Regional focus: India
Author: Sanjey Patel and Emily Haynes
Genre: Children’s literature
In Sanjey Patel and Emily Haynes’ playful story, meet young Ganesha, a mythological character from the Mahabharata, the epic poem of Hindu literature. Ganesha is just like any other child, with the exception that he has the head of the elephant and his best friend is a tiny magical mouse. He has a soft spot for sweet treats. In this comical tale, we learn that Ganesha breaks a tusk on a surprisingly hard jawbreaker candy. With an unexpected twist of fate, we discover how his broken tusk eventually plays a very important role in Hindu history.
What I love:
- Patel’s ilustrations are colorful, whimsical and inviting.
- The story is hilarious.
- What’s not to love about candy!
Themes: friendship, resourcefulness, mythology
Discussion:
- What are your favorite sweets?
- Have you ever felt sad about loosing something that was important to you? How did you eventually feel better?
- What mythological characters exist in your culture? What do they represent?
Connections:
- Create a mythological character with the head of an animal and a body of a person. What is this new character’s favorite food? What is his/her “claim to fame”?
- Ask an elder to share a story about a mythical character that he/she learned about as a child.
- Investigate the stories of other deities/mythical characters from the Hindu culture/religion.
- Check out additional activities at: www.chroniclebooks.com/landing-pages/pdfs/Ganesha_activities_r2.pdf
Sail Away Story 
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