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IN THE EYES OF THE CAT: Japanese Poetry for All Seasons by Demi--Ed. & Illus.

IN THE EYES OF THE CAT: Japanese Poetry for All Seasons

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Pub Date: April 30th, 1992
Publisher: Henry Holt

Arranged by season, 75 brief poems (many haiku) about animals. The small (6"" x 8"") size is perfectly suited to Demi's delicate style; paging through these jewel-toned spreads with their subtle color transitions and lovingly rendered creatures is a real pleasure. There are many imaginative touches (a dragonfly's eyes reflecting distant hills), some unabashedly pretty scenes (a white kitten with dandelions going to seed); and well-observed animals, especially frogs (but how did Issa's ""foal"" become the pictured fawn?). Only occasionally does Demi slip into sentimental illustrative conventions here. The translations are crisp and clean. A lovely collection, especially for browsing; there's no pagination or index, but the author's name and dates are included with each poem.