A Pond, a Poet, and Three Pests

Adderson (Babble!) and Tamaki (Every Peach Is a Story) imagine a playful encounter between Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō and three would-be muses vying for placement in his work. Walking one evening, Bashō comes upon a peaceful pond and sits, eyes closed, to think. A golden carp swimming past recognizes him, and, hoping to be immortalized in verse, “danced, fluttering/ the golden extravagance of his tail” on the pond’s surface. A water lily subsequently unfurls and wafts her perfume, and then a mosquito (a self-identified “big fan”) whines in the poet’s ear. But neither sight, smell, nor sound penetrate his serenity until a frog, out for nothing more than a swim, inadvertently becomes the focus of Bashō’s now-famous haiku “Old Pond,” reproduced in translation at book’s end. Though text and visuals don’t always align, spare lines humorously explore the pursuit of celebrity and continuation, while watercolor illustrations blend a limited palette of gold, indigo, olive, and pink, conjuring fluid-feeling visuals that juxtapose movement and stillness. Back matter includes more about the poet. Ages 3–6. (Oct.)