ELEPHANT DANCE

When young Ravi and Anjali ask their recently arrived grandfather what India is like, he answers in metaphor: the sun is a ferocious tiger, the wind can stamp and snort like a wild horse, monsoon rains are as silver as bangles, the ensuing rainbow “is seven silk saris hung across the sky to dry.” As the extended immigrant family goes about its daily routines, he also recalls celebrations of Divaali, capped by a parade of elephants. Moxley depicts scenes from both old country and (unspecified) new, featuring dark-skinned figures in a mix of contemporary and traditional dress. Literal-minded children may get more assignment-style information from the likes of Prodeepta Das’s I Is for India (1998), but, like Ruth Jeyaveeran’s Road to Mumbai (p. 687), this subtly conveys India’s sounds, sights, tastes, rhythms, and the diversity within its commonalities. (simplified map, notes on food, animals, religion, geography) (Picture book. 7-9)