Grandma and the Great Gourd: A Bengali Folktale

by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Susy Pilgrim Waters (Illustrator)

Overview

Once upon a time, in a little village in India, there lived an old woman whom everyone called Grandma. She loved gardening and had the best vegetable patch in the village. One day, Grandma received a letter from her daughter, who lived on the other side of the jungle.

“Please come and visit me,” said the letter. “I haven’t seen you in so long. I miss you.”

And so, Grandma begins a perilous journey to the far side of the jungle. Along the way, she encounters three very hungry animals: a sly fox, an intimidating black bear, and a sleek, striped tiger. Can Grandma use her sharp wit to escape the jungle animals and make it safely home?

Award-winning novelist Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s first picture book for children speaks of courage, cleverness, and most importantly, love. Her words are perfectly complemented by the rich, vibrant illustrations of Susy Pilgrim Waters.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250895288
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	12/05/2023
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	132,386
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an award-winning author of books for children and adults, a poet, an activist, and a teacher. Her work often includes themes of the Indian experience, women, immigration, history, myth, and the joys and challenges of living in a multicultural world. Her awards include, among others, an American Book Award, a PEN Josephine Miles award, a Light of India award, a SALA award, 2 Pushcart prizes, and an Allen Ginsberg poetry award. Chitra is the McDavid Professor of Creative Writing within the the nationally ranked Creative Writing program at the University of Houston, and she serves on the Advisory Board of Maitri in the San Francisco Bay Area and of Daya in Houston, two organizations that help survivors of domestic abuse and human trafficking. Grandma and the Great Gourd was her debut picture book. Chitra lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, Murthy.


Susy Pilgrim Waters is an award-winning illustrator, painter, and designer. She has created murals for the New York City Public Library as well as other large-scale commissioned work. Originally from England, Susy lives in Boston with her husband, Keith where they design and create one-of-a-kind, handmade products for their home lifestyle company, PilgrimWaters. Grandma and the Great Gourd is Susy's first picture book.

Hometown:

Houston, Texas, and San Jose, California

Date of Birth:

July 29, 1956

Place of Birth:

Kolkata, India

Education:

B.A. in English, Kolkata University 1976; Ph.D. in English, University of California at Berkeley, 1984

Website:

http://www.chitradivakaruni.com/

Editorial Reviews

Colorful in more than one sense of the word.” —Booklist

“This fresh new version will soon have young listeners and readers telling the story themselves.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Clever and crafty, this well-told tale will be a fun addition to most collections.” —School Library Journal

“Grandma's witty resourcefulness and the opportunity to compare cross-cultural story traditions make this a useful resource and a good readaloud.” —Publishers Weekly

“The acclaimed poet and novelist makes her picture-book debut with a Bengali folktale she remembers hearing from her grandmother in India.” —The Horn Book

“Eye-catching.” —BCCB

From the Publisher

Little Red Riding Hood has only a wolf to contend with, but Grandma lives in India, where the forest hides a fox, a bear, and a tiger. Grandma talks the three predators out of eating her during her first trip (“I’ll be a lot fatter on my way back from my daughter’s house because she’s such a good cook”), but she has to innovate on her way back. Grandma rolls herself home in a giant gourd, singing cheerfully, until she meets the attentive fox: “One hundred and one times I’ve sneaked into villages to steal chickens, but I’ve never seen a singing gourd!” he exclaims. Although Divakaruni’s (The Conch Bearer) retelling starts slow, it soon gathers momentum. Like ’50s textile patterns, debut illustrator Waters’s silkscreenlike spreads render Grandma and the jungle creatures as two-dimensional cutouts; bold, stylized silhouettes of plant and tree motifs play off one another like dense jungle shadows. Grandma’s witty resourcefulness and the opportunity to compare cross-cultural story traditions make this a useful resource and a good readaloud. Ages 5–8. Author’s agent: Sandra Dijkstra, Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Lilla Rogers Studio. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 2—Once there was as little old woman who lived in India, contentedly keeping her vegetable patch. Everyone referred to her as Grandma. When her daughter sends her a letter asking her to visit, the woman decides to go but must cross a dangerous jungle. She leaves her trustworthy dogs to tend her garden and sets off on her journey. On the way she encounters a fox, a bear, and a tiger, each of whom wants to eat her. Using a bit of cunning, she convinces each animal to wait for her return trip when she will be much plumper after eating her daughter's food. They all agree. After a visit with her family, she and her daughter work together to devise a plan for her return trip home. Will Grandma's disguise as a plump gourd fool the hungry animals? Waters's expertise as a muralist shines through on the multilayered images. Contrasting textures and vibrant colors depict simple shapes with rhythmic patterns that appear stamped on the page. Clever and crafty, this well-told tale will be a fun addition to most collections.—Carol Connor, Cincinnati Public Schools

School Library Journal

Retelling a story from her childhood, well-known Bengali-American writer Divakaruni uses lively language, nonsense syllables and traditional rhythms. When Grandma sets out to visit her daughter and grandchildren, she must cross the jungle in between their villages. She leaves her faithful dogs home to tend her garden. Along the way, she meets a fox, a bear and a tiger that all want to eat her, but she persuades the predators that she will be fatter, plumper and juicier on her way back. She approaches her return journey with trepidation, but the inventive mother and daughter create a plan for a safe trip. The old woman is soon ensconced inside a giant, hollowed-out gourd. When the daughter has sealed her in with stitches and rice glue, she starts the gourd rolling toward her mother's village. First the tiger and then the bear approach the gourd in hopes of finding something to eat. They are each fooled by the grandma singing out and asking for a push. At last, the crafty fox realizes the trick, but by then, Grandma is so close to home the dogs are able to rescue her. The storyteller's voice is augmented by frequent repetition and onomatopoeia, making this story a pleasure to read aloud. Intensely colored and patterned collages on glossy paper boldly advance the plot. This fresh new version will soon have young listeners and readers telling the story themselves. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews