Once I was randomly going through the books recommended by Goodreads, I encountered Elephant Prince and seeing it was related to Ganesh about whom I was already looking for a book to read, so I added this one in my reading list. Neither did I read the synopsis nor any review. It’s the title and the book cover which made me excited to read it. Then and there, I searched this book on Amazon and added it in my wishlist. I didn’t order though, it stayed in my wishlist for almost a year. It’s recently I bought it and read. And realized its a folklore and not the kinda I was actually looking for. :D
I know it sounds silly but the truth is I was not aware that Amy is a children’s book editor based out of America, and even by the book cover on good reads I couldn’t figure it out that it’s a children book. But after reading the book, I didn’t regret buying it as I enjoyed it.
Its the illustrations (by Belgin) in the book which further added to my happy feeling throughout. And what surprised me the most that an American author showed a keen interest in writing about Hindu God to make children aware of traditional Indian story.
There are many traditional stories behind the birth of Ganesh and how he got an elephant head. This book is about one of these traditional stories but what is special about this story is the writing style, it’s lyrical, imaginative. And to add on to this, the page quality and the illustrations make the book pleasing to eyes.
At last, I am pretty sure it's a page-turner for any pre-schooler or a child.
Rating: 4/5