Theresa Heine

This is an interesting reading with amazing illustrations. The tale is quickly told as the rhythm of the words is just right. Not all the rhymes work, but the reader does not get tripped up on them either. In the back the authors go into more information about the planets, constellations, and mythology mentioned within the story.

Elephant Dance is a superb and simple look into India's customs and landscapes for children! Ravi, a young boy living in America, learns about this far away land from his visiting grandfather. I loved how grandfather described everything in India. His descriptions provide the perfect opportunity to teach children about similies!

The end of the book has pages with more information about India, about the animals in the book, and about the spices and foods that are mentioned. I was enamored with show more the fact that there was so much information about India packed into a children's book! Although the writing itself is simple enough for young children, this is definitely a book that you could use with older children as well.

My class simply adored the pictures. Each page is so bright and detailed, it's extremely difficult not to be interested in the story. I was able to read the entire 40 pages without a single second grade child fidgeting. That in itself is an amazing recommendation! show less

I bought this book because I loved the cover, then enjoyed the contents, too. The illustrations are quirky and vibrant, and I could have done with more of the ghostly classical figures. The mix of planets with stars and other phenomena was a bit disconcerting initially, but the back pages provide more detailed explanations which clarify the differences. A lovely way to introduce the planets and space to young readers.

I really liked this book because of it's plot, and it's connection to real life. The book was about a lamp that is powered off of solar energy that would replace hazardous "tuki''s. This is a real problem in Nepal where they lack electricity, so they use kerosene fueled lamps that produce toxic fumes and can cause fires. This book introduces this new invention, and then at the end explains the actual living situations are of people in Nepal. It also gives a great amount of background show more information at the end of the book about the words and terms used during the story. The plot of the story was also very intriguing. The author approached a real problem that people from Nepal face and built an interesting and realistic story behind it. This not only allowed me to gain new knowledge, but it also presented it in a way that was interesting and convincing. show less