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Shower of Gold
By Uma Krishnaswami |
ORDER -- Item #3212, Price $21.50
With spirit, humor, or determination, each strong female figure in these stories seeks her own path, often against great odds. Savitri is bent on defeating Yama, Death himself; Roopmati plays Juliet to the Romeo of Baz Bahadur; Supriya brings a child's compassion to a famine-stricken town; Durga, the goddess of a thousand arms, enters a brutal battle with the evil buffalo demon, Mahisha. There are many others, and their stories are just as varied, and just as universal in appeal.
Uma Krishnaswami introduces the Buddhist and Hindu faiths, giving the context of Indian life to heighten the pleasure of reading this galaxy of tales. She also discusses the roles of women and girls as seen here: who goddesses are and what they signify; traditional and modern ideas about women; women as Hindu warriors or Buddhist nuns. Wonderful author notes add an extra dimension to each story, and there is a pronunciation guide, a glossary, a list of characters, and source notes at the back of the book.
"Intriguing...A worthwhile resource."
Illustrator Maniam Selven lives in Chennai (Madras), India.
Book Description from the Front Cover Flap
As these eighteen stories show, the women and girls of India are seen through the lens of their culture in many stunning ways. They are nurturing and fierce, powerful and fragile, beautiful and plain, troubled and triumphant, young and old. Some are creations of popular folklore; others are from the magical worlds of Hindu and Buddhist mythology; still others live in the borderlands between history and legend.
Comments from the Front Cover Flap
"Retold with immediacy and verve..."
-Booklist
-Kirkus Reviews
Background on Author and Illustrator
Uma Krishnaswami was born in New Delhi, India. Of her two previous books for children, The Broken Tusk: Stories of the Hindu God Ganesha (Linnet, 1996), was chosen for the Scientific American Young Readers Book Award in 1997. Uma currently writes, teaches writing, and talks to school and library groups across the country about writing and mythology. She lives with her husband and son in New Mexico.
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Copyright © 2004 by AACP, Inc.
Most recent revision April 3, 2004