A Gift for Amma: Market Day in India

A young girl visits her local marketplace, taking in all the sights and sounds and aromas as she looks for a perfect gift for her mother.

This is a beautiful book, practically vibrating with its colorful images on each page. The language, especially when combined with the illustrations, is incredibly evocative and the reader feels as though they can hear the jingle of bangles and breathe in the aroma of turmeric.

This book is especially important for rounding out classroom or library shelves to be more diverse and inclusive. But it's also just a sweet story about a mother and a child, which is a universal story.

The book, a veritable feast for the eyes, begins with the exclamation “It’s market day in town!” (The author tells us at the end of the book that the market in this story is based on the ones in her hometown, Chennai, in India.) A little girl goes to the market to choose something special for her mother. As she makes her way through the colorful bazaar, she wonders, “Which gift is as special as my Amma?” I could empathize with her dilemma as she considered each gloriously-depicted item in turn:

Peacock feathers

Vermilion powder

Saffron strands

Jasmine blooms

Lotus buds

Charcoal for roasting

Indigo cotton for clothes

Turmeric spice

Terracotta pots for the kitchen
. . . .

What would her mother (Amma) want? The little girl finally settles show more on something:

“I pick a bangle in every shade
And hand over my pocket money.
. . . . a rainbow just for Amma!”

At the end of the story, the author adds information about each of the items the little girl passed at the bazaar, and highlights some notable markets from around the world. Real photos of the author at her hometown market conclude the book.

In an interview, the author explained:

"I grew up in India and every time I stepped out to the street, there was so much to take in – color

She more than rose to the occasion in this book, with no little help from her wonderful illustrator, Mariona Cabassa. Cabassa has created incredibly vivid pictures in a riot of color so evocative of the senses you will want to look at them over and over. In fact, I thought she was perhaps “enhancing” the visual experience of a market until I saw the actual photos at the end of the book, which are very similar. The pictures and text will have you dreaming of travel so you can experience markets like this.

Evaluation: Readers will be entranced by this presentation of the sights, sounds, and colors of an Indian market. show less

Vibrant colors, a story that appeals to all the senses, top-notch back matter, OwnVoices. But I, personally, wanted to know a bit more about what Amma meant to the girl, and how she chose the gift in the end.

This story is about a young girl going through an Indian market and explaining all the different things that are there. The illustrations are so vibrant and stand out on the page making it fun for the reader. She author and illustrator do a beautiful job of incorporating Indian culture into this book for children to understand. I also really appreciate how at the end of the book it gives pictures and a list of more things that are sold at Indian markets and what they are called and what they are used for. It also has a page for other markets around the world and what they are called, where they are located, and a list of things that are at the markets. This story would be great for primary students.

Visit a market in India while learning about vibrant colors in this sensory picture book. Meera Sriram puts an authentic focus on details and bright, bold illustrations add to this wonderful story as readers follow a young girl through a typical Indian market looking for a gift for her mother. The back matter includes an interesting collection of details about items discussed within the text as well as examples of markets around the world. An engaging, visual trip to India!

K-Gr 1—Visit an Indian market for its vibrant hues, scents, and sights through the stalls as a young girl searches for
the perfect gift for her Amma. It's a picture book extraordinaire with a glossary about the evocative marketplace. An
armchair shopping trip, just right for pointing and sharing.

Learn about a market in India; author also shares information about famous markets around the world.