October 5, 2010 7:35 AM
One Grain of Rice - math, morality and multiculturalism
I have been turned on to so many wonderful resources by browsing the Amazon puchases made through my link (I see what is bought, not who bought it).
Most intriguing Amazon purchase yesterday:
Exotic, beautiful, and instructive, this "mathematical folktale" by author-illustrator Demi emerged from her love of India. The narrative and the evocative illustrations combine to create a real sense of the culture and atmosphere of this romantic land.It's the story of Rani, a clever girl who outsmarts a very selfish raja and saves her village. When offered a reward for a good deed, she asks only for one grain of rice, doubled each day for 30 days. Remember your math? That's lots of rice: enough to feed a village for a good long time--and to teach a greedy raja a lesson.
An example of how a short book can impact a child on so many levels: math, morality and multiculturalism. This, btw, is one way of bathing your child in multiculturalism and an understanding that the world is larger than our little corner - which does not mean we o pretend that all cultures are equal in their understanding of freedom and the value of the individual. They're not. But through teaching the next generation an appreciation of our common humanity, they will perhaps be willing to sacrifice to help others find freedom too.
24 5-star reviews, 4 4-star - Read the all and peek inside the book at One Grain Of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale
Note: one parent who bought the book for an adopted Indian daughter lamented that while the illustrations were beautiful, the people were all white. I agree that this is pretty lame on the part of the publisher - especially in this day and age.
Maybe they'll address this in future editions? In the meantime, I would be inclined to color in the illustrations to make them more authentic - which is what I did with many of Samantha's picture books in the 70s to create more diversity - yes, I noticed this kind of inequity and worked to reverse it, but I didn't end up going overboard - so it is possible to achieve a balance.
Posted in Books, Multiculturalism | Permalink
Comments
I am not alone. :) I thought I was the only one who would dare to commit such sacrilege and color the illustrations to reflect my children's heritage. Black sharpies have created many a 'fro in our home!
Posted by: Lynette | October 5, 2010 10:03 PM
