In Kali’s Song by Jeanette Winter (Schwartz and Wade Books, 2012), a young boy who lives thousands of years ago in a cave with his mother finds joy in his life. His journey is serious. He watches his mother paint images of the animals on the wall of the cave, and then he must go out and practice shooting his arrows for the upcoming hunt.
As he practices shooting arrows, however, he finds a different way to spend his time: making music on his bow. Over the coming weeks, he finds that making music relaxes him. He dreams in music, and joys in it. When the day of the big hunt comes, he finds that his music brings the buffalo to him, and he is celebrated as a special shaman in his community.
The illustrations are produced on handmade paper and drawn with paint, pen, and ink. The entire book is a work of art. While I accept the fact that this has far less kid-appeal for the young than the Me Want Pet! (see my post about it), I also suggest that this book provides a sweet reminder that we all are different and that we find joy and satisfaction in different ways.
It may also be a useful book for those studying ancient history. Parents may be interested in showing their young kids how life may have been different thousands of years ago.
Kid’s thoughts: He was not very interested in this book. He listened to it once and said, “It’s OK.”
Nominations for the Cybils are open! As a first-round panelist, I get to read all the nominated fiction picture books, those published between October 16, 2011 and October 15, 2012. My son (turning 5 tomorrow!) and I enjoy watching nominations come in, and we’re always excited when we see a book we’ve already enjoyed show up on the list! Some he’s really excited to read because the title is so interesting or the cover illustrations are intriguing. We read this book earlier in the year but didn’t have a chance to post about it then.
