Customer Reviews

How Ganesh Got His Elephant Head

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My daughter who is four loves this book. I was a little surprised that she liked it so much, since it is a little advanced for her. The only reason that I do not give it five stars is that the story has been altered slightly to be more palatable to today's kids. For instance, the Gods ask permission from an elephant mother before taking her son's head and putting it on Ganesh's body. This was not in the original story, and since we are talking about a religous text, this is the equivalent of telling children that Jesus drank grape juice instead of wine. Still a great book, but the story has been slightly sugar coated.

My son loves the book How Ganesh Got his Elephant Head! I have read it to him and his friends at least a hundred times! Although the author's choice of vocabulary is complicated for a five year old, my son has learned many new words and their meaning.
He says, "I like the pictures and learning about each of the Gods is fun. My favorite part is matching each God with his or her vehicle. How come Ganesh does not squish the mouse his rides?"

I grew up reading Amar Chitra Katha comics that tell Hindu (and other) religious stories and Indian Folk Tales in a very straightforward (sometimes slightly graphic way). I still have a large collection I'll pass on to my kids, and their telling of Ganesa is my favorite.

Compared to those, this is a slightly less appealing though still decent telling of the Ganesa story. It takes some creative license (it leaves out some of the "color" to how Ganesa received the elephant's head, for exxample) that results in a story that is a bit too toned down/altered for my tastes, but it's still good.

Beautifully illustrated, wonderful story told in an interesting style for children (and adults).
Highly recommend for anyone interested in Hindu culture.

My daughter loves the pictures. The story itself was a little over here head , but she did love that it was a bout a mother and her son.

This is a great introduction to (or addition to a collection) centered around Ganesh. The story is brilliantly illustrated and the text is great. I was very happy with the purchase.

Kids ages 6-9 who are sampling multicultural folklore will relish How Ganesh Got His Elephant Head, a wonderful collection of classic Indian stories. Pieter Weltevrede's bright full-page color drawings enhances these Indian classic folk tales, which should be part of any serious picturebook multicultural collection.