Rama and Sita [Hardcover]

David Weitzman (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2002

In even the most remote villages of Bali you will hear, late into the night, the shimmering metallic music of the gamelan, a collection of gongs, chimes, flutes, drums, and cymbals whose music provides the accompaniment to the surpassingly beautiful dances that serve to entertain the Gods at the annual celebrations. Here, even the youngest children learn to dance, absorbing the delicate hand and arm movements of their parents and of the puppets whose characters and adventures the children recognize as readily as our children recognize television personalities. Among the stories learned by every child is the saga of Rama and Sita, a particularly beloved tale of intrigue, adventure, and mystery. In this new edition, illustrated with vibrant, exuberant, full-colour, double-page drawings, we read this great Hindu epic retold for English-speaking children, with the characters drawn from both ancient and modern shadow puppets - noble princes, terrifying giants, and menacing ogres. The entire world of gods and men is there onstage in miniature. Through deeds and words the puppets teach the children who they are, what to believe, how to behave, and their place in the universe. This edition lovingly depicts the whole cast of puppets as they come alive in hands of the puppeteer. On the one side are the gods and noble princes, learned and gentle, who must also be fierce warriors. Arrayed against them is all the evil of the world, red-eyed giants and savage tyrants, each awaiting their turn, each telling an ancient story that will continue long into the night.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 5-Not many retellings of the Hindu epic The Ramayana are currently available in editions for children and surely no other is as elegantly illustrated as this one. Necessarily condensed from the 25,000 verses of the original, Weitzman's retelling relates the portion of the story concerning Rama's exile; the abduction of his wife Sita; the alliance between Rama, his retainers, and Hanuman, the Monkey King, who together defeat the evil Ravana and his minions; and the restoration of the world to a state of peace under Rama's rule, which lasts 10,000 years. Weitzman sets the narrative within the framework of a shadow puppet show given by a traditional Javanese storyteller. His illustrations employ the delicate, lacy designs of the puppets and the strongly contrasting colors of gilt, black, and dense-hued reds, blues, purples, browns, and greens. The result is arresting, as is the startling tension of the graceful forms of the long-limbed figures arranged in impossibly awkward positions. The drawings can be challenging to decipher, but they are so breathtakingly beautiful that their implicit invitation to take the time to understand them is irresistible. Printed on heavy stock with a slight gloss to it, each page is composed with thought and a keen sense of space.
Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 1-3. Author-illustrator Weitzman celebrates Javanese shadow puppetry in this retelling of the Hindu epic The Ramayana. Weitzman begins his version with Prince Rama's exile from his father's kingdom, accompanied by his beautiful bride, Sita, and his devoted brother, Lesmana. When a demon king captures Sita, Lesmana and Rama save her, aided by a cast of mythical creatures. Weitzman uses the framework of a Javanese puppet show to surround the narrative. He briefly describes the puppeteer's preparations, and his elaborately detailed, gold-accented illustrations mimic the angular, long-limbed, two-dimensional look of shadow puppets. Unfortunately, he misses the opportunity to provide background on this theatrical tradition, and the little bit that children may infer from the text may be more confusing than helpful. What children will easily connect with is the exciting superhero action, which Weitzman sets down in elegant, well-paced language. Jatinder Verma's The Story of Divaali [BKL D 15 02] is a much more accessible version of the story, but Weitzman's story-within-a-story is a unique, if not entirely successful, perspective. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: David R. Godine Publisher; 1 edition (December 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567921515
• ISBN-13: 978-1567921519
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,770,515 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A delightful book with spellbinding illustrations, April 29, 2004

By 

G. Rhabyt "rhabbit" (California Coast) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rama and Sita (Hardcover)

The Ramayana, as told in Javanese shadow plays, is a tale for all ages. Weitzman creates magical images in color and gold inks based on the shadow puppets. These, by themselves, would be enough to recommend the book, but the language of the retelling of this classic tale is enough to have my six year old and nine year old both coming back again and again. We're buying a second copy for when the first one wears out.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Read it for David Weitzman..., January 2, 2006

By 

Ilavarasu Tamilmani "Life and Incidents" (Edison, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rama and Sita (Hardcover)

I knew the story of Rama and Sita, and wanted to know how David Weitzman (of the 'Brown Paper School book' series) treated it. I should say it was good. Though the story is the same, this is the Javanese version of the same story of Rama and Sita, and obviously is a bit different in places, from the scriptures available in India, where the original mythological legend is based on.

Weitzman has a knack for making it seem friendly and appealing to children and in this book he uses his own artistic projection, while keeping the basic form of the art intact. The figurines in the book resemble the puppets used in ancient Javanese version of the art of puppetry, marked by their long-limbed figurines. David makes these shadow forms glitter, with his usage of gold color.
Worth reading for kids interested in legendary mythologies.