The Two Umas’ “Out of the Way! Out of the Way!”

When Uma Krishnaswami asked me if I would like to participate in a blog tour I was intrigued. I’ve never done one, but the featured book (illustrated by another Uma, Uma Krishnaswamy) looked charming online and was being brought out by the admirable Indian publisher Tulika Books.  So I said yes.

I’m glad I did.  A clever cumulative tale for very young children, the book is a pleasure to read and view.  Having never been to India I can’t weigh in on authenticity, but it comes across as very real. Set in India, created and published in India, it offers an insider’s view of India, understandably quite different from the one you get, no matter how well-intended and well-researched,  created and published by outsiders.  Those looking for books about other cultures and places for young kids should definitely snap this one up.

Wanting a more youthful perspective I read the book to some of my book blogging 6th graders and invited them to write their own blog posts.

• Wrote KM, “It’s set in India, which is one reason I liked it so much. I go to India every summer to see family, and so I also have a general idea of the setting and stuff.”  Read her whole post here.
• LW gave it a 9.5 out of 10 and thought that it is, “….  kind of like The Giving Tree, except that in The Giving Tree the boy was very selfish and cruel to the tree, but in this book the boy really loved the tree and protected it from all of the dangers of a growing city.” Read her whole post here.
• TB notes that the book has a, “… wonderful collection of similes, India and a child’s love for the environment.” LD notes that “… it has that Indian tradition, which includes the modern part of India.” Read their whole post here.
• In her post, RC urges you to move out of the way for this book.

So there’s our take on this pretty book.  For some other perspectives do visit the rest of the tour stops this week:

Monday June 21:

Educating Alice (Monica Edinger)

Saffron Tree (artnavy)

Tuesday June 22:

Chicken Spaghetti (Pooja Makhijani)

Through the Tollbooth (Sarah Sullivan)

Wednesday June 23:

Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind (Tarie)

PaperTigers (Marjorie Coughlan)

Thursday June 24:

Brown Paper (Niranjana Iyer)

Plot Whisperer (Martha Alderson)

Friday June 25:

Notes from New England (Nandini Bajpai)

Saffron Tree (artnavy)

Saturday June 26:

Scribbly Katia (Katia Novet Saint-Lot)

Jacket Knack (Carol Brendler)

Sunday June 27:

Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database (Emily Griffin)

The Drift Record (Julie Larios)