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Adderson, Caroline

A Pond, a Poet, and Three Pests

36 pp. | Groundwood | October, 2025 | Trade ISBN 9781773068930 $19.99
(2) K-3 Illustrated by Lauren Tamaki. This multilayered picture book offers a whimsical interpretation of the famous haiku “Old Pond” by the master poet Matsuo Basho (1644–1694) and celebrates nature and poetry with thoughtfulness and irony. After a walk, Basho stops beside a pond to rest and think. Knowing that he is “the most famous poet in the land,” three characters—a golden carp, a blooming lily, and a pesky ­mosquito—vie for his attention and poetic immortality. But none can disturb his reverie until a frog, ignoring them all, dives in for its carefree midnight swim. It is this act that startles and inspires the poet to compose his classic haiku: “Old pond— / Frog jumps in. / Splash!” Adderson’s spare telling offers layers of meaning and fun. The anthropo-morphic characters have lines of dialogue or thoughts well suited for reading aloud (“‘O, Basho,’ the carp called, ‘Look at me!’”), and each exemplifies a sensory mode: sight, smell, or sound, all helpful for modeling exploration of nature and writing poetry. Illustrations in acrylic ink recall the style of ancient ­Japanese ink painting, with each one awash in shades of green-to-yellow, or blue-to-purple, or both, and with perspectives from above, below, close up, and at a distance, providing movement and subtle humor. An endnote includes the poem in the original Japanese with a literal translation, as well as advice for writing nature poems.
Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2025

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