Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 1^-3. Author-illustrator Weitzman celebrates Javanese shadow puppetry in this retelling of the Hindu epic The Ramayana. Weitzman begins his version with Prince Rama's exile from his father's kingdom, accompanied by his beautiful bride, Sita, and his devoted brother, Lesmana. When a demon king captures Sita, Lesmana and Rama save her, aided by a cast of mythical creatures. Weitzman uses the framework of a Javanese puppet show to surround the narrative. He briefly describes the puppeteer's preparations, and his elaborately detailed, gold-accented illustrations mimic the angular, long-limbed, two-dimensional look of shadow puppets. Unfortunately, he misses the opportunity to provide background on this theatrical tradition, and the little bit that children may infer from the text may be more confusing than helpful. What children will easily connect with is the exciting superhero action, which Weitzman sets down in elegant, well-paced language. Jatinder Verma's The Story of Divaali [BKL D 15 02] is a much more accessible version of the story, but Weitzman's story-within-a-story is a unique, if not entirely successful, perspective. --Gillian Engberg
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Acclaimed for his meticulous paeans to 20th-century technology, Weitzman (Superpower: The Making of a Steam Locomotive) here reveals an equal passion for a wholly different field: Javanese shadow puppets. Faithful in their complex details, lavish in their combinations of gold ink and rich colors, Weitzman's ornately rendered shadow puppets are the sole inhabitants of his large-scale illustrations. He frames the text as a puppet show in a Javanese village: "Tell us again the old story, the children ask. Sing for us the Ramayana." With little other explanation ("Each little figure comes alive in fluttering shadows on a white cloth lit by an oil lamp sun"), the epic of Prince Rama unfolds, in tightly condensed form, as nonstop adventure. There's no mention of Divaali, the Hindu festival commemorating the triumphal events of the Ramayana; readers will have to do their own work to create the context for the religious and cultural traditions Weitzman celebrates. The lack of concessions to the audience may be seen as a stumbling block or as a raison d'etre. The artistry in the illustrations and in the elegant, airy book design comes close to replicating a primary experience; no intermediary comes between readers and the dalang (storyteller) who brings Hindu literature to life. Children will need some help to enter the story; fortunately, the quality of the presentation should motivate them to ask for it. Ages 9-12. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 5-Not many retellings of the Hindu epic The Ramayana are currently available in editions for children and surely no other is as elegantly illustrated as this one. Necessarily condensed from the 25,000 verses of the original, Weitzman's retelling relates the portion of the story concerning Rama's exile; the abduction of his wife Sita; the alliance between Rama, his retainers, and Hanuman, the Monkey King, who together defeat the evil Ravana and his minions; and the restoration of the world to a state of peace under Rama's rule, which lasts 10,000 years. Weitzman sets the narrative within the framework of a shadow puppet show given by a traditional Javanese storyteller. His illustrations employ the delicate, lacy designs of the puppets and the strongly contrasting colors of gilt, black, and dense-hued reds, blues, purples, browns, and greens. The result is arresting, as is the startling tension of the graceful forms of the long-limbed figures arranged in impossibly awkward positions. The drawings can be challenging to decipher, but they are so breathtakingly beautiful that their implicit invitation to take the time to understand them is irresistible. Printed on heavy stock with a slight gloss to it, each page is composed with thought and a keen sense of space.-Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
This theatrical retelling captures the majesty and heroism in the Hindu story of the unjustly exiled Prince Rama and his lovely wife Sita, who is kidnapped by an evil giant. Gorgeous illustrations, modeled on Javanese shadow puppets and rendered in black, reds, and gold leaf, suit the stylized pageantry of this tale of good and evil. No source notes are provided. From HORN BOOK Fall 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
