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Elephant Dance: Memories of India
Ravi and Anjali are fascinated by their grandfather s stories of India, where the sun is like a ferocious tiger, the wind is like a wild horse, and monsoon rains cascade from the sky like waterfalls. Ravi particularly loves to hear about the festival of Divaali, where parading elephants take pride of place in their grandfather s memories, and he dreams of having an elephant dance to the tune he composes on his flute.
In addition to an evocative, beautifully written story, Elephant Dance also contains endnotes on the cultural heritage of India, making it a perfect introduction to Indian life and traditions.
In addition to an evocative, beautifully written story, Elephant Dance also contains endnotes on the cultural heritage of India, making it a perfect introduction to Indian life and traditions.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 7, 2024
Grandfather arrives from India on a visit to his grandchildren’s house, following imaginative stories about his country of origin.
Grandad finds warmth and great hospitality from the family, who settled in an unnamed country where the weather seems different and provokes a conversation of how it is an India. Being a skilful storyteller, he uses many comparisons to describe it – the sun is a “ferocious tiger”, the wind is a “wild horse”, “the monsoon rain is like a curtain”, and the snow on the Himalayan mountains is an “ice cream…melting on your tongue”. The reader learns about India by following Grandad and Ravi (the grandson) in the park and at the market, where they buy food to be cooked and shared at supper. The spirit of togetherness continues with a colourful account of Diwali, music, dance, drawing, and well-wrapped vivid pictures of India’s beauties.
“Elephant Dance: A Journey to India” shows the importance of family and communication across generations. An excellent resource for cross-curricular teaching, the book offers information about geography, religion, culture and food at the end of the story. Animal lovers will find facts about some rare species of monkeys, such as the Hanuman Langur.
A valuable addition to any Primary school bookshelf to explore a country and be aware of the physical and cultural differences of the world.
Grandad finds warmth and great hospitality from the family, who settled in an unnamed country where the weather seems different and provokes a conversation of how it is an India. Being a skilful storyteller, he uses many comparisons to describe it – the sun is a “ferocious tiger”, the wind is a “wild horse”, “the monsoon rain is like a curtain”, and the snow on the Himalayan mountains is an “ice cream…melting on your tongue”. The reader learns about India by following Grandad and Ravi (the grandson) in the park and at the market, where they buy food to be cooked and shared at supper. The spirit of togetherness continues with a colourful account of Diwali, music, dance, drawing, and well-wrapped vivid pictures of India’s beauties.
“Elephant Dance: A Journey to India” shows the importance of family and communication across generations. An excellent resource for cross-curricular teaching, the book offers information about geography, religion, culture and food at the end of the story. Animal lovers will find facts about some rare species of monkeys, such as the Hanuman Langur.
A valuable addition to any Primary school bookshelf to explore a country and be aware of the physical and cultural differences of the world.
November 13, 2018
Ages: 4 - 8
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**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it!
Visit my website!
October 6, 2013
Ravi, a young boy living in the United States, is filled with questions when his grandfather from India comes to stay with his family. Ravi's eyes are opened up to a whole new world when his grandfather tells him all about the land their family comes from. As Ravi discovers what life is like in another country, he can bridge the gap between his own experiences in the United States and his grandfather's in India as he learns that life might not be so different, after all.
The illustrations are vibrant and enjoyable, and the artwork really provides an excellent window into traditional Indian culture and lifestyles. This story is filled with examples of literary elements such as similes and metaphors -- "rolls into the sky like a fiery ball," "cascades like a waterfall from the sky," "wrinkled as a walnut" -- as the grandfather tells the story of his home and his life in India. I think this would be a great book to use when discussing similes and metaphors during a language arts lesson. Along with the illustrations, the descriptive language does a wonderful job of helping readers visualize the land of India right along with curious Ravi and his sister.
I really like all of the different elements used in this book. Not only is it a fun story for kids to learn about another culture, but the back of the book also serves as an index of sorts, incorporating a good amount of extra history and information about the geography, animals, food, weather, religion, and lifestyle of India. In addition, there is a little musical excerpt -- Ravi's elephant dance is written out toward the back of the book.
This book is for children age 4-10, and it was also a NAPRA Nautilus Award Finalist, which recognizes books focusing on positive social change.
4 stars
The illustrations are vibrant and enjoyable, and the artwork really provides an excellent window into traditional Indian culture and lifestyles. This story is filled with examples of literary elements such as similes and metaphors -- "rolls into the sky like a fiery ball," "cascades like a waterfall from the sky," "wrinkled as a walnut" -- as the grandfather tells the story of his home and his life in India. I think this would be a great book to use when discussing similes and metaphors during a language arts lesson. Along with the illustrations, the descriptive language does a wonderful job of helping readers visualize the land of India right along with curious Ravi and his sister.
I really like all of the different elements used in this book. Not only is it a fun story for kids to learn about another culture, but the back of the book also serves as an index of sorts, incorporating a good amount of extra history and information about the geography, animals, food, weather, religion, and lifestyle of India. In addition, there is a little musical excerpt -- Ravi's elephant dance is written out toward the back of the book.
This book is for children age 4-10, and it was also a NAPRA Nautilus Award Finalist, which recognizes books focusing on positive social change.
4 stars
August 15, 2019
A grandfather tells his grandson about his home country of India. Paints a picture in both words and pictures which is interesting and easy to understand.
June 11, 2019
I really enjoyed this book, especially due to the fact that it is not set in the UK. This book adds diversity and interesting knowledge of a possible new culture to some children in a class; the map page of the book will be particularly useful if focusing on India as a topic in geography. Additionally, this book would be ideal for introducing similies and metaphors for the children.
February 22, 2021
A very poetic description of India
February 4, 2022
Read in its French edition.
September 30, 2009
Elephant Dance, by Theresa Heine, is a brilliant book exploring the culture and customs of India through the eyes of Ravi, a young boy living in the United States. When Ravi’s grandfather comes to the United States, he is happily bombarded with questions from Ravi and his sister Anjali about what life is like in India. Ravi’s grandfather brings everyone in the family a gift from India. Ravi receives a red and gold kite, his mother is given a traditional blue sari, his is given a sandalwood box, and his sister gets silver bangles. Ravi spends hours listening to his grandfather explain how much children love to fly kites, what monsoons do to the country and about the kinds of food that families eat in India. Ravi and his sister learn about the Himalayan Mountains and about the feast of Divaali. One of my favorite things about this book is the word choice and use of literary elements that the author utilizes in order help readers visualize what she is describing. Also, the images that are in the story are remarkable. My favorite picture is of a tiger, which represents the hot sun that beats down on the people during the day. Theresa Heine does a fabulous job of including many important customs in her story. Children will get a very good picture about what life is like for the children and families living in India. They will see the differences and similarities of people from around the world.
June 14, 2010
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 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!
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 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!
September 19, 2016
When Ravi and his sister's grandfather comes to visit from India, they are enthralled by his stories about his life in India. He tells them about the geography, weather, customs, and food of India. Ravi is especially mesmerized by his grandfather's story about the elephant procession during the feast of Divaali that one night he even dreams about it, wishing he was there.
This book gives some history and knowledge about India, especially when dealing with the 5Fs. It is nice to see the grandfather sharing his love for his home with his grandchildren. It's a unique bond they have. This book definitely represents diversity since the characters are all from Indian decent and are people of color. I enjoyed learning more about Indian culture since there are select books out there that do this. I also liked all the different and bright colors in the illustrations. It brought them to life and made me happy and excited to read this book. I would put this on my multiculturalism book list.
This book gives some history and knowledge about India, especially when dealing with the 5Fs. It is nice to see the grandfather sharing his love for his home with his grandchildren. It's a unique bond they have. This book definitely represents diversity since the characters are all from Indian decent and are people of color. I enjoyed learning more about Indian culture since there are select books out there that do this. I also liked all the different and bright colors in the illustrations. It brought them to life and made me happy and excited to read this book. I would put this on my multiculturalism book list.
December 30, 2016
I loved this book. The descriptions that Ravi's grandfather tells of his homeland are so amazing that even without the pictures in the book you can just see the things he describes right in your head. My favorite description was of the sun and his grandfather describing it like tiger. While I could totally see it in my head the illustrations that went along with it were so wonderful. The deep color palate worked so well this picture book.
What I loved most of all was that while this book was about India there was a deeper meaning in the book. It was also about the love of a child and his grandparent. The time spent with family is so meaningful and the time that Ravi and his sister spent with their grandfather is precious. This is the kind of time that you look back at when you are older and smile with fondness. No doubt an adult Ravi will look back fondly on his grandfather and the patience and care he took to explain how things were back in India.
What I loved most of all was that while this book was about India there was a deeper meaning in the book. It was also about the love of a child and his grandparent. The time spent with family is so meaningful and the time that Ravi and his sister spent with their grandfather is precious. This is the kind of time that you look back at when you are older and smile with fondness. No doubt an adult Ravi will look back fondly on his grandfather and the patience and care he took to explain how things were back in India.
April 14, 2010
A delightful surprise! This is a sweet, interesting and beautifully told story of an Indian grandfather who visiting his family in America. The grandchildren are very curious about what things are like in India--even though it appears they are still a fairly traditional Indian family in the USA, the kids want to know about the essence of India, from the type of wind to the vibrancy of the rainbow. I just love how the grandfather describes everything! This is a wonderful tribute to India and to grandparent/grandchild relationships. The back of the book includes the music for the Elephant Dance and some brief but useful introductory info about India--geography, religions, foods, and native animals. I admit I wasn't a huge fan of the illustrations but the overall package is just great. Definitely recommended!
April 3, 2008
We gave Elephant Dance: Memories of India to two children and their parents to enjoy and comment on. The response was overwhelmingly positive. The boy, age 6, loved the maps and “beautiful colors”. He also added that he likes elephants and wants to see one soon. The girl, age 7, loved the song and enjoyed learning to play it on the piano with her father. Both sets of parents were refreshed by the opportunity to expose their children, citing the book as a new favorite in their household.
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Ben
Planet of the Books
http://planetofthebooks.com
February 24, 2014
Elephant Dance was a warm story about a grandfather and grandson. The grandpa comes from India to live with his family. Some of the family, especially the grandson, had never been to India and asks all kinds of questions about it. The grandpa answers in very descriptive ways and gives all sorts of metaphors relating to India. It is a nice story and would recommend it for all primary grades especially if one is teaching about culture or India. Great illustrations that are detailed and vibrant as well.
April 5, 2011
A grandfather is telling his grandson about India. He uses a lot of metaphors and personification to describe things like the sun, wind, rain, ect. He talks about many different things in India, ending with the elephant dance. The book ends with a musical page of the elephant dance and information about India. This book could be used with Socia Studie as well, especially when examining different cultures or countries.
December 31, 2013
An interesting children's story about a grandfather from India visiting his grandchildren in an un-named western country. The grandchildren ask him about India (Is it hot? Is the wind strong? Is there snow in India?) and his answers give a glimpse of the culture of India and its animals. Plus, if your musical sense is good, you can try to play Ravi's Elephant Dance (musical notes included at the end of the book).
October 28, 2010
A little boy asks his visiting grandfather about his home country of India. Colorful art and lovely image-filled text. A perfect book with which to bridge cultures. Informational notes in the back are a good addition. 3rd grade and up.
February 4, 2016
The colors and imagery of this book are mesmerizing! I really enjoyed the format of learning about India from a grandchild asking questions of his grandfather. The facts at the back of the book helped inform me so that I could have a richer discussion with my kids as we were reading.
June 10, 2011
Beautiful language. Poetic and descriptive.
August 3, 2016
well done discovery of India by grandson and grandfather
August 7, 2013
it has good elaberation
April 16, 2010
This book has been very useful in teaching our young children about their Indian heritage.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews