Carol Barker (1) (1938–)

Such a beautiful book. I read it as a child (it was known as "The Boy and the Lion on the Wall" then, making internet searches for it a bit tricky!

Every time I read it I was re-engaged with the story, and the illustrations are sumptuous and outstanding.

I'm 53 now, and this book has definitely stayed with me.

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s)… (més)

I found this to be a relatively good book. The big idea of this book is to inform the reader about the culture of Arjun and his family. One of the reasons I liked it was because of the illustrations. They were a very unique style that reminded me of inspiration from other Indian artwork. I also liked how we got to learn so much about Arjun, his family, and his culture. For example, we got to learn about how Arjun’s family lives together in a communal setting in which the grandfather is the head of the household. We also got to see how the family spends their day from the early morning until evening. Between his family responsibilities such as herding goats and his school that lasts until nine pm, it is no wonder that he sleeps soundly every night.
My one complaint about this book is that it almost feels like it is too in depth in describing Arjun’s culture in certain areas. After going on about the family’s schedule, the author describes the caste system in India as well as the backstories of various Hindu gods like Shiva and Ganesh. While this paints a full picture of Arjun’s life, it makes the book feel slower than necessary and drag out longer than I may have liked. Overall however, this was a good book that I found was very informative about India and many aspects of the culture in Arjun’s village.… (més)

I had mixed feelings about “Arjun and his Village in India” after reading it. I liked the book because it has beautiful illustrations and provides a wealth of information about India and Indian culture. However, I didn’t like the organization of the book. It jumps back and forth between talking about Arjun and his family, and Indian culture and the Hindu religion. In my opinion it would be best for the book to focus on one topic or the other in order to eliminate confusion. “Arjun and his Village in India” would definitely be too challenging for the early elementary school grades, even though it is a picture book. I would recommend this book for 4th or 5th graders.… (més)