perfectly imperfect

Mark Reibstein (author)
Ed Young (illustrator)
Wabi Sabi
Little Brown, 2008

In words and images, Wabi Sabi transcends our limited, typical notions of what a children's story and picture book can be. Poetry, philosophy, and art come together in a sumptuous feast. The images are colorful, but never cloying. The texts are simple, but never simplistic. The book's vertical orientation and large format invite the reader to take a brief refuge from the harried pace and endless demands of modern life. Young readers will warm to Mark Reibstein's story of Wabi Sabi, a cat with a quest to understand the meaning of her name. Ed Young's collages (some of his finest work) are studies in the wabi-sabi aesthetic. Enthusiasts of Japanese culture will appreciate the notes to Basho's poems, which appear throughout the book.