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

2017 NCTE Notable Poetry Book

In early-1900s Japan, Misuzu Kaneko grows from precocious bookworm to instantly-beloved children’s poet. But her life ends prematurely, and Misuzu’s work is forgotten. Decades later her poems are rediscovered—just in time to touch a new generation devastated by the tsunami of 2011. This picture book features Misuzu’s life story plus a trove of her poetry in English and the original Japanese.

Big Catch:

At sunrise, glorious sunrise
it’s a big catch!
A big catch of sardines!

On the beach, it’s like a festival
but in the sea, they will hold funerals
for the tens of thousands dead.

• Kaneko Misuzu: Life and Poems of A Lonely Princess
• Wabi Sabi
• A Velocity of Being: Letters to A Young Reader
• This Is a Poem That Heals Fish
• Bertolt
• The Sound of Silence
• The Paper-Flower Tree
• Death Wins a Goldfish: Reflections from a Grim Reaper's Yearlong Sabbatical (Satire Book, Work Life Balance Book)
• Figuring
• On a Magical Do-Nothing Day