Fiction 6 - 12 years

Wabi Sabi by Mark Rebstein Rebstein, M. (2008). Wabi Sabi. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company Wabi Sabi falls into the ‘sophisticated picture book’ category and children between the ages of 10 to 15 should enjoy either having this book read to them or reading this book independently. Wabi Sabi is a beautifully written and illustrated book that combines the ancient Japanese poetry form, Haiku, with a story about a cat embarking on a journey to find out the real meaning of her name. Wabi Sabi is a book that is rich with language, history and culture, and one in which can be read many times and on different occasions and new things will be discovered each time. The book opens lengthwise which will capture the attention of readers to begin with. The illustrator, Ed Young, has created stunning collages that seem to be three dimensional at times. Children will want to touch the pages to feel the ‘textures’ and see for themselves that the art work is in fact one dimensional. Wabi Sabi, as explained at the beginning of the book, is finding beauty and harmony in what is simple, imperfect, and natural. The concept that something can be completely ordinary and beautiful at the same time is quite a difficult concept for the younger reader to grasp but one which is explained during the cat’s journey, the characters that are met, and the places the cat visits. The haiku that is part of the story and written in both English and in Japanese (with translations at the end of the story), blends in to the story and is not a separate concept. ‘A warm bowl of tea Offered by a monkey, “Please!” Steam rising gently. This book can be thought of as looking through a small window into the Japanese culture. It is thought provoking for readers of all ages (including adults), and a book that offers a calm and quiet introduction to Japan’s history, customs and traditions.