Pattan's Pumpkin - A Traditional Flood Story from Southern India by Chitra Soundar illustrated by Frané Lessac [Review & Giveaway - 4 winners, USA/CANADA]

ISBN: 978-0763692742
Ages 4-8

My thoughts: Summer has ended. A few yellow leaves are fluttering down out of the towering trees here in North Carolina. Sure, we'll have some more really hot days, but basically the weather is about to turn and we're about to get a nip in the air that says Fall is here and Winter is on its way. And as we go to shop for groceries and other sundry items, we can't help but notice the vast amount of hyped-up Fall foliage, real and artificial pumpkins, and even some Merry Christmas items peeking through the silk and plastic signs saying, "Fall has come, spend your money here."

But all things Pumpkin don't necessarily mean pumpkin pie, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin bread, and trick or treat. No, in the South of India there is a story they tell. It is that area's version of the Great Flood that is recounted in the Judeo/Christian Bible where Noah built an ark that saved his family and pairs of all the animals on the earth before the rains and flood came that destroyed everything that wasn't in the ark.

In the Irular tribe in Southern India version as told in Pattan's Pumpkin, which is a children's picture book for ages 4 to 8, the story is adapted from the "original" where a great gourd was the "ship."  This is a cute story and farmer Pattan is a caring individual who is trying to save people, animals, and plants from the destruction of the flood.

Cultures around the world have varying versions of a great flood which speaks to a global covering flood as told in The Bible (Judeo/Christian). This children's picture book is a good introduction to the Indian culture and the stories that are passed down through the ages.

About the book: A vibrant variation on the traditional flood myth from the Irular tribe in Southern India.

When Pattan finds a yellow-flower vine wilting in his valley, he replants and cares for it, watching as a pumpkin appears and grows taller than the goats, taller than the elephants, as tall as the very mountains. When a terrible storm rages across the valley, Pattan wonders if perhaps his pumpkin can save the seeds and grains and saplings, the goats and birds and bison, and protect them all as the storm clouds burst and the waters rise. Frané Lessac’s brilliantly hued artwork is a feast for the eyes, while Chitra Soundar’s thoughtful retelling is a fascinating example of the kinds of stories told the world over — and the differences that make each version unique.

FLASH GIVEAWAY
4 WINNERS CHOSEN

Begins September 22

Ends October 2 @ 12:01 a.m. ET

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DISCLOSURE: I was provided a complimentary copy by Candlewick Press to facilitate this review. Opinions are my own and freely given. Candlewick Press will provide and ship winner's copies.