(1st April 2009: This was March 2009's Picture Book of the Month)
From Tots to Teens, StarMag
ANYONE who appreciates the profound beauty of a cat asleep in a patch of sunlight will appreciate Wabi Sabi (Little, Brown, 40 pages, ISBN: 978-0316118255), a picture book written by Mark Reibstein and illustrated by Ed Young. No, not wasabi, the green mustard paste served with Japanese food, but wabi-sabi, a Japanese phrase that represents a philosophy of transient and imperfect beauty.
In Reibstein’s book, Wabi Sabi is a little rust-coloured cat who lives in Kyoto, Japan. One day, her master has visitors from abroad. They ask what Wabi Sabi means and the little cat’s master says, “That’s hard to explain”.
Wabi Sabi’s curiosity is piqued and she asks her friend, a white cat named Snowball, if she knows what Wabi Sabi means. Snowball says that it is “a kind of beauty” and then proceeds to mumble words that leave Wabi Sabi more puzzled than ever.
The little cat asks Rascal, the dog, if he can help, but Rascal is a little spiteful and implies that she would not understand his explanation. He then mutters to himself that Wabi Sabi is as ordinary as a brown leaf.
Is Wabi Sabi beautiful or ordinary? The little cat is thoroughly confused, but a passing bird advises her to journey to Mount Hiei. There, Kosho, a wise old monkey, would be able to explain the meaning of Wabi Sabi to her.
And so, Wabi Sabi sets off through the busy city of Kyoto. She is awed and dazzled by the bright lights and glittering buildings. At Mount Hiei, she meets Kosho, the old monkey, who not so much explains but shows Wabi Sabi the meaning of her name. Kosho makes tea, moving “slowly but gracefully”; he serves the little cat, handling his bowls like they are gold although they are wooden or clay.
He invites Wabi Sabi to really notice her surroundings, the designs and patterns in nature – “on trees, in clouds, and dirty ponds” – not “clean, neat, or sharp-edged”, but “alive and dying too”.
“Simple things are beautiful,” concludes Wabi Sabi and, seeing her “plain and beautiful” reflection in a bowl of tea, the little cat finally understands the meaning of her name.
Reibstein demonstrates the meaning of wabi-sabi through his simple and spare text. When Snowball, Rascal and the bird speak, their words are presented in the form of haiku (a short, simple form of Japanese poetry). Haiku is also used to describe Wabi Sabi’s surroundings and her observations and reflections.
On her way home from Mount Heie, the little cat stops at an old temple. Moved by the simple beauty of what she sees, Wabi Sabi composes three haiku which go to further show the reader what the wabi-sabi philosophy is all about.
Japanese haiku by celebrated poets Basho and Shiki decorate each picture spread in Wabi Sabi and their English translations can be found at the end of the book along with short explanations of the origins of wabi-sabi and haiku.
Ed Young’s illustrations also embody the wabi-sabi philosophy. They are collages assembled from all kinds of materials, from tissue and leaves to lint and corn husks. Nothing in the pictures was bought or manufactured for the specific purpose of creating art. “Wabi-sabi is a term used for celebrating the common things that people overlook, and seeing beauty in them,” says Young in an interview at the How to Be a Children’s Illustrator blog (howtobeachildrensbookillustrator.wordpress.com). “Wabi Sabi does not occur when something is newly made because it hasn’t got to that point where the soul is revealed,” says Young.
“New things don’t have stories to tell. We were using things people have discarded, things people don’t want to celebrate. And I was reminded that this – and everything – is part of a process.”
Wabi Sabi is a wise, beautiful and informative book that’s suitable for children of all ages; and adults too, especially haiku and collage enthusiasts.
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