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Today and Today

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This NYT Best Illustrated artist makes his Scholastic Press debut with a poignant picture book about loss and renewal.

Brian Karas has always been moved and inspired by the haiku poetry of Issa, whose work is taught in schools and loved by children around the world. Here Karas has selected 22 of his favorite poems to tell the story of a year in the life of a family—a year in which they will experience the loss of their beloved grandfather, and also the renewal that comes from healing after loss. With stunning mixed media artwork that represents a major breakout for this acclaimed artist, Today and Today offers an authentic, reassuring look at life's many cycles—and the small miracles that occur each day.

40 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2007

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About the author

Kobayashi Issa

118 books261 followers
Kobayashi Issa was a Japanese poet known for his haiku poems and journals. He is regarded as one of the four haiku masters in Japan, along with Bashō, Buson and Shiki. Reflecting the popularity and interest in Issa as man and poet, Japanese books on Issa outnumber those on Buson, and almost equal those on Bashō.

Although better known by his pen name Issa, he was born Kobayashi Yataro in 1763 on a farm in central Japan.

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5 stars
48 (31%)
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51 (33%)
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6 (3%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
Profile Image for Noninuna.
861 reviews34 followers
December 13, 2018
I don't have a good experience with haiku. They're short & never leave an impression on my mind. But there's this one that touches me somehow, maybe because the illustration that goes well with it. The fact that all these haiku was written back in the 18th century makes me think that well-written literature lives beyond their years.
Profile Image for Punk.
1,608 reviews304 followers
September 22, 2020
For this picture book, artist G. Brian Karas takes eighteen of Issa's haiku and arranges them to tell the story of a family through the seasons, from spring to winter. The family seems to be white and Western, which I found disappointing, and includes two parents, two children, and a grandfather.

Each haiku is given a double page spread, and the art is a mix of traditional materials—rice paper, wood plank, pencil, and paint—used in non-traditional ways, and this creates something unexpected in each piece. My favorite is for: "So many breezes / wander through my summer room: / but never enough," and we see the outside of a house at night, a shrub up against the foundation, a window frame, a screen covered with bugs, and through it we can see the young boy, lying flat on his bed in shorts, waving a fan at himself. The piece has wonderful texture. You can practically feel how dirty and rough that screen is with your fingertips, and you can feel the heat, too. I also really enjoyed the falling snow in the graveyard, clearly made with a brush just dabbing white paint on there until both pages are covered with big, wet, floppy snow flakes saucering down from side to side. It creates a great sense of movement.

The book includes a thoughtful introduction by the artist, and the poems are translations by Sam Hamill, Robert Haas, and Nanao Sakaki.

Contains: death of a family member (father/grandfather) implied through the art.
Profile Image for Jerome Berglund.
616 reviews21 followers
February 16, 2022
A fine introduction for the next generation (no less equally pleasurable for all ages) to the ancient Eastern custom and form, with expertly chosen samples from one of its three most celebrated practitioners. The gorgeous illustrations well accompany and drive home the intentions and underlying subtexts of each compact piece of literature. While unavoidable, and in a sense symptomatic no less of the style itself, the only sad thing is how quickly one reaches the end. The imagery on the penultimate pages is particularly exquisite, capturing the wistful capacity of the tradition wonderfully and instructively. The collection as a whole makes a fascinating exercise in modern reimagining of the haiga format, succeeds in pairing image with words quite spectacularly!
Profile Image for Mark.
713 reviews21 followers
May 23, 2025
I remember our teacher trying to teach us Haiku as a kid back in probably third grade. I remembered hating Haiku because it didn't make any sense to me: 5-7-5 syllables felt so arbitrary, the focus on nature felt too limiting for a little kid who stayed indoors, and the examples given to us inspired nothing but boredom in me. I felt like I was missing something, and I didn't return to Haiku until undergrad.

The problem is not that there's anything wrong with Haiku or with children, but that educators are idiots. Haiku as a form uses 5-7-5 syllables in Japanese, which uses a totally different writing system compared to the Latin alphabet. Strike one. These poems rely on the reader's understanding of Wabi-Sabi, or aesthetic impermanence. Everything will pass, nothing is permanent in this world, etc. Strike two. Expecting children to be able to understand, let alone write haiku, simply because of their short length, betrays a total misunderstanding of the Haiku writers and their audience, i.e. literal children who lack experience. As a child, impermanence means little; things haven't yet taken root enough for you to feel their lack distinctly, like you do as an adult. As the old adage goes, you don't know what you have until it's gone, and most children still have their parents, some innocence, and few responsibilities. Strike three.

This book makes a valiant effort to salvage the pedagogical abortion that is "haiku for kids." Rather than using the better-known and more profound Basho or Buson, the illustrator of this collection wisely chose Kobayashi Issa. His poetry is childlike, innocent, and focuses on smaller creatures, just like children themselves do, all crouching around a weird caterpillar on the sidewalk. Issa's ethos is childlike and welcoming, making him the best of the big four Haiku writers for such a project as this.

The illustrator also did a wonderful job not only illustrating the Haiku themselves, but creating a narrative which tied in the nature aspect (it moves through the seasons) and paralleled it with the cycle of life (like the Lion King does). The translators are not credited on the cover, but only under the copyright information; it looks like some of them were from Sam Hamill (who I'm not familiar with) and others were from Robert Haas, who is famous for his translations. The translations they chose did a great job of refusing the fallacy of the 5-7-5 translation, but they also sometimes used words that children wouldn't know (and which might be hard for parents to simplify, such as "transpired."

What resulted was probably the best introduction to Haiku that you could give children, as the illustrations literally "drew out" the meanings, or, etymologically, shed light on what they're describing. They gave the proper padding to these otherwise sparse poems, keeping kids from being bored by their brevity. We must remember that economy of language isn't impressive to kids: verbosity is. Their spongy brains hungrily seek more language to conquer, not less. They love long, meandering stories about knights and dragons and princesses, not short, curt realism, like adults apparently do. There's just enough magic in this book to buoy it up, and the otherwise daunting nature terms are made accessible by the warm and inviting illustrations. Methinks I might have to buy this book sometime for someone...
Profile Image for Xtina.
32 reviews26 followers
September 24, 2025
The haiku are lovely, but the illustrations tell the most heart-rending story. Both my nine-year-old son and I were crying at the end of this book.
We found this book at the library and were using it as part of a homeschool unit on Japan. Because my son was SO excited to dive into the book, he read the first few haiku in the "spring" section before I asked him to choose his favorite season. His favorite season is winter, so he skipped to the "winter" section to get inspiration for the haiku he would be writing. As I was explaining the haiku art form to him, he flipped back to the beginning of the book and noticed that the images were telling a story. He urged me to pause for a moment so we could read all the way through. So we started back at the beginning and read through to the end.
Neither of us could speak. We could only nervously giggle away our discomfort at realizing that the child's grandfather had died. The more we tried to avoid the emotions we felt, the more they seemed to bubble up and we had a beautiful, raw, heartfelt moment.
Kudos to the illustrator. You did a fabulous job.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Desca Ang.
709 reviews37 followers
November 19, 2018
庵の蚤不便やいつか痩せる也
Fleas of my hut,—
I'm sorry for them;
They became emaciated soon enough.
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Issa may not be a haiku prophet like Bashō or a brilliant craftsman like Yosa Buson. Yet to me, he is just a human who portray the celebration of life itself. The aforementioned haiku is an example of his great ability to demonstrates his capacity for feeling.
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Issa does not always show some sadness in his haiku tho. He also shows some humour and great sense of delicate beauty in this book. Ah, to me, Issa is special! If Buson follows Bashō and Shiki follows Buson, Issa writes in his own style rather than imitating.
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Profile Image for Mark Robison.
1,288 reviews97 followers
September 9, 2025
The reason to read this book is the beautiful, wistful artwork. Just stunning. The translations of Issa's haiku are decent with a few I wasn't familiar with.

For you haiku nerds out there, the illustrator changes the famed haiku about melting snow and the village being flooded ... with children. He writes it in a way that it doesn't have a punchline. Instead, it's more about the children playing, which makes sense in the context of a children's picture book, but it caused me to put my guard up that I wasn't going to be a fan of the translations. The art won me over.

Against the image of a child lying on a bed thinking as seen through a screened window with a cricket on it are the words:

So many breezes
wander through my summer room:
but never enough.


And against a Van Gogh night sky with two people leaned against each other, the classic:

Summer night —
even the stars
are whispering to each other.
20 reviews
October 6, 2020
This story as told through haikus takes the reader through an entire year. The author uses the characteristics of the seasons to move the book along, beginning with spring, and working around to full circle. This collection of poetry would be a good way to introduce students to haikus and allow them to see that not all poems rhyme. It could coincide with a written response where students can create their own haiku. Another interesting aspect of the book is that the illustrations tell as much story as the written word. In winter, you can see the family visiting the gravesite of a lost family member. The illustrations fill up almost the entire page of text, leading to an informal arrangement and a good connection between illustration and written work.
20 reviews1 follower
October 6, 2020
This collection of poetry is a perfect way to introduce the Japanese haiku. Author Kobayashi Issa narrates the four seasons through these little snapshots of poetry. This individual anthology is illustrated by G. Brian Karas, who creates a family and life around the four seasons. It is a softly written story; each haiku is only a small window into life, but every one of them speaks of the beauty of nature and the love of a family. This collection is a good choice for delving into the unique genre of the haiku.
Profile Image for Madison Misner.
16 reviews
March 17, 2021
"Today and Today" is a book written by Kobayashi Issa and illustrated by G. Brian Karas. The genre of this book is poetry because all of the wording is told through haiku poems. This book can also be classified as a realistic fiction story because enters into the selective and personal moments of an imaginary family. The setting of the story takes place in a normal family's life. The theme of the book is the human life cycle, but the story travels through the emotion and special moments each season brings. The Earth's seasons are explored as the family experiences the ups and downs of the life cycle. The book is beautifully written to capture a different emotion on each page. I personally really liked the illustrated style. He used many different techniques within the story to evoke emotion from the reader. Overall this poetic picture book took me through a roller-coaster of emotions as I experienced all of the happy moments life brings but also the low points we all experience. I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it.
73 reviews1 follower
November 28, 2018
I chose this book because of the calm illustrations and thought it would be an interesting read. I like how it goes through each season and the changes that occur within each. I think this would be great to introduce the changing of the seasons to young readers and also introduce poetry. This book is poetry and is in the 1st-3rd grade range
Profile Image for Bethe.
6,969 reviews70 followers
December 5, 2016
4.5 stars. For haiku - this is almost perfect, especially engaging and relevant to young readers, not so abstract and foreign. Read Karas's note on the verso, the poet Issa lived in the 1700s! Love the illustrations and organization of haiku following a year of seasons.
Profile Image for Emily.
28 reviews2 followers
February 13, 2018
It was okay. I’ve been looking for books for children regarding death and grief and thought this has potential. It’s beautiful on its own but it didn’t totally work for me.
2,261 reviews25 followers
November 20, 2018
A great book for children combining the poetry of the haiku writer Issa and the art work of G. Brian Karas. Precious and inspiring.
Profile Image for Liz Bracken.
156 reviews
May 22, 2021
Perfect gift for a young child who has lost a grandparent.
Profile Image for S10_Abby Alley.
27 reviews3 followers
July 21, 2010
This book is a collection of haiku written by the famous Japanese poet, Kobayashi Issa. Most of Issa’s poems are about the happiness and sorrow he felt during his life in the 18th century. The illustrator, G. Brian Karas used a collection of Issa’s haiku to tell a story about a family throughout one year. The book is broken up into seasons and the haiku both tell about the beauty of each season, but also of the highs and lows of their life. Although the haiku does not explicitly say it, the grandfather died in the winter. The illustration shows the family without the grandfather at a graveyard looking at a particular gravestone. The illustrations are lovely and the color pallet used for each season made each transition distinct.
I thought Karas did an excellent job of illustrating for something that was written so long ago. On the title page of the book he gives a thorough background of Issa, haiku, and what he tried to accomplish as an illustrator. Reading that page was both necessary and helpful to understand the meaning behind the book. I really appreciate how thoughtful and respectful Karas tried to be of Issa’s original intent of his poetry.
I would not call myself someone who loves poetry. When I do enjoy poetry, it is usually because of the content of the poem rather than the artistry of the style of poetry. The fact that this book is written in haiku does little for me as a reader. As a teacher however, I would definitely add this to my classroom library. Poetry can be very dense and hard for kids to understand, but I think the haiku in Today and Today would be perfect for kids in grades 1-4. I love using mentor texts to teach a writing concept, and this book would be great for teaching haiku. I would also use this book for vocabulary. Poetry is great for vocabulary because so much of the context has to be inferred. One of the spring haiku reads, “Today and today also – a kite entangled in a gnarled tree.” The illustration is of a cherry blossom tree with a kite wrapped around the trunk and tangled in the branches. It would be fun hear what kids infer gnarled to mean. There are many other haiku that give the same opportunity to teach vocabulary.
Profile Image for Maricor.
67 reviews2 followers
Read
May 5, 2021
Today and Today by Issa Kobayashi and illustrated by G. Brian Karas (2008)
Picture Book, 33 pages
In Today and Today, G. Brian Karas takes on the complex task of compiling and illustrating various haiku from master poet Issa Kobayashi to form a collection of experiences during life’s seasons. Representative of the vast emotions and events in a lifetime, Karas creates snapshots of moments in one year of a family’s story. Younger children will delight in the colorful representations and simplicity of Kobayashi’s insightful lines, as more observant children and adults will savor the opportunity to close their eyes to hear or see Kobayashi’s profound lines take shape in their imaginations. Today and Today would also be a great way to help young poets begin to understand haiku and how few words can translate into so much more. This is a great book to help us all slow down and remember the deeper meanings in life’s simpler things.
Profile Image for N.
912 reviews13 followers
February 23, 2009
Karas collected, arranged by season, and illustrated the translated haikus of renowned Japanese poet, Kobayashi Issa. The three line structure conveys fragments of the subtle essence of each season. Some of the illustrations really standout, especially the one that accompanies the first haiku "of summer". I love the way Karas portrays grass with yellow and blue overlain watercolours.

This one makes me long even more for spring,

As simple as that-
spring has finally arrived
with a pale blue sky
Profile Image for Krista the Krazy Kataloguer.
3,873 reviews331 followers
January 15, 2011
G. Brian Karas has cleverly taken haiku by Issa, sequenced them so that they describe a year, and accompanied them with illustrations that tell the story of children and their relationship with their grandfather, who lives with them. It also describes their grief when he dies, and how they cope afterward. I would have nominated this as a Caldecott Medal contender for 2008, because the pictures accompany the haiku so well. A thoughtful book, and recommended.
Profile Image for Maggie.
11 reviews19 followers
February 14, 2011
One more about life and loss. A quiet, reflective book and a great introduction to the history and style of haiku. The soft and painterly illustrations evoke the emotion of the haiku, alluding to not just the passing of the seasons, but also the passage of time for this particular family. To me, the illustrations are comforting and familiar, a few of even pay homage to Van Gogh. This could pair well with a haiku project either in a story time or classroom.
Profile Image for Catherine Woodman.
5,976 reviews118 followers
Read
July 29, 2011
Haiku from the poet Issa (18th century Japanese poet) arrnaged into a book that flows from season to season--starting and ending with spring, and with really lovely illustrations to go with them. I enjoyed this book, and the pictures are very detailed, you can tell another story around each and every one of them, so this is another great book to read to kids, this one very young kids, and get their ears used to listening to poetry.
72 reviews1 follower
April 16, 2013
"Today and Today" is a wonderful book about seasons. It is told from the voice of a little girl who is describing all of the seasons through a haiku poem.
As a teacher, I would use this book to teach about the importance of using your own voice when writing. I would even do an extension activity by having students write their own haiku poems and discussing about things that they would like to explain in their own words.
Profile Image for Carol.
74 reviews
September 20, 2013
Autumn moon--
a small boat
drifting down the tide

In this gorgeous picture book, award-winning illustrator G. Brian Karas provides a contemporary setting for the haiku of 18th Century Japanese poet Kobayashi Issa. The book moves from spring through the four seasons with quiet but powerful illustrations that respect Japanese art and present each haiku in a context children will find familiar. This is a great introduction to haiku for the whole family.
Profile Image for Kari.
68 reviews1 follower
April 7, 2013
This book goes into describing the seasons of the year through the voice of a child. It uses descriptive language within haikus to tell about each season. I would use this book to introduce seasons in science or to show an example of poetry in language arts. Overall, it's a good book to use with younger students since it has more simpler language than other books.
Profile Image for Nelly.
64 reviews8 followers
October 14, 2008
A series of light and playful illustrations depicting haikus by Japanese poet, Issa, who was born in 1763.

Out of 5.

Illustrations : 4
Content : 4
Originality : 3
Humor : n/a
Age Level : 0-100
Profile Image for AnnaBnana.
522 reviews11 followers
December 21, 2008
Beautiful and comforting. This would be a wonderful book for an older kid struggling with grief. The story is told in haiku and follows children and their grandfather through the course of a year. The illustrations are lovely and the story conveys renewal as opposed to loss. I loved it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews

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