Namaste is a greeting

Many Americans are familiar with the word namaste as a gesture of closure at the end of a yoga practice. It is, in fact, a greeting known and used by millions of people in India and the diaspora. Namaste, as the title asserts, is a greeting in the Hindi language that is offered along with the gesture of placing the palms together and bowing the head slightly. In this beautifully illustrated book, we learn of the many ways namaste can be sung, uttered, whispered, or thought. The text is sparse, offering ways of thinking about the concept of namaste in different situations: as a word of comfort, or one that comes along with the giving of a gift. Meanwhile, the illustrations tell a subtle side story of selflessness and kindness. Ultimately, the book's message about namaste is one of recognizing everyone's humanity. Creative teachers might use this as a mentor text to encourage writing or storytelling about other culturally grounded greetings.

What does it mean to say namaste? This picture book attempts to explain this traditional, formal greeting used in South and Southeast Asia to welcome people and bid them farewell--in particular, as a way to show respect to elders. A child with dark hair, dark eyes, deep-brown skin, and a bindi on their forehead goes to a market with their caregiver and buys a potted plant to give their lonely, lighter-skinned neighbor. Vibrant, textured illustrations depict a blossoming friendship between the little one and the neighbor, while a series of statements describe what namaste means to the child. However, the disjointed text makes the concept difficult for young readers to grasp. Some statements describe namaste in its most literal sense ("Namaste is 'I bow to you.' " "Namaste is joining your palms together"), while others are more nebulous ("A yoga pose. A practice." "Namaste calms your heart when things aren't going right"). The lack of backmatter deprives readers of the cultural context and significance of this greeting as well as knowledge of the countries and cultures where it is used. Moreover, the book doesn't convey the deep respect that this greeting communicates. The absence of culturally specific details and the framing of namaste as a concept that could apply to almost any situation ultimately obscure its meaning and use. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Visually appealing but doesn't capture the spirit of namaste. (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.