EBOOK
About
A funny new fable about artistic creation and chasing fame, imagined by award-winning author Caroline Adderson, and inspired by one of Japan's most famous haikus, "The Old Pond."
Bashō, a 17th-century poet on an evening walk, stops to rest next to a murky old pond. Here, readers may expect he will encounter the frog that inspired his renowned poem:
Old pond-
Frog jumps in
Splash!
But before the frog came the mosquito, who smells blood: "My life?" it whines, "It could fill a book of poetry!" And before the mosquito came the lily, who perfumes the air, hoping to be immortalized in a poem. And before the lily came the carp, who flutters its tail in the poet's face.
In a twist that would have delighted Bashō, a Zen Buddhist, the fame-seeking creatures cause only their own suffering. Instead, the inspiration for Bashō's poem comes from a frog that only wants a morning swim. Splash!
Illustrator Lauren Tamaki, winner of the Sibert Medal, paints a memorable cast of characters with great wit and empathy. Her swirling inks bridge the story's traditional setting and its lightly modern lesson about fame, inspiration, and art.
Includes end matter with information about Bashō and haiku.
Key Text Features
biographical information
biographical note
dialogue
further information
historical context
historical note
illustrations
informational note
literary references
poems
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2
Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
A funny new fable about artistic creation and chasing fame, inspired by one of Japan's most beloved poets, Bashō, and his famous haiku, "The Old Pond."
• HAIKU HISTORY: Haikus have become a mainstay in the primary language-arts curriculum. This book is a humorous take on the origins of Matsuo Bashō's most recognizable 17th-century haiku, "The Old Pond," and features an author's note that provides historical context about Bashō and his technique of "on the spot" writing.
• DREAM TEAM: Award-winning author Caroline Adderson's books are favorites among educators and children. Her most recent book with Groundwood, Sunny Days Inside, was short-listed for the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award in 2022 and nominated for the Rocky Mountain Book Award in 2023. Lauren Tamaki's illustrations for Seen and Unseen (Chronicle Books; 2022) were awarded the Sibert Information Book Medal
• THE MERITS OF MINDFULNESS: The author's note at the end of A Pond, a Poem and Three Pests encourages tenants of social-emotional learning and mindfulness by encouraging readers to go outside, touch grass and sit with the trees and then consider: what do they hear, feel, smell, see?
biographical information;biographical note;dialogue;further information;historical context;historical note;illustrations;informational note;literary references;poems
Bashō, a 17th-century poet on an evening walk, stops to rest next to a murky old pond. Here, readers may expect he will encounter the frog that inspired his renowned poem:
Old pond-
Frog jumps in
Splash!
But before the frog came the mosquito, who smells blood: "My life?" it whines, "It could fill a book of poetry!" And before the mosquito came the lily, who perfumes the air, hoping to be immortalized in a poem. And before the lily came the carp, who flutters its tail in the poet's face.
In a twist that would have delighted Bashō, a Zen Buddhist, the fame-seeking creatures cause only their own suffering. Instead, the inspiration for Bashō's poem comes from a frog that only wants a morning swim. Splash!
Illustrator Lauren Tamaki, winner of the Sibert Medal, paints a memorable cast of characters with great wit and empathy. Her swirling inks bridge the story's traditional setting and its lightly modern lesson about fame, inspiration, and art.
Includes end matter with information about Bashō and haiku.
Key Text Features
biographical information
biographical note
dialogue
further information
historical context
historical note
illustrations
informational note
literary references
poems
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2
Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
A funny new fable about artistic creation and chasing fame, inspired by one of Japan's most beloved poets, Bashō, and his famous haiku, "The Old Pond."
• HAIKU HISTORY: Haikus have become a mainstay in the primary language-arts curriculum. This book is a humorous take on the origins of Matsuo Bashō's most recognizable 17th-century haiku, "The Old Pond," and features an author's note that provides historical context about Bashō and his technique of "on the spot" writing.
• DREAM TEAM: Award-winning author Caroline Adderson's books are favorites among educators and children. Her most recent book with Groundwood, Sunny Days Inside, was short-listed for the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award in 2022 and nominated for the Rocky Mountain Book Award in 2023. Lauren Tamaki's illustrations for Seen and Unseen (Chronicle Books; 2022) were awarded the Sibert Information Book Medal
• THE MERITS OF MINDFULNESS: The author's note at the end of A Pond, a Poem and Three Pests encourages tenants of social-emotional learning and mindfulness by encouraging readers to go outside, touch grass and sit with the trees and then consider: what do they hear, feel, smell, see?
biographical information;biographical note;dialogue;further information;historical context;historical note;illustrations;informational note;literary references;poems