An attractive and important read, particularly in light of current events in India.
This Indian import touts both cultural heritage and women’s rights.
Born just a few minutes apart, a 3 1/2-kilo girl named Sundari and a 500-kilo elephant calf named Lakshmi are raised as “twins.” Their fathers hold important positions in the king’s service: Sundari’s father is the chief mahout, or elephant trainer, and Lakshmi’s father, Drona, is the majestic bull that leads the Dussehra procession in Mysore. Sundari dreams of becoming a mahout like her father, but as a female, she is expected to become a palace dancer. In this folk tale–like story characterized by sophisticated vocabulary and beautifully patterned artwork, the Indian girl secretly practices being a mahout with her beloved elephant. When Drona becomes too ill to carry the howdah on his back and lead the procession and his sons are considered “disappointingly ordinary,” Sundari dares to recommend Lakshmi to take the old elephant’s place. And when a respected elder notes that Lakshmi hasn’t been trained to carry the howdah, he faces wrath from both Lakshmi’s father and the Raja when he suggests Sundari for the job. A creative queen intervenes, devising a plan to turn Sundari into the first female mahout. While some Indian terms can be gleaned from textual clues, adult intervention may be needed for Western readers.
An attractive and important read, particularly in light of current events in India. (Picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Aug. 12, 2014
ISBN: 978-8-181-90302-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Karadi Tales
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2014
Charming.
An assortment of unusual characters form friendships and help each other become their best selves.
Mr. and Mrs. Tupper, who live at Number 3 Ramshorn Drive, are antiquarians. Their daughter, Jillian, loves and cares for a plant named Ivy, who has “three speckles on each leaf and three letters in her name.” Toasty, the grumpy goldfish, lives in an octagonal tank and wishes he were Jillian’s favorite; when Arthur the spider arrives inside an antique desk, he brings wisdom and insight. Ollie the violet plant, Louise the bee, and Sunny the canary each arrive with their own quirks and problems to solve. Each character has a distinct personality and perspective; sometimes they clash, but more often they learn to empathize, see each other’s points of view, and work to help one another. They also help the Tupper family with bills and a burglar. The Fan brothers’ soft-edged, old-fashioned, black-and-white illustrations depict Toasty and Arthur with tiny hats; Ivy and Ollie have facial expressions on their plant pots. The Tuppers have paper-white skin and dark hair. The story comes together like a recipe: Simple ingredients combine, transform, and rise into something wonderful. In its matter-of-fact wisdom, rich vocabulary (often defined within the text), hint of magic, and empathetic nonhuman characters who solve problems in creative ways, this delightful work is reminiscent of Ferris by Kate DiCamillo, Our Friend Hedgehog by Lauren Castillo, and Ivy Lost and Found by Cynthia Lord and Stephanie Graegin.
Charming. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: May 27, 2025
ISBN: 9781665942485
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
Extraordinary introductory terror, beautiful to the eye and sure to delight younger horror enthusiasts.
What terrors lurk within your mouth? Jasper Rabbit knows.
“You have stumbled your way into the unknown.” The young bunny introduced in Reynolds and Brown’s Caldecott Honor–winning picture book, Creepy Carrots (2012), takes up Rod Serling’s mantle, and the fit is perfect. Mimicking an episode of The Twilight Zone, the book follows Charlie Marmot, an average kid with a penchant for the strange and unusual. He’s pleased when his tonsils become infected; maybe once they’re out he can take them to school for show and tell! That’s when bizarre things start to happen: Noises in the night. Slimy trails on his bedroom floor. And when Charlie goes in for his surgery, he’s told that the tonsils have disappeared from his throat; clearly something sinister is afoot. Those not yet ready for Goosebumps levels of horror will find this a welcome starter pack. Reynolds has perfected the tension he employed in his Creepy Tales! series, and partner in crime Brown imbues each illustration with both humor and a delicate undercurrent of dark foreshadowing. While the fleshy pink tonsils—the sole spot of color in this black-and-white world—aren’t outrageously gross, there’s something distinctly disgusting about them. And though the book stars cute, furry woodland creatures, the spooky surprise ending is 100% otherworldly—a marvelous moment of twisted logic.
Extraordinary introductory terror, beautiful to the eye and sure to delight younger horror enthusiasts. (Early chapter book. 6-9)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781665961080
Page Count: 88
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
PERSPECTIVES
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