Peaceable Forest

April 1, 2013

Gr 1-4-A retelling of an ancient Vedic tale. The rather didactic text starts with a kind old man living in the forest who calls the animals together and tells them the story of a hunter who lived in the same forest many years earlier and loved to hunt and kill for fun. A holy man finds three animals the hunter wounded and teaches him the error of his ways, pointing out the pain and suffering that he has caused these creatures. In the end, the repentant man reveals that he is the hunter. The delicately colored and detailed illustrations on oversize pages are wonderful in their depiction of the flora and fauna of India (as attested to by an endnote), but are not specifically identified, which is regrettable. The large spreads are for the most part crowded and confusing, and it is hard to distinguish the central action without close examination. The lovely birds on the cover are the best art of all, and they are obscured by the paper cover. Although well meaning, the book's message is heavy-handed and the text plodding.-Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA

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