Ramayana (Real Reads) (Indian Classics) Paperback – Illustrated, 1 Nov. 2009

I bought this for an 11 yr old girl who joined my family over the October Half Term, when we went to the Diwali and Dusshera festivities in Edinburgh, We wanted to give her some context, even though our kids dont have much themselvesShe had little interest in culture and reading, but my boy aged 7 did. Though the vocabulary was quite tricky for him, he concentrated on the story, following the myriad twists and turns of the battle. So did my 3 yr old (with more breaks for him to demonstrate how he would fight baddie demons and how he would fly, if only he was a character from an epic!!)I cannot recommend the simplicity of the narrative flow or the coloured illustrations highly enough. What is even better- is the "meet the characters" section, the " bits we left out you may wish to explore later' section and the " What Would you do??" Section. This included things which sparked great debates in the family, even including the cynical 10 yr olds, with arguments like what is more important : Duty towards God and the moral path, or Duty towards your innocent countrymen, etc etc etc.I would rate this book for any family who may have an interest in Diwali, Hinduism or a visit to India or any of SE Asia which reveres this classic

Who Was Claude Monet? (Who Was?) ... by Ann Waldron is a beautiful introduction to the life of Monet for children. Perfect to go along with topic work.

My boys and I love this version of the Ramayan saga as it's very well-written but not complicated to follow. Children and preteens will surely enjoy reading about the adventures of Lord Ramachandra and his faithful devotee Hanuman. I love that there is a "cast of characters" section to familiarize readers with who everyone in the story is. I also very much appreciate the section in the back of the book containing comprehension and discussion questions. All in all, a highly enjoyable book for children already familiar with the Ramayan and those reading it for the first time.