Hanuman's Journey to the Medicine Mountain [Hardcover]

Vatsala Sperling (Author), Sandeep Johari (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

Tells the adventures of the magical monkey Hanuman, beloved in India as the devoted helper of Ram, hero of the Hindu epic tale the Ramayana

• Introduces Western children to one of the most playful and beloved characters of Hindu mythology

• Illustrated throughout with full-color paintings in the traditional Indian style

Son of the monkey princess Anjana and the wind god Pavan, Hanuman is born on Earth to be a helper for Ram, the hero of the Hindu epic the Ramayana. Hanuman is no ordinary monkey. He has the ability to leap higher than the sun and move faster than the wind. When the demon king Ravana kidnaps Ram’s wife, Sita, and carries her off to his island home, the army that goes to rescue her is left discouraged on the beach--stopped by the wide expanse of water between them and the island of Lanka. But magical Hanuman is able to jump over the ocean in one amazing bound. He finds the captive Sita and helps her to take heart and remain strong and confident that Ram will find a way to save her.

And indeed Ram does, but only with the devoted assistance of his mercurial monkey helper. Hanuman shrinks to the size of a fly; grows large enough to uproot a huge tree as though it were a turnip; soars through the sky, setting the city of Lanka on fire with the tip of his tail; and digs up an entire mountain in order to deliver its healing herbs to Ram’s stricken army. This beautifully illustrated retelling of Hanuman’s story makes accessible to Western children and their parents one of the most playful and beloved characters of the Hindu tradition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Like Vatsala Sperling's previous retellings of traditional Hindu stories, this new book is beautifully illustrated and has a photocopiable illustration for children to color themselves. There is also a useful note to parents and teachers. If your children liked the earlier books, they'll love this one."
(Barbara Ardinger, The Blessed Bee, Spring 2007 )

"The beautiful illustrations glow with subtle shades and highlights. Created with watercolor and tempera paints using classical Indian painting techniques, the detailed paintings bring the story to life."
(Lyda Whiting, Awareness Magazine, March-Apr 2007 )

From the Back Cover

FOLKLORE

Hanuman is no ordinary monkey. Son of the celestial nymph Anjana and the wind god Pavan, Hanuman was born on Earth to be a helper for Ram, the earthly incarnation of Lord Vishnu and the hero of the Hindu epic the Ramayana. Hanuman has the ability to leap higher than the sun and move faster than the wind. When the demon king Ravana kidnaps Ram’s wife, Sita, and carries her off to his island home, the army that goes to rescue her is left discouraged on the beach--stopped by the wide expanse of water between them and the island of Lanka. But magical Hanuman is able to jump over the ocean in one amazing bound. He finds the captive Sita and helps her to take heart and remain strong and confident that Ram will find a way to save her.

And indeed Ram does, but only with the assistance of his devoted monkey helper. Hanuman shrinks to the size of a fly; grows large enough to uproot a huge tree as though it were a turnip; soars through the sky, setting the city of Lanka on fire with the tip of his tail; and digs up an entire mountain in order to deliver its healing herbs to Ram’s stricken army.

Illustrated with rich color paintings executed in the traditional Indian wash technique, this retelling of Hanuman’s story makes accessible to Western children and their parents one of the most playful and beloved characters of the Hindu tradition.

VATSALA SPERLING, Ph.D., fluent in a number of Indian ­languages and Sanskrit, learned these ­traditional stories at her mother’s feet and enjoys introducing them to children of the Western world. Before marrying and moving to the United States, she was the chief of Clinical Microbiological Services at the largest children’s hospital in India. She is the author of How Ganesh Got His Elephant Head, How Parvati Won the Heart of Shiva, and Ram the Demon Slayer and lives in Vermont with her husband and son. SANDEEP JOHARI was raised by his uncle Harish Johari, who taught him classical Indian painting. He is the creative director in an advertising agency in New Delhi, India.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Bear Cub Books (September 29, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591430631
• ISBN-13: 978-1591430636
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 16 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,110,934 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Children's Books > Religions > Hinduism
  • #53 in Books > Children's Books > Religions > Eastern

More About the Author

Vatsala Sperling, Ph.D., fluent in a number of Indian languages and Sanskrit, learned these traditional stories at her mother's feet and enjoys introducing them to children of the Western world. Before marrying and moving to the United States, she was the chief of Clinical Microbiological Services at the largest children's hospital in India. She is the author of How Ganesh Got His Elephant Head, How Parvati Won the Heart of Shiva, Ram the Demon Slayer, Hanuman's Journey to the Medicine Mountain, Ganga: The River that Flows from Heaven to Earth, and Karna: The Greatest Archer in the World. She lives in Vermont with her husband and son.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended especially for school and public library collections., February 3, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hanuman's Journey to the Medicine Mountain (Hardcover)

Based on classic Indian folklore, Hanuman's Journey to the Medicine Mountain is the picturebook story of Hanuman, the monkey son of the celestial nymph Anjana and the wind god Pavan, and helper of Ram, who is the earthly incarnation of Lord Vishnu and hero of the Hindu epic known as the Ramayana. When the demon king Ravana kidnaps Ram's wife Sita, Ram's army is blocked from rescuing her by a wide expanse of water - but magical Hanuman can cross the ocean in a single bound. Only with the assistance of the devoted Hanuman can Ram rescue his beautiful wife; Hanuman shrinks in size, grows as big enough to uproot a tree, and digs up an entire mountain to deliver its healing herbs to Ram's army. Indian-American Vatsala Sperling retells the parable about Hanuman's choices to side with good and slay evil in readily accessible prose, while illustrator Sandeep Johari brings the magical tale to life with watercolor and tempura paints, creating images in the style of classical Indian art. Hanuman's Journey to the Medicine Mountain is fairly text-heavy for a picturebook, and ideal for young readers who are almost ready to make the transition to chapter books. Highly recommended especially for school and public library collections.