With Kazuko G. StoneOn Illustrating Cool Melons-Turn to Frogs!
The following excerpt is reprinted by permission from the article: Cool Words Turn to Poems, by Jennifer Johnson. It was first published in the September/October 1998 issue of Creative Classroom. Kazuko G. Stone grew up in an old neighborhood in Tokyo, where she says, "life was very safe, quiet, and clean." But at school, she adds, "creativity was not always encouraged because the Japanese educa-tional system is based on memorization, rather than on research and original thinking."  The artist has known and enjoyed Issa's poetry since she was a child. "Issa is a much admired poet in Japan," she says, "because he writes about animals and insects with great sympathy. In the Japanese Buddhist tradition, protection of all life is a central, cultural theme." Stone researched her topic by reading about 2,500 of Issa's poems, as well as two books about his life. "I selected the poems that I liked the most and could visualize," she says. "I also visited his home in Kashiwabara, north of Tokyo. Although his house burned down in the last year of his life and he had to spend his last months in a small grain store- house, I did not feel a sense of sadness there. I felt that Issa's life as an artist distracted him from his surroundings and saved him from despair." Inspiration to pursue her art and writing career came from a fifth-grade teacher: "Mr. Doi, who was also an artist, was unusually skillful in illustrating all of his subjects on the chalkboard. His drawings amazed and dazzled me. When we read the Tales of the Arabian Nights, he had us create an entire puppet show of the stories, along with all the scenery. He awakened me to the possibilities of drawing and painting. We became good friends, and I still visit his studio whenever I am in Japan." Learn more about Cool Melons-Turn to Frogs! Also illustrated by Kazuko G. Stone: Ten Oni Drummers  BookTalk with Matthew Gollub on Cool Melons- Turn to Frogs!
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