Are You an Echo?: The Lost Poetry of Misuzu Kaneko

Gr 3–7—This sensitively crafted picture book offers a glimpse into the life and work of Japanese poet Kaneko (1903–30). Accompanied by colorful, soft illustrations, the first half recounts Kaneko's short life along with a selection of her poems that thematically complement the text. The second half is a larger (also illustrated) collection of her poems in English and Japanese. Young Misuzu is described as a sensitive, inquisitive child; her family encouraged her love of reading and education. When she was 20, her first poems were published and were well received. She would go on to write more than 500 poems. The narrative covers the many challenges Kaneko faced. (She committed suicide at the age of 26.) Framing Kaneko's life story is the account of Setsuo Yazaki, who worked tirelessly to track down and preserve her poetry after it fell into obscurity. Kaneko's brief poems express kinship with the world: sleepy telephone poles, fish, grieving orphaned whale calves, and more. Poems like "The Cicada's Clothes" and "Dewdrop" convey a childlike sense of wonder: "Let's not tell anyone./In the corner of the garden this morning,/a flower shed a tear." Even in translation, her work has an elegant simplicity and clarity.