A Journey to Paradise [Library Binding]

Anne Siberell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1990 | Age Level: 6 and up

When a magical elephant agrees to take Guba the gardener to Paradise, Guba and his friends discover where Paradise really is.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3-- In a variation on the perennial theme of finding Heaven in one's own backyard, four Indian villagers decide to emigrate to Paradise via a flying elephant. Landing in the dark, the potter, spice seller, weaver, and gardener are struck by the possibilities of the place: its clay, spices, dye-berries, and plants. Discovering that they are still in their own local garden, they conclude that Paradise is simply where "everything they longed for could be found if only they looked for it." Although the theme is admirable, its formulation here is predictable and trite. The considerable differences between the ideal one longs for and the real one may obtain are entirely glossed over. Although the story is set in rural India, one suspects that its situation--living in a paradise of abundance and unrealized potential--is far more a reflection of Western cultural attitudes, and nothing here helps young readers to see a parallel. The naive, colorful collage illustrations are bright but not memorable. --Patricia Dooley, Univ . of Washington, Seattle
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holth & Co (J) (April 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805012125
• ISBN-13: 978-0805012125
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,051,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a delightful, fanciful journey, May 21, 2002

By 

M. J. Smith (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Journey to Paradise (Library Binding)

This simple tale from India is a funny tale of expectations. One night a gardener and his monkey encounter a white elephant who volunteers to take them to paradise on the night of the next full moon. The gardener expects perfect gardens; the monkey expects perfect food. The gardener cannot help but spread his good luck - the potter expects perfect clay, the spice merchant expects new spices, the weaver expects perfect dyes ... in the end, they learn to see earth as a paradise. A delightful story, well told. The illustrations are satisfactory but not exceptional.