku art form is also provided. (Ages 8-12)

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.