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Product Description
From the Author
I've been fascinated by world cultures and history since childhood. My brother and I would spin our globe, close our eyes and pick places to visit. Then we'd pore over atlases and history books and explore the destinations we'd discovered. Over time I've been able to travel broadly, first as a student and then for business and pleasure. The more I travel the more I appreciate the splendid differences and surprising parallels between different cultures and historical eras. I explore cultural and historical themes in my writing in order to instill in children a sense of their unique place in the greater world community.
One Leaf Rides the Wind was inspired by a visit to a Japanese garden on a family vacation. My children were enchanted by the peaceful, reflective nature of the garden and spent hours counting koi fish and feeding them crumbs. I was thrilled that such a simple pastime could be so utterly absorbing --no batteries required!
A long time student of Eastern art and culture, I eagerly plunged into research for a children's book on Japanese gardens. From the start I knew it would be a counting book, and in fact, the working title was "Counting Koi" in honor of my daughters' fascination with those delightful creatures. The challenge and joy of it was finding a new way to format information for the picture book genre that would inform and entertain both children and parents. Haiku, with it's Japanese origins and rigorous syllable counts, seemed an appropriate alternative to more traditional, Western forms of verse. The supplementary text at the bottom of each spread was a good way to present more sophisticated bits of information without hindering the flow of verse as it's read to youngsters. I thoroughly enjoyed writing this book and hope the reading of it is a pleasure for you and your children! --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
About the Author
Born in Los Angeles, California, Celeste now resides there with her family. She holds degrees in History and The History of Art and has studied British History and Renaissance Art History at the University of London. Her book The Queen's Progress, An Elizabethan Alphabet, will be released in May of 2003.
Celeste and her family love to beachcomb and barbecue on the rugged Central California coast, as well as create all kinds of music, sing songs and tell stories. The one comment her family hopes never to hear again is, "wouldn't that be a great idea for a book!?!" --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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One leaf rides the wind. Read the first page
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One leaf rides the wind. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
Simply Beautiful
There's a reason this book has garnered starred reviews from both Publisher's Weekly and Kirkus Reviews! One Leaf Rides the Wind is a book for all seasons and all ages. Simply elegant, simply wonderful - it appeals to my little ones and me as well. On its most basic level, it's a counting book, but it works on many levels. The author has strung together ten child friendly haiku using the voice of the main character to relay a vision of an enchanting Japanese garden ,and reference its abundant symbolism. The illustration is...simply beautiful. Lush and evocative. I wanted to jump into the pictures! Supplementary text at the bottom of each page were especially interesting for me, and made my little ones think I was an expert on Japanese gardens! We'll be pulling this book out for years.
There's a reason this book has garnered starred reviews from both Publisher's Weekly and Kirkus Reviews! One Leaf Rides the Wind is a book for all seasons and all ages. Simply elegant, simply wonderful - it appeals to my little ones and me as well. On its most basic level, it's a counting book, but it works on many levels. The author has strung together ten child friendly haiku using the voice of the main character to relay a vision of an enchanting Japanese garden ,and reference its abundant symbolism. The illustration is...simply beautiful. Lush and evocative. I wanted to jump into the pictures! Supplementary text at the bottom of each page were especially interesting for me, and made my little ones think I was an expert on Japanese gardens! We'll be pulling this book out for years.
Format:Paperback
A marvel to introduce haiku and multicultural themes to children ages 4-8, this library-recommended title perfectly blends elements of counting with Japanese Haiku and Garden. Following the observant girl in kimono, readers chase after a leaf that starts it all and count through temple dogs, bonsai trees, startling birds and smiling roofs of pagoda. Take a rest and make more discoveries of koi fish,lotus blossoms, carved lanterns and other Japanese garden essentials. The haiku, illustrations and explanatory notes compliment each other in brilliance and tranquility.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars
9 reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Counting to ten in a Japanese garden through haiku
4 Jan 2003
By Lawrance M. Bernabo
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
It makes sense to adopt a non-traditional definition of haiku for this counting book that looks at the hidden secrets of a Japanese garden. So what is impressive is that the haiku in this volume follow the traditional five-seven-five syllable pattern. "One Leaf Rides the Wind" combines the haiku poems of Celeste Davidson Mannis with the illustrations of Susan Kathleen Hartung, created using oil paint glazes on sealed paper as we follow a young girl as she counts her discoveries in and about a garden. To help young readers to understand that Japanese gardens are places that encourage visitors to look within themselves to find peace and tranquility, this beautiful volume includes notesa bout Japanese religion and philosophy. This is how we learn about the shih tzu dog statues that guard gardens and temples as well as the sweet treats that are part of a traditional Japnese tea ceremony. "One Leaf Rides the Wind" is a lovely little counting book because it does so much more than simply provide ten different things for children ages 4-8 to count; it also introduces them to the aspects of another culture that should inspire them to further explanation (and which even inspires some reviewers to use haiku to express their own joy over this book).
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply Gorgeous!
21 Sep 2002
By skh
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
This book has it all! Beautiful words, pictures and more. It is a misnomer to pass this off just as a counting book. It is poetry, it is art, it is entertainment and it is educational too. What a thrill to be able to sound so knowledgeable about Japanese gardens when asked questions by my little one, thanks to the very discreet information portions of each well designed page. The best part was the final image where we could see the whole garden and recount our journey while counting up all the elements gathered together in a single beautiful painting. Don't miss out on this one! It will be enjoyed for years.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Took my breath away
18 Sep 2002
By ROB LAUB
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
Took my breath away
my son giggled smiled laughed
this book is a treat
my son giggled smiled laughed
this book is a treat
›
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5.0 out of 5 stars
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