Summary
This heartwarming book revolves around a little, Varun, who is invited one Sunday to go his grandfathers house where he learns a South Asian dance style which is almost 2,000 years old! It is called “bharatanatyam.” Varun learns to be courageous and stand up to the gender stereotype that boys can’t dance.
Theme(s):
Courage, Love, Family
Personal Response
Overall, I though this book had wonderful illustrations and a great storyline. I thought this was great because it addressed two social issues: gender stereotypes and South Asian Culture. I think this is a great way for students to learn about South Asian culture, as many kids are not familiar with it. I also like that the main character is a boy, as I feel a lot of children’s multicultural books that I have read have tended to be female.
Teaching Ideas
I think this would also be a wonderful book to use as a read aloud, as most kids are not familiar with South Asian culture. One project idea for the end of the read aloud could be for students to learn about their culture and background, and learn a dance from that culture to share with the class. Or if they aren’t comfortable with performing a dance, they could find a video of the dance being done!
Recommended Reading Level
Birth-PreK, Grade 01, Grade 02
