A delightful foray into magic, Indian culture, and the power of belief.
Wadhera and Wadhera’s debut children’s book uses Indian folklore to craft a fairy tale about believing in oneself and accomplishing the impossible.
India is threatened by an evil demon, Raakshasa, who wants to rule the entire country. The kings of the North and the South devise a plan with their royal adviser, Pundit, to defeat the demon by uniting their soon-to-be-born children against her. When Pundit explains it is the children's destiny to defeat Raakshasa, both kingdoms rejoice. After the heirs, Prince Amir and Princess Sonali, each turn 3, Pundit gives them magical rings that endow them with the ability to harness the power of Shakti, the supreme power of the universe, to use against the demon. Raakshasa, however, curses the princess’s family as they leave the palace, turning them to stone. Sonali breaks the curse with her ring and is then rescued by a cow and a peacock, who raise her in a nearby village. There, she thrives as an ordinary village girl, but believes that she’s meant for greater things. Years later, when she encounters Amir, who possesses the secret to breaking the curse, they go on a mission to save her parents. Along the way, Amir falls in love with her bravery and intelligence. Sonali is presented as a brave, strong, and intelligent female character, who saves herself and her parents, with just a little help from Amir. She’s a wonderful role model for young girls, and her independence and strength give a refreshing, modern twist to traditional fairy tales in which the man usually saves the woman. The way that the prince and the princess unite to defeat a stronger foe will show young readers that they can accomplish the impossible if they believe and refuse to give up. The text is easy to follow and the pictures are vibrant, expressive, and compelling, bringing the magic of the story to life.
A delightful foray into magic, Indian culture, and the power of belief.Pub Date: April 2, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9939928-1-0
Page Count: 58
Publisher: Double Infinity International Incorporated
Review Posted Online: Aug. 27, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
