Book Review: Mother Teresa

Title: Mother Teresa: a Life of Love
Author: Elaine Murray Stone
Age Suitability: 10+ (but see caveat)

Angel and I ploughed through this book, but it never took off. It was a bit too dull and worthy, and never made Mother Teresa come alive to us. A shame when you consider what a wonderful, vibrant woman she was and what an extraordinary life she led. At the end Angel claimed to remember nothing about Mother Teresa at all ... if she feels she has been forcefed anything even vaguely historical she has a talent for wiping it from her mind (though I like to think that something sticks, somewhere). I just asked her for an opinion of the book ... "boring and hard to understand". It didn't catch my interest either.

If you want your child to read this book, be aware that there are a couple of sections which talk about abortion and artificial birth control. They could be omitted or edited when reading aloud.

Book Review: Prita Goes to India

Title: Prita Goes to India
Author: Prodeepta Das
Age Suitability: Approx. 4to 8

As you can tell from the number of reviews we have been making good headway with our study of India. This third book by Prodeepta Das rounded out Star's study of India. British-born Prita is taken by her parents to visit India and her family there. There are many photos of her Indian relatives, their homes and the places she visits which bring the text alive. The book gives a view of modern Indian life which nicely complements Geeta's Day. Star enjoyed Prita's story, though her verdict was that she slightly preferred Geeta's Day. I think her judgement was right - if I was to choose one non-fiction picture book on India to read to a child in this age group it would be Geeta's Day, but Prita Goes to India comes a creditable second.

Book Review: Homeless Bird

Title: Homeless Bird
Author: Gloria Whelan
Age Suitability: Older children and teens

Earlier this year we read and enjoyed Chu Ju's House by Gloria Whelan. Homeless Bird is another "living geography" book in the same vein, with a teenage girl facing and overcoming adversity. This time the location is India, and the premise for the story is that thirteen year old Koly's arranged marriage ends disastrously when her sickly bridegroom dies soon after the wedding. She is left a widow, giving her very low status in her Indian village society. Ill-treated by her bitter mother-in-law, she is eventually abandoned to fend for herself. Thanks to the charity of a rich woman she is ultimately able to build a new life.

Again we enjoyed this book, which is a good addition to a study of India. I rated it about equally with Chu Ju's House, but Angel liked Homeless Bird better. Koly is a sympathetic character, and Gloria Whelan a very readable author. The only red flag I can think of is that at one point Koly lies in order to visit a friend's room where she is given a drug-laced drink and narrowly escapes some unwanted advances. There is nothing graphic, and Koly clearly realises the mistake she has made.

Book Review: Premlata and the Festival of Lights

Title: Premlata and the Festival of Lights
Author: Rumer Godden
Age Suitability: 7 and up

Rumer Godden is a favourite author of mine, and any book of hers is guaranteed to be well written. The author lived in India as a child and her familiarity with and love for the country brings it to life in this book. Premlata is a seven year old girl whose family has fallen on hard times after the death of her father. Such hard times that her mother has been forced to sell the lamps they used to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. To Premlata, no lights for Diwali is unthinkable. Thanks to a rich man's generosity, it look as though she will get her lights ... but all does not go as planned.

Star and I both very much enjoyed this book. There are a few caveats, though. Premlata makes mistakes. She takes matters into her own hands, causes anxiety for her mother, and spends money that does not really belong to her. She is an appealing little girl, and it is clear why and how she comes to do these things, but we still needed to have a chat about the rights and wrongs. As a Hindu festival is at the centre of the story there are obviously many references to Hindu gods and worship. If you would rather avoid dealing with non-Christian religions with a younger child, then this book is not for you. These caveats aside, this book is a great addition to a study of India.

Book Review: Geeta's Day

Title: Geeta's Day: From Dawn to Dusk in an Indian Village
Author: Prodeepta Das
Age Suitability: 4 to 8

This book follows six year old Geeta through a typical day in her village in eastern India, from early morning prayers through to falling asleep to the sound of music at the nearby temple. The book is nice to look at - each page is illustrated with a photograph and has an attractive coloured background - and the text is clear and interesting. It was a hit with Star when we read it yesterday. Tomorrow I plan to have her make a "day wheel" - a circle divided into segments showing the different parts of Geeta's day.

Book Review: I is for India

Title: I is for India
Author: Prodeepta Das
Age Suitability: 4 to 8

Another picture book by the same author as Geeta's Day, from the same publisher (Frances Lincoln, who have a track record of publishing beautiful and informative children's books), and with the same lay out. We did not like this one as much as Geeta's Day, finding the alphabet format rather bitty ... jumping from "alphabet" to "bullock cart" to "cinema" seemed artificial, and Star learned less than she did from the more coherent sister book. It does make a light and easy introduction to India, and I think younger children would particularly enjoy the pictures. The book shows the religious diversity of India - not just Hindus and Muslims, but also Christians. The picture for "X is for Xmas" shows what is clearly an Indian Catholic family.