This beautifully illustrated, rhythmic tale unfortunately reinforces stereotypes about gender, religion, and language....
A tailor fulfills his dream of stitching something for his family in this Indian import that adapts a familiar Yiddish tale.
When poor but talented tailor Rupa Ram goes to a wedding, he is given the gift of a saafa, a colorful headpiece made of fine cloth. Rupa Ram wears the saafa until it wears out—but instead of throwing it away, he salvages what is left to make an odhni (scarf) for his wife. When she wears it out, he uses scraps to make a kurta (shirt) for his son, and, with his son’s scraps, a gudiya (doll) for his daughter. At last the tailor is left with the most precious thing of all: a kahaani, or story, which will never wear out. Surendranath’s vibrant illustrations burst with life and color, and such details as the school where Rupa Ram’s wife teaches add welcome dimension to the story’s characters. Venkat’s text is rhythmic, simple, and cleverly repetitive, but ultimately, the stereotypes it reinforces detract from its charm. Leaving the daughter with only scraps is a cycle that reflects deeply entrenched gender hierarchies. Additionally, the glossary in this U.S. edition erases India’s diversity by referring to a saafa as a “garment worn by Indian men at weddings,” implying that all Indian weddings are Hindu and that all cultures in India practice this regional tradition. The tale’s source is given only as “a European folktale.”
This beautifully illustrated, rhythmic tale unfortunately reinforces stereotypes about gender, religion, and language. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-81-9338-890-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Karadi Tales
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
A sweet but inessential offering for families who desire a bedtime story with a Christian theme.
A gentle bedtime story written as a prayer lists many reasons to be thankful.
An attractive cover shows the pink-cheeked, white child curled up asleep on a crescent moon, with a cozy home in the background. The story opens with the same child in bed with, probably, an older sibling; the prayer begins: “Dear God.” Appealing double-page spreads in soft, dreamy watercolors show a succession of children of diverse skin tones and hair textures, with loving families, friends, pets, and green spaces for play. The loose illustration style uses a flattened perspective reminiscent of a child’s artwork, with equally childlike static depictions of the characters. This naïve style leads to confusion, as it’s not clear whether the child on the cover reappears throughout in inconsistent portrayals, with hair sometimes redder or curlier or skin tone darker, or whether these figures are all entirely different children. Family relationships are also difficult to define. One particularly puzzling illustration, which may be problematic for some readers, shows the child praying at night in her bed with an adult, possibly male figure also under the covers. The short, rhyming text is a bit singsong, with specific references to God in the repeated thank-you pattern. The words “thank you” and other key phrases are set in larger, purple type, with other phrases unnecessarily set in italics. Despite these small drawbacks, the overall tone is soothing and appreciative, with gratitude and caring for others a clear theme.
A sweet but inessential offering for families who desire a bedtime story with a Christian theme. (Picture book/religion. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4181-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
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While the story is sweet and the illustrations darling, it’s a pity it doesn’t read aloud as smoothly as the books it...
Thomas Docherty’s art is the strongest element of this sweet story whose rhythm sometimes misses the mark.
The story opens with a rabbit named Eliza Brown happily reading herself a bedtime story, when a creature called a Snatchabook flies into town. Beginning with Eliza’s book, the Snatchabook snatches the stories of everyone reading that night—both individuals and families of charmingly illustrated forest-dwelling creatures—right out of their hands. The sometimes-uneven meter (“Tales of dragons, spitting flames; / Witches playing spooky games; / Pirates on the seven seas; / Princesses trying to sleep on peas”) grates, but it only slightly diminishes the charm of the story and illustrations. Thomas Docherty successfully increases suspense by at first offering just glimpses of the Snatchabook’s silhouette. When the disturbing thefts continue, Eliza sets a trap for the thief only to discover the culprit is an adorable creature with no one to read to him. Astute readers may wonder how stealing books would solve the Snatchabook’s dilemma, but the resolution, in which the Snatchabook returns the stolen tomes and joins nightly read-alouds, satisfies.
While the story is sweet and the illustrations darling, it’s a pity it doesn’t read aloud as smoothly as the books it celebrates. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-9082-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 27, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2013
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