Summary
This book is a compilation of traditional nursery rhymes aligned with the Indian tradition and language with beautifully executed illustrations. The authors took 15 nursery rhymes and recreated them with geographical markers, language, and experiences of visiting/being a part of Indian culture. The book also includes phonemic pronunciation cues allowing for accurate language representation. Hindi numbers replace English numbers teaching the children language across several domains.
Theme(s):
family, traditions, imagination
Personal Response
I think it is really important that nursery rhymes and traditionally told stories be accurate to the children hearing and reading them. The authors did a wonderful job taking the traditional nursery rhyme melodies and integrating the appropriate language and experiences. Integrating the Indian language and symbolism allows for the nursery rhymes to be fulfilling and a mirror for the children. The cadence of each nursery rhyme remains the same even with the language change.
Teaching Ideas
This book is noted to be a P-3 level read. I would use this primarily in Pre-K and Kindergarten classrooms as it is a book full of short nursery rhymes. This book would be great to read in addition to the traditional nursery rhyme to diversify the experiences in the classroom. Whether there are children of Indian culture in the classroom or not this book is a great base for elaborating on different cultural foods and language for common objects and animals.
Recommended Reading Level
Birth-PreK, Grade 01, Grade 02, Grade 03
