More Wabi Sabi

After running by accident into the Wabi Sabi Style book I have mentioned before, I had an urge to find more about Wabi Sabi.
Looking around at the library catalog, I found the book titled simply Wabi Sabi.
It turned out to be a real gem.

Intended for young readers, this beautiful picture book by Mark Reibstein, illustrated by Ed Young, explains the meaning of Wabi Sabi in a simple yet smart way both children and their parents can find fascinating.
It tells the story of a cat called Wabi Sabi who tries to understand the meaning of her name after hearing her master describing it as 'Hard to explain' when asked by a foreign visitors.
Wabi Sabi then leaves her home at Kyoto and starts her journey to the foot of Mount Hiei in a quest to find the answer to her question.

I can't tell which I enjoyed more - the glorious and heart-warming lyrical writing of Mark Reibstein or the superb illustrations by Ed Young.
The combination between the two is what probably makes this book so admirable.

Mark Reibstein also enriches the book with Japanese haiku by Basho and Shiki so the adult reader can have an extra flavor. It 'hides' decoratively throughout the book in its origin Japanese and translated into English on the book's last page.

Ed Young's illustrations are simply breathtaking. He made a sequence of collages, made from a collection of natural and used 'Wabi Sabi' materials (as 'New things don't have stories to tell' in his own words).
The vertical design is another factor that contributes to the feeling of a journey.
As you turn the pages you can sense the different places, emotions, even the pace in the cat's current location through the collages textures, patterns and colors.

I fell deeply in love this book!
It is fascinating how the authors took a subject as hard as a Japanese philosophy which is really 'hard to explain', as the story begins with, and succeed of making it so simple and delighting both for children and their parents. The combination of the two - the poetic words and the perfect art work reveals the essence of Wabi Sabi - The beauty in simplicity.

The best way to end this post is to enjoy a few Haiku by Basho (indicated with {b}) and Shiki (indicated with {s}).
Enjoy!

. . . . .
another year is gone
a traveler's shade on my head
straw sandals at my feet
. . {b} . .

. . . . .
from the firefly
in my hands,
cold light
. . {s} . .

. . . . .
how comfortable
touching the cool wall -
a daytime nap
. . {b} . .

. . . . .
rustling softly
over the bamboo -
snow in the night
. . {s} . .

. . . . .
along a mountain path
somehow sweet and charming -
a violet in bloom
. . {b} . .

Some more:

* Great review on this book can be found at SEVEN IMPOSSIBLE THINGS BEFORE BREAKFAST.

* More on Ed Young's illustrations as well as a fascinating interview with him can be found at How to Be a Children’s Book Illustrator.

* Mark Reibstein and Ed Young discuss the making of the book, from the book idea, the collaboration between the two, the art work and all the long journey they had until publishing.


*** All photos from the book Wabi Sabi are copyright © 2008 by Mark Reibstein (Author), and Ed Young (Illustrator)
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers; (October 1, 2008)

*** Haiku by Shiki - Masaoka Shiki by Burton Watson

*** Hokku and Haiku by Basho - Basho and His Interpreters: Selected Hokku with Commentary by Makoto Ueda and 1020 Haiku in Translation: The Heart of Basho, Buson and Issa by William R. Nelson (Author), Takafumi Saito (Contributor)


{---This post is dedicated to Tal - My dear! I Wish you a safe journey and easy going back to the US! Lets conquer the time differences!! :) xoxo---}