I found myself on an online picture book reading frenzy awhile back. I read (or wanted to read, or have read previous) several books by this one publisher, Groundwood Books. One of those books was A Pond, a Poet, and Three Pests by Caroline Adderson and illustrated by Lauren Tamaki.
This book is an artistic imagining of how a famous poet wrote one of his most famous haikus. In simple, but far from simple text, there is an actually in depth story about the Japanese poet in the style of a folktale and not only includes the poem’s potential beginnings, but also is a mini biography of sorts. The poem, “The Old Pond” by Basho has calming text as we follow the animals trying to grab the attention of the poet, as he rests by the side of a pond. Each of the “pests” try to be flashy, wanting attention, but it is the frog that is rewarded. What does that mean? Well, to me, that is the point. Like poetry itself, there is a bit of interpretation left up to the reader.
But I cannot imagine that people will debate how lovely the illustrations are. They are frameable works that combine warm and cool to the look with rich colors and a whimsical form. They are in my opinion, trying (and succeeding) in making the tone of the overall work feel as if it was a poem by Basho or in the idea of a natural poem. It is an experience book that from the text to the artwork, everyone will experience in their own way, but hopefully it will be a calming, but amusing, experience.
Read via an online reader and is due early October 2025.