Rama and Sita
Kindergarten-Grade 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, NYCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.