Gandhi: A March to the Sea

by Alice B. McGinty, Thomas Gonzalez (Illustrator)

Overview

Mohandas Gandhi’s 24-day March to the Sea, from March 12 to April 5, 1930, was a pivotal moment in India’s quest to become an independent country no longer ruled by Great Britain. With over 70 marchers, Gandhi walked from his hometown near Ahmedabad to the seacoast near Dandi. The march was a non-violent means to protest the taxes that Great Britain had imposed on salt-not the salt that the Indians could get from the sea, but the salt that Great Britain forced them to buy. Gandhi believed that peaceful protests were an effective way to challenge British law, and his peaceful but ultimately successful movement became known as Satyagraha.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781477816448
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	04/02/2013
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	11.70(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	880L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 10 Years

About the Author

Alice B. McGinty is the award-winning author of over 40 books for children. Alice loves to hike, play the guitar, dance, and read. Alice was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and has lived in New York, New Jersey, Kentucky, Maryland, Georgia, Indiana, and in Illinois for the last 20 years.

Thomas Gonzalez, the oldest of four siblings, was born in Havana, Cuba and migrated with his family to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1970. After attending The Savannah School of Design, he became an art director, principal designer, and creative director at various companies, including The Coca-Cola Company. Thomas Gonzalez has received several advertising and design-related awards, including a gold and two silver Addy’s, two Print Magazine awards, two Show South awards, and a bronze International Packaging Award. His colored pencil-and-pastel illustration for 14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy were described in a starred School Library Journal review as “exquisite.” He lives with his wife and daughter near Atlanta, Georgia.

Editorial Reviews

McGinty crafts a subtle yet expansive portrait of Mohandas Gandhi, centering on his leadership during a 24-day march to perform the forbidden act of taking salt from the Arabian Sea (a response to the British government’s control of resources). Melodic free verse ruminates on the symbolism behind Gandhi’s actions: “With his own hands,/ Gandhi draws water,/ from the Untouchables’ well,/ to wash his dusty body/ cool and clean.... He tells Muslims, Hindus, and Untouchables/ that they are different but the same./ India needs them all/ to work as one/ for freedom.” The great majority of Gonzalez’s lavish paintings emphasize modesty and quiet integrity: Gandhi walks the dry earth, barefoot and in solidarity with India’s poor. A striking profile of a luminous human rights activist. Ages 6–up. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

A great read-aloud at many levels, in addition to being a good biography choice for young and intermediate readers.” —Library Media Connection

From the Publisher

McGinty's gentle, poetic picture book, awash with sunrises, salt, sand and sensory images, tells an intense present-tense story of Mohandas Gandhi's 24-day march to the sea in 1930 in search of freedom and peaceful change for the people of India. The bespectacled, contemplative face of Gandhi that appears on the front cover of the book sets the mood for the story, emphasizing his determination. His goal is to challenge 200 years of British rule by breaking the law prohibiting Indians from collecting salt from the sea. His march changes more than just the attitudes of the British. Gandhi sometimes walks alone and at other times leads throngs of people from a variety of castes. When he reaches out to the untouchables and even washes in their well water, "[d]isgust and fear / brew like storms / in the villagers' watching eyes." Remaining undeterred and true to his faith, Gandhi marches on. Gonzalez's rich mixed-media illustrations shift perspectives often to focus on the important elements in each scene: Bare feet and dirty white trousers hint at the difficulty of the journey; faceless crowds that melt into the horizon suggest the size of Gandhi's following. An imperfect marriage of text and illustrations sometimes creates confusion more than clarity, as when elaborately dressed female dancers suddenly appear on the road with the walkers. Despite this, the book tells a story worth remembering. This walk with Gandhi is time well-spent. (Picture book. 6-12)

Kirkus Reviews