Customer Reviews

Kali And the Rat Snake

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4 star:		(2)
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2 star:		(1)
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This book was given to my daughter as a gift because of our families Indian heritage. I wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't. It's incredibly gendered. For example, the kids go around the room and tell everyone what their father does for a living. Just the father! I want to be open-minded about different cultures, but I can't teach my daughter that the only thing that matters is what your father does for a living. This is just the biggest complaint of the many complaints I have with this book. There are many other books that show Indian culture (I recommend Mama's Saris) and many other books that deal with peer pressure. I do not recommend this book.

This is a great coming-of-age story, in which a loner boy, Kali, becomes prestigious in his classroom after an encounter with a scary snake. The vocabulary, grammar level, and basic sentence structure is perfect for a second level Hindi reader. I would recommend this book to all, especially those who are curious to learn one's struggles to survive in the real world. It basically teaches you how-to! If you, or someone you have trouble fitting in and finding friends, I recommend this book to him or her.
Then...sit down. Grab a snack! And enjoy reading about what happens next!

Title: Kali and the Rat Snake
Author: Zai Whitaker
Illustration: Srividya Nataranjan
Published by: Kane/Miller Book Publishers
ISBN 13: 978-1-933605-10-4
Review by: Diana Rohini LaVigne, Indian Life & Style Magazine

Teaching kids how to deal with peer pressure is only one of the important messages that Kali and the Rat Snake by Zai Whitaker presents. The bold illustrations and expressive text starts with the tale of a boy who is struggling from the lack of acceptance of his classmates in regards to his unusual background. Children taunt the young Kali and although some children might have bad intentions, Kali only dreams of being accepted by his peers.

He is loved by his teacher and otherwise living a happy life, but being new to school and having trouble making friends is forming a very unhappy side to Kali's life. A moment of crisis changes the course of his future when a snake appears in the school room threatening Kali, his teacher and his classmates. Being the son of a snake catcher, Kali takes immediate action by securing the snake without much effort. Classmates are instantly thankful to Kali for knowing how to capture the potentially dangerous wild snake. Classmate's respect opens the door for Kali to make new friendships and almost insures his acceptance with other students.

The Illustrations by Srividya Nataranjan bring the story alive and help demonstrate how Kali is able to overcome his challenges and gain the respect of his fellow schoolmates. Images are truly unique and bring a level of cultural awareness to youthful readers. Kali and the Rat Snake captured my heart and will surely capture the hearts and minds of today's youth. It a beautiful and well-written book which is a solid contribution to children's cultural literature.

Set in India, Kali And The Rat Snake is the picturebook story of a boy, Kali, who has trouble fitting in at school. He is one of the Irula, an indigenous tribal people who live in Southern India and who have traditionally made a living as snake catchers. As the son of a snake catcher, Kali feels different from the other children, a teacher's pet, and he has trouble making friends. But when a big rat snake threatens the class, only Kali knows what to do! Energetic color illustrations by Srividya Natarajan pepper this delightful children's story from Zai Whitaker about accepting differences and learning to appreciate the talents in oneself and others. Highly recommended.