<i>Kali's Song</i> (review)
2012; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 65; Issue: 8 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2012.0255
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)Sociopolitical Dynamics in Nepal
ResumoReviewed by: Kali's Song Jeannette Hulick Winter, Jeanette . Kali's Song; written and illus. by Jeanette Winter. Schwartz & Wade, 2012. [40p]. Library ed. ISBN 978-0-375-97022-1 $19.99 Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-375-87022-4 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys R 5-7 yrs. When young Kali, who lives "thousands and thousands and thousands of years ago," is given a bow to practice hunting, he discovers that if he puts it to his mouth and plucks the string he can make music. From that moment on, instead of practicing shooting with his bow, he secretly practices playing, and when the big hunt occurs, Kali stuns everyone by playing his bow so musically that even the herd of mammoths is entranced. The people decide that Kali is a shaman rather than a hunter, and he lives out his days healing and guiding his community. Although Kali's people's immediate approval of his talent may seem a bit far-fetched to a modern audience, their acceptance of his unique gift (and of his lack of desire to follow a more expected path) is heartwarming. This aspect of the book might make it a useful tool in talking with kids about the variety in people's gifts, talents, and inclinations, especially when those talents and inclinations aren't what's expected [End Page 430] for gender or other reasons. Winter's text and art are both cleanly and simply crafted. The spare prose has the sound of an old oral story, told so many times that anything extraneous has been polished away, while the illustrations (rendered in acrylic paint, pen and ink, and handmade paper, sometimes cut and collaged) echo that primitive, almost mythological feel with muted colors, natural textures, and gray human figures. The ancient setting and the invocation of Kali's shamanistic gift will likely intrigue youngsters and spark further interest in ancient cultures, instruments, and art; a clever reader-aloud with a mouth harp will be able to bring even more life to this stone-age story. Copyright © 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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