The bold, bright colours of India leap off the page in this fresh and funny picture book retelling of how Ganesha comes to write the epic poem of Hindu literature, the Mahabharata. Ganesha is just like any other kid, except that he has the head of an elephant and rides around on a magical mouse. An he loves sweets, especially the traditional dessert laddoo. But when Ganesha insists on biting into a super jumbo jawbreaker laddoo, his tusk breaks off! Ganesha is terribly upset, but with the help of the wise poet Vyasa, he learns that what seems broken can actually be quite useful after all. With vibrant, graphic illustrations, expressive characters and off beat-humour this is a wonderfully inventive twist on a classic tale.

 

This book was recognised in the Picture Book category by the Georgia Children's Book Award. It was recognised in the New Illustrator category by the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award. The EJK Award is given annually to an outstanding new writer and new illustrator by the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation. An Honor Books category was added in 2012. A distinguished selection committee of early childhood education specialists, librarians, illustrators and experts in childrens literature reviews the entries, seeking books that portray the universal qualities of childhood, a strong and supportive family, and the multicultural nature of our world. The EJK Award was co-presented by the New York Public Library from 1986 to 2011. Since 2012, the de Grummond Childrens Literature Collection has co-presented the award at the Childrens Book Festival, held in April at the University of Southern Mississippi, in Hattiesburg. To be eligible, writers and illustrators must have had no more than three books previously published.

This book has been graded for interest at 4-6 years.

There are 40 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2012 by Chronicle Books .