THE ROAD TO MUMBAI

Young Shoba and her long-tailed companion Fuzzy Patel are off to a monkey wedding in Mumbai (Bombay)—but the road turns out to be longer than expected, looping about much of India, as a closing map reveals. Along the way, the two travelers encounter camels, elephants, and shaven-headed monks, a young vendor of coconut juice, an old snake charmer, and women clad in beautifully patterned saris. All of them ignore Fuzzy Patel’s efforts to discourage them from coming along, and all gather for a merry feast of “laddoos, jelabees, and gulab jamun,” with dancing, singing, and “funky monkey music.” Jeyaveeran depicts both journey and celebration in incandescent pinks and purples, casting stylized figures with a range of features and skin tones against broadly brushed Indian backgrounds. For a sweeping, evocative glimpse of India’s spectacular diversity, young readers could do no better than this good-humored, vivacious debut. (glossary) (Picture book. 6-8)