Lion of the Sky by Ritu Hemani

"How can anyone draw a line

between neighbors?

between brothers?

between friends?"

"Even if all the Hindus

in the world stop liking

all the Muslims in the world,

I never will."

Raj is twelve. He is a Hindu boy who loves flying kites with his grandfather and his best friend. He dreams of winning the big kite competition. Iqbal is his best friend but he is Muslim and India is about to be divided by partition. Their precious friendship will be cut in half just as their country is divided and their homes now become places of danger and violence.  This is so confusing - it is all because some one from far away has drawn a line on a map.  

People smile with tight lips,

and it's no coincidence

that everyone is dressed in white

the colour we wear 

when someone dies.

Raj and his family become refugees and they have to move from Hyderabad in Sindh to Bombay. The train journey is dreadful and all their possessions are taken by thieves and then the most unimaginable thing happens - in the chaos and confusion Raj's sister Maja aged nine disappears.

This book is sure to make you curious about the partition of India and also about traditional Indian foods. 

We sit down

to a breakfast of dal pakwan,

the creamy-flavoured lentils,

spicy mint coriander chutney

and deep-fried crispy sweetbread

mingling in my mouth

before I swallow with relish.

... with our baskets filled with

diamond-shaped Kaju mithai.

I inhale the scent

of cashew nuts and cardamom

and hope there will be some left over ...

The blended scent

of saffron and cardamom

fills the air

as Amma prepares to slice

her freshly rolled varo.

With careful force

she cuts across the center,

and I lick my lips,

imagining the sweet crunch

of pistachios, almonds, 

cashew nuts, and poppy seeds

with hardened caramel.

The British have left India and Raj is also caught up in the politics of the times. His brother explains:

You would not be sad

if you knew what they have stolen

how they have treated us,

burning out fingers to serve 

them phulko, while they burn

our money and drink out chai. ...

They charge unfair taxes on salt,

take the cotton, spices, 

and crops from our land,

use the modern railways you boast of

to steal what is ours,

and sell it back at inflated prices ...

They keep every last rupee,

while our country starves,

they look at us like we're

uncivilized dogs ...

This is a complex story about a time in history that will be unfamiliar to most young readers aged 10+ here in Australia but it is well worth the reading journey. I am quoting in full the book description by the author:

An evocative historical novel in verse about a boy and his family who are forced to flee their home and become refugees after the British Partition of India. Twelve-year-old Raj is happiest flying kites with his best friend, Iqbal. As their kites soar, Raj feels free, like his beloved India soon will be, and he can’t wait to celebrate their independence. But when a British lawyer draws a line across a map, splitting India in two, Raj is thrust into a fractured world. With Partition declared, Hindu, Sikh, and Muslim families are torn apart—and Raj’s Hindu and Iqbal’s Muslim families are among them. Forced to flee and become refugees, Raj’s family is left to start over in a new country. After suffering devastating losses, Raj must summon the courage to survive the brutal upheaval of both his country and his heart. Inspired by the author’s true family history, Lion of the Sky is a deeply moving coming-of-age tale about identity, belonging, and the power of hope.

Listen to an audio sample here. I read Lion of the Sky as an ebook. The hardcover novel with 416 pages is way too expensive for your library here in Australia. It was published in 2024 so I imagine there will eventually be a paperback edition. 

There are some powerful words of wisdom in this book:

"Holding on to your anger is like drinking poison and expecting your enemy to die."

"Because we don't need your kind and my kind ... only kindness."

Ultimately this is a tale about being lion-hearted, soaring after falling many times, and still reaching for the sky. It’s also about lines that divide, that cut across hearts and countries, and that are seared into memories. An exquisite, memorable story about new beginnings and the quest to belong. Kirkus Star review

Here is an interview with the author. Lion of the Sky is her debut book. 

Companion book:

The Night Diary

Shooting Kabul

The King with Dirty Feet by Sally Pomme Clayton illustrated by Rhiannon Sanderson

Blurb from the illustrator web page: There once was a king who hated bath time so much that he never washed. He was a very smelly king! The king finally consents to bathe in the river but no matter how clean he is, his feet stay dirty. The people sweep away all the dirt in the land - but the air is choked with dust. The dust gets washed away but now the land is flooded with water. An enormous tapestry is sewn to cover the whole kingdom but now nothing will grow on the land... What is to be done?

This book would be a wonderful read aloud for Grade One or Two in your school library and it is available in paperback for a good price.  After reading The King with Dirty Feet you could explore folktales from around the world. I found this book yesterday in a display for Diwali - the wonderful Teacher-Librarian displayed a big selection of stories from India. 

Here is her list of Indian folktales:

• The Elephant's Friend by Marcia Williams

• The Old Woman and the Red Pumpkin by Betsy Bang

• No Dinner! by Jessica Souhami

• Grandma and the Great Gourd by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

• Monkey by Gerald McDermott

• The Monkey and the Crocodile by Paul Galdone

• Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young

• Under the Great Plum Tree by Sufiya Ahmed

• Once a Mouse... by Marcia Brown

• Pattan's Pumpkin by Chitra Soundar

• The Elephant's Garden by Jane Ray

• Jamil's Clever Cat by Fiona French

• Manu and the Talking Fish by Roberta Arenson

• The Tiger Child by Joanna Troughton

My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything has a number of useful Pinterest collections:

• Pourquoi Stories
• India
• Middle Eastern Picture Books
• Asian Stories and Folktales

Image Source: Rhi Sanderson

Here is the webpage for the illustrator Rhiannon Sanderson. The King with Dirty Feet is listed for the NSW Premier's Reading Challenge K-2. Here is a teacher activity set from the publisher. IBBY UK have penned a review. 

This new version of an old story is brought to life by an acclaimed storyteller so it is easy to hear yourself reading it aloud to a captivated audience while the colourful, detailed illustrations  show a different kind of king and kingdom to challenge the stereotype. The Bottom Shelf

There’s something comforting and timeless about folktales; I love the pure simplicity of the storytelling, while the deeper meanings and lessons within the narrative are always quite profound. Folktales are not only a wonderful way to teach life lessons, but they are fabulously entertaining and a sure-fire way to ignite a love of stories in young children. Reading Time

Companion book - not a folktale and not about shoes but instead this is about not taking a bath!:

This book might also be in your library:

Amma's Sari by Sandhya Parappukkaran illustrated by Michelle Pereira

 

This book is a glorious celebration of cultural heritage, family connection and learning to 

appreciate the strengths and beauty in difference.

Mum (Amma) puts on her sari each morning and this is a very special ritual which her daughter enjoys but out in the world people stare. Amma is not concerned about this, but her daughter Shreya notices the way others look at her mum.

"Eyebrows arch into curious mountains when we step out Amma boldly marches on."

Her daughter can hear the comments and see the faces and it makes her feel uncomfortable in way that is confusing and perhaps even disloyal.

"My feet drag. Whispers make me feel anxious."

While they are shopping the little girl finds she is lost. Her mum is not nearby. How can she find her? The crowds of tall shoppers are noisy and rushing everywhere. 

"The crowd tosses me adrift. I frantically search for a stretch of shimmering silk. I wipe my eyes and breathe a wish - to feel soft silk, warmth and love. Then a glint of sunshine catches my eye."

The little girl has found her mum, and she has also found a new way to appreciate her mother's beautiful clothing and the way is now open to embrace all the wonderful cultural and family things her mother has to share.

The sari itself, in this book, is almost a character in its own right – it shimmers with confidence. Every child has had the experience of feeling embarrassed by their parents, but this book adds a cultural layer which will directly mirror the experience of some readers and hopefully inform other children and build empathy and understanding. 

The layering of the illustrations on the third double spread is especially effective and innovative as a way to show the past and the present. On some pages the illustrations seem to swish with the fabric of her sari. Michelle Pereira allows us to really feel the fear of Shreya when she is surrounded by the enormous legs and shoes of the crowd outside when she has lost her mum. The final words of the text are glorious – ‘I beam through the stares and whispers. Walking in the light of Amma’s sari'.

A truly wonderful celebration of diverse cultures. This book helps us to recognise and appreciate these different experiences and perspectives – and makes us challenge and think critically about the way we might react to the ‘otherness’ in the world around us.  Amma is so proud of her sari – which is a representation of herself, her identity, her culture – and how this is represented visually through the sheer size and vibrancy of it. I love the way the sari fills every page. 

Now take a look at end papers - talk to your young reading companion about the significance of the clothesline and peg basket. Link this to the story (that's easy) then try to link this to the wider themes in this book. 

The layout of the pages is so creative with the text intertwining with the illustrations in varied ways adding interest and meaning to the narrative. The illustrations are a feast for the reader’s senses as you are transported back to Amma’s childhood. The details stimulate your taste buds and you also feel like you can hear the hearty laughter ringing from the pages as Shreya and her mother enjoy such quality time together. There are a cast of culturally and racially diverse characters included in the illustrations which adds to the richness of the story and the celebration of difference and diversity. Reading Opens Doors

Amma’s Sari has one of the pinkest covers I’ve seen and it is absolutely gorgeous. The colours are  delicate and attractive, perfectly complementing this sensitively told tale of love and acceptance, the whole notable for its careful nuance and delicacy of feeling. Storylinks

Here is an ABC video of this book. Here are some useful teaching notes linked from Pegi Wiliams. And there are more ideas on Sandhya's own page. 

Michelle Pereira won the CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) New Illustrator award in 2022 with her book and Amma's Sari was a 2023 Notable Picture book:

The judges said: An excellent production with high-quality, very appealing retro illustrations which have been created with a limited colour palette using bold strokes and ‘splattered’ detail. The illustrations and text are fully entwined conveying the difficult balance between being ‘different’ and celebrating cultural heritage. The elegant endpapers echo this heritage while the kookaburra outside the window gives an Australian flavour to the setting. The illustrations also appeal to our senses. There is skilled use of ‘white’ space and the night time page made with the green hues is a very effective contrast against the orange of Zimdalamashkermishkada’s name.

Sandhya Parappukkaran left her job as a Food Technologist so she could put her feet up and read. Then she rediscovered her passion for children’s books. She writes stories with themes of ‘embracing your cultural identity’ inspired by her South Indian heritage. Sandhya resides in Brisbane with her husband. Michelle Pereira is an illustrator who spent her childhood in Nairobi, Kenya and now lives in Melbourne, Australia. She graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Communication Design and became a professional illustrator after a somewhat extended, but enjoyable, stint of bar work. She has worked with a range of clients such as Penguin UK, Netflix, the New York Times and Marie Claire. She uses bright colours and textural elements.  Hardie Grant