Ganesha's Sweet Tooth

by Emily Haynes, Sanjay Patel

Overview

The bold, bright colors of India leap right off the page in this fresh and funny picture book retelling (with a twist) of how Ganesha came to help write the epic poem of Hindu literature, the Mahabharata. Ganesha is just like any other kid, except that he has the head of an elephant and rides around on a magical mouse. And he loves sweets, especially the traditional dessert laddoo. But when Ganesha insists on biting into a super jumbo jawbreaker laddoo, his tusk breaks off! Ganesha is terribly upset, but with the help of the wise poet Vyasa, and his friend Mr. Mouse, he learns that what seems broken can actually be quite useful after all. With vibrant, graphic illustrations, expressive characters, and offbeat humor, this is a wonderfully inventive rendition of a classic tale.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452103624
Publisher:	Chronicle Books LLC
Publication date:	09/19/2012
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	592,036
Product dimensions:	10.20(w) x 9.70(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD580L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sanjay Patel is an animator, storyboard artist, and short film director for Pixar Animation Studios. He lives in Oakland, California.

Emily Haynes is an editor by day and a children's writer by night. She lives in Oakland, California.

Editorial Reviews

…zesty and original…
—Pamela Paul

The New York Times Book Review

Ganesha is a Hindu god. He’s very important and powerful. And a tad chubby,” begins this stylish take on a classic tale from Indian mythology. Patel’s artwork has a candy-colored palette that befits the subject matter, and he merges traditional Hindu iconography with decidedly contemporary influences: the book’s eye-popping jewel tones, dots, and geometric patterns nod to the graphic design work of Saul Bass and Maurice Binder’s title sequences for films like Charade and Dr. No. As a young god, Ganesha enjoys dancing, playing cricket, skipping rope, and—most of all—sweets. When Ganesha spies a tempting “super jumbo jawbreaker laddoo,” his best friend, Mr. Mouse, warns him that it will surely break his tusk. “But I’m a god,” Ganesha replies. “I’m invincible.” Sure enough, his tusk breaks, leading to an encounter with the poet Vyasa, who persuades Ganesha to write the 100,000-verse long Mahabharata using his tusk as a pen. Though the story’s ending fizzles, Patel and Hynes have created a fresh and comedic introduction to a Hindu legend, with a winning combination of both eye candy and actual candy. Ages 4–8. Agent: Tina Wexler, ICM. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"A classic Hindu tale gets an artful interpretation in this piece of eye candy" - Daily Candy Kids

"A fresh and comedic introduction to a Hindu legend, with a winning combination of both eye candy and actual candy." - Publishers Weekly

"Zesty and original... Pink elephants haven't looked this good since 'Dumbo'" - The New York Times

"The wordless two-page spreads retelling the ancient epic Sanskrit poem, Mahabharata is a masterpiece." - Lisa Von Drasek, Early Word

"A confectioner’s palette... strong shapes and a mix of modern objects with traditional designs add to the fun." - Kirkus Reviews

"Two traditional events in the life of the Hindu god Ganesha are imaginatively recast" - School Library Journal

"A feast for the eyes... So sweet we almost want to pop it in our mouths." - EntertainmentWeekly.com

From the Publisher

Gr 1–3—Two traditional events in the life of the Hindu god Ganesha are imaginatively recast as though happening during his childhood: "he was just like every other kid except that he had an elephant's head and cruised around on a magical mouse collecting fruit, rice, sweets, and other gifts from the temples in his neighborhood." Drawn in Adobe Illustrator, comical Ganesha is a pink elephant/boy, his large head dominated by enormous round eyes. His love of sweets becomes his undoing when he ignores Mr. Mouse's advice and bites down on a super jumbo jawbreaker, breaking off one of his small tusks. As in the myth, Ganesha laments the loss of his tusk, but soon puts it to good use as a writing implement when he encounters the poet Vyasa, who is looking for Ganesha to be his scribe. Young Ganesha is soon hard at work writing one hundred thousand verses of the Mahabharata-"the great epic of Hindu literature." There's a pleasant color palette of pink, aquamarine, gold, cream, and black, and busy patterns of swirling graphic elements add energy to the boldly designed pages. The cheerful elephant/boy and his mouse and the sweet tooth episode all suggest a far younger audience than seems likely to follow the whole second half of the story. Libraries owning Amy Novesky's more richly rendered Elephant Prince: The Story of Ganesha (Mandala, 2004) and others may like to add this one. Storytellers wishing to introduce the intriguing figure of Ganesha will be best served by Uma Krishnaswami's The Broken Tusk (Linnet Bks., 1996).—Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston

School Library Journal

Emphasizing Ganesha's playfulness, this story is a takeoff on one legend about the elephant-headed Hindu god. Ganesha, god of beginnings, is also a mischievous boy. Together with his sidekick, Mr. Mouse, he loves to eat candy. When he bites into "THE SUPER JUMBO JAWBREAKER LADDOO!," he breaks his tusk. He is so angry that he throws his tusk to the moon, but he accidentally hits an old man. Not just any old man, but Vyasa, the poet who has created the Mahabharata, the Sanskrit epic. In this tale, Vyasa suggests that Ganesha be his scribe and use his tusk as a pen. In the traditional story, Ganesha starts to write with a pen, and when it breaks, he uses his tusk as his writing implement. Here, he starts right off with his tusk. The unusual conditions of the legend (that Vyasa never stop reciting the poem and that Ganesha must understand the meaning of the epic) are here, but they are presented in an unusual double-page spread in which Mr. Mouse, as lawyer, sets up a contract. The illustrator is a Pixar animator, and the digital illustrations employ a confectioner's palette of hot pink and greenish blue, sometimes against dark backgrounds. Strong shapes and a mix of modern objects (Ganesha tries to use a stapler and tape dispenser to re-attach his tusk) with traditional designs add to the fun. A sugarcoated but hardly saccharine introduction to one Hindu myth. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews