Today and Today

"Issa's elegant haiku and Karas's poignant illustrations guide readers through the seasons, symbolized by the changing branches of a cherry blossom tree. The translations of 18 works from several of the 18th-century Japanese poet's volumes come together in this collection like delicate beads, tiny moments common to us all. Meanwhile the illustrations follow the lives of a specific fictional family. Although death is never mentioned in the text, the beginning of the book shows an elderly man sitting peacefully on a chair as a father helps his son untangle a kite from the tree ('Just being alive!/ — miraculous to be in/ cherry blossom shadows!'). By winter, that chair is empty and, a few pages later, the family assembles in the cemetery ('Here/ I'm here — / the snow falling'). In a hopeful spread, a child sits in the once-empty chair beneath flowering branches ('As simple as that — / spring has finally arrived/ with a pale blue sky'). Small human figures appear against richly textured landscapes, as if underscoring the powerful cycle of nature. The view inside a house through a screened window, golden leaves streaming across the lawn like moonlight, and stars ringed in a midnight blue sky la Van Gogh — 'whispering to each other' — all act as touching backdrops for universal events. Combining various paper textures with both paint and pencil drawings, Karas creates a memorable feast of images that portray both the joy and sorrow of existence. Ages 4-8." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)