09/11/2023
The Hindu holiday of Diwali can seem a magical occasion. Alive with prayer, feasts, and fireworks, it offers opportunity for believers to revel in the triumph of good over evil. Penamakuru’s imaginative book for middle-grade readers takes an otherworldly approach to a fictionalized celebration of this late fall festival. Set in a distant solar system similar to ours on a planet much like Earth, the story follows five pasumans, or anthropomorphic animals—in this case, tigers, elephants, and bears. The creatures gather at the home of the tigers, Adhvika and Aadi, for a Diwali party, with each guest bringing traditional dishes, drinks, and costumes.
The only problem: this year Adhvika and Aadi chose to take their dream vacation right before Diwali, so they are unprepared. When their friends arrive, the tigers ask for their help in the rush to create the perfect scene. This is when things start to go off the rails, with the friends getting so caught up in their plans that they neglect their values. The book’s not crafted as an introduction to Diwali, so readers first exploring the holiday will find minor specifics of the narrative a challenge to keep up with, particularly since the characters are prone to amusing off-topic chatter. But the pressure to make each holiday the best ever will resonate with young people and parents regardless of faith or geographic location, as will the pasumans’ eventual realization that the true meaning of Diwali is what really matters.
Throughout the story, Kuba’s occasional illustrations show the expressive pasumans preparing for the occasion by going shopping, hanging garlands, and drawing festive patterns around their home. At the end of the book, a letter from Jambu the bear explains the history and traditions of Diwali, and a glossary offers helpful definitions of terms. This inventive story invites readers to suspend their disbelief while offering an intriguing introduction to an ancient and beloved celebration.
Takeaway: Charming animal adventure celebrating Diwali.
Comparable Titles: Jatinder Verma’s Prince of Fire, Roshani Chokshi’s Aru Sha and the End of Time.
Production grades Cover: A- Design and typography: A Illustrations: A Editing: A- Marketing copy: A-
2023-10-16
Animal-headed humans learn the true meaning of the Hindu festival of Diwali in this illustrated holiday fable.
Penamakuru’s winsome children’s book unfolds on an unnamed planet that’s much like India except that it’s inhabited by animal-headed humans. There, Aadi Puli and his wife, Adhvika, a tiger-headed couple, invite over the elephant-headed Subbu Gaja; his wife, Sumati; and their bear-headed friend Jambu Ballu to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. It features lamps, light strings, prayers, fireworks, and feasting. Unfortunately, the frantic preparations stir tensions. Adhvika is dissatisfied with a bronze diyalamp she ordered and chews out the apologetic, gazelle-headed diya-maker Hima Harin over the phone. The light string falls off the roof, and when a kindly monkey-headed stranger named Bolunath “Bolu” Krishnakant remounts it, Sumati is ungrateful for his efforts. Then Aadi and Subbu go shopping and return home with laddoo sweets and clay diyas, bragging about their success in haggling Shyam Lal, a poor, sheep-headed shopkeeper, down to cheap prices. Appalled by their selfishness, Jambu lectures them on the essence of Diwali, which is to spread light to other people—something they have failed to do that day, he notes, through their lack of compassion. The remorseful Pulis and Gajas then seek out Hima, Bolu, and Shyam to make amends, hoping to recapture a glow of good cheer. Penamakuru’s yarn features a sprightly narrative and lively, well-drawn characters; especially entertaining is Mrs. Bagh, a tigress who gloats over Adhvika’s lackluster decor. He steeps readers in Diwali rituals—the book's Hindi vocabulary is explained in a glossary—and delves into the details of everything from henna hand decorations to traditional dishes. (“Dal bati churma, so yummy Rama Rama! Pass me the korma and spare me the drama,” the revelers sing of two delicacies.) Penamakuru’s limpid, plainspoken writing can be drolly funny or quietly poignant. (Visiting Shyam and his granddaughter in their hut, “Aadi…took a diya out of the boxes he bought, looked at Minnu and asked if she wanted to light it. She jumped in excitement and looked at her grandfather. He smiled in return…‘Let there be light,’ said Aadi.” ) Kuba’s black-and-white and color illustrations impart a Disney-esque visual appeal to the story.
A charming kids’ tale that illuminates the rites of Diwali along with its spiritual import.
Charming animal adventure celebrating Diwali.
The pressure to make each holiday the best ever will resonate with young people and parents regardless of faith or geographic location, as will the pasumans' eventual realization that the true meaning of Diwali is what really matters.
This inventive story invites readers to suspend their disbelief while offering an intriguing introduction to an ancient and beloved celebration.
