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Ramayana: Divine Loophole
by
Sanjay Patel
Artist and veteran Pixar animator Sanjay Patel lends a lush, whimsical illustration style and lighthearted voice to one of Hindu mythology's best-loved and most enduring tales. Teeming with powerful deities, love-struck monsters, flying monkey gods, magic weapons, demon armies, and divine love, Ramayana tells the story of Rama, a god-turned-prince, and his quest to rescue...more
Hardcover, 186 pages
Published
February 10th 2010
by Chronicle Books
(first published 2010)
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The only familiarity I had with the Ramayana prior to reading this book was the names of some of the gods -Vishnu and Brahma and a few of the other characters, Sita and Hanuman, but I had no idea what their story was or how they related to one another. This is an epic tale and from what I gather from the introduction, the author of this version, Sanjay Patel, has streamlined the story. I have no idea what he's left out, but what he's left in makes a fun and exciting read. The author's great achi...more
the cover art on this book caught me at the oakland museum gift store.
apparently the artist works for pixar, thus it is being featured during that
exhibit. the art inside is the same: awesome, reminiscent of samurai jack.
figured i should buy from the museum to support them instead of helping
amazon transform into a 10-headed demon, then found out at the register
that the copy is signed. bonus! karma!
the text is very sparse, like a children's book, but since the introduction
explains that the com...more
apparently the artist works for pixar, thus it is being featured during that
exhibit. the art inside is the same: awesome, reminiscent of samurai jack.
figured i should buy from the museum to support them instead of helping
amazon transform into a 10-headed demon, then found out at the register
that the copy is signed. bonus! karma!
the text is very sparse, like a children's book, but since the introduction
explains that the com...more
OK...I haven't paid this much for a book in a long, long time. Especially one that I'm going to use for school But $30 seemed like a good deal when I looked at this book.
I have to teach ancient India and I really want to do a good job. It seems to me that understanding the culture's myths is key to understanding the whole culture. This book does that in a way that I think I'll understand and that is visually appealing to my 6th graders.
This book is illustrated by a Pixar animator and I plan on r...more
I have to teach ancient India and I really want to do a good job. It seems to me that understanding the culture's myths is key to understanding the whole culture. This book does that in a way that I think I'll understand and that is visually appealing to my 6th graders.
This book is illustrated by a Pixar animator and I plan on r...more
One of our branch libraries hosted a weeks-long workshop on the Ramayana, which I had never heard of. The coordinating librarian suggested this title to me as a version more accessible to a younger audience. Just flipping through, the illustrations are so lovely, I'm anxious to dive in.
I definitely got the feeling that there's more to the story. Maybe I'll read the real thing someday. The back of the book includes a glossary (and more yummy illustrations) of gods, demons, animals and warriors fr...more
I definitely got the feeling that there's more to the story. Maybe I'll read the real thing someday. The back of the book includes a glossary (and more yummy illustrations) of gods, demons, animals and warriors fr...more
Patel’s vision of the fascinating Ramayana mythology is so exuberant, gorgeous, detailed, and beautiful, it deserves as much praise as it can get. The stylish illustrations are spectacular - you can almost see the characters come alive, as they would in one of those Pixar movies that Patel has worked on. The narration is brisk, funny, ironic – it’s also certainly simplistic, in the sense that a child can read it, and understand it, but it never betrays the soul of the incredibly complex myths at...more
Five stars for the illustrations, three for the story. This is a watered-down version of the great Hindu epic, and while Patel—who was raised Hindu but rejected the faith— is mostly factually correct in his retelling, it reads as a summary and not as a story. Creating both the Ramayana and his other adorably illustrated (but slightly irreverent) book helped Patel understand his faith, and while they may provide curious readers with a general overview of their subjects, they just scratch the surf...more
This book is just all that and a bag of chips...
The illustrations are phenomenal, and the author shares his sketches and methodology in an appendix following the book which was enjoyable and fun as well. Clearly, Pixar is getting over having this dude on staff...
The story of the Ramayana has been highly distilled down for narrative purposes, but it is a great introduction to the story and the major players. The art is so pretty, and the story so timeless, I'm sure any child could easily enjoy th...more
The illustrations are phenomenal, and the author shares his sketches and methodology in an appendix following the book which was enjoyable and fun as well. Clearly, Pixar is getting over having this dude on staff...
The story of the Ramayana has been highly distilled down for narrative purposes, but it is a great introduction to the story and the major players. The art is so pretty, and the story so timeless, I'm sure any child could easily enjoy th...more
I have had several encounters with the Ramayana over the years, first in a Hindu mythology course in college, later through its Thai incarnation--The Ramakhien. And then, through visits with its various characters at several museums with Asian collections. It has, for a long time, been one of my favorite adventure stories.
I think it's fair to say that Sanjay Patel's rendition of the Ramayana is my absolute favorite. Admittedly, Patel has produced an abridged version (3,000 pages down to 120+),...more
(More pictures at parkablogs.com)
Sanjay Patel's take on the classic Sanskrit epic is refreshing and engaging. Adapted and written in a lighter prose, the book is inviting to any readers who want learn more about the tale. The story is fascinating and gets increasingly so towards the end, with lots of nice surprises. For someone like me who knows nothing about any Hindu stories, I felt like I know a lot more after reading this book.
The story is well paced and laden with beautiful illustrations....more
This is a fun read -- and you certainly can't go wrong with Patel's illustrations which are gorgeous and classic and fresh all at once -- but I felt it was caught in between things... that it should have had more words and fewer pictures Ike a story with a few illustrations) or had more pictures per plot point (more like a comic). That said, I'm glad I picked it up and gave it a read. Patel's "Little Book of Hindu Gods" is such a must see that he gets a free pass a couple more books while he fin...more
Illustrations are wonderful, interesting and something I could look at over and over again finding some new detail. I also learned new characters in the Ramayana that I didn't know about. I enjoyed the sections at the end of the book that explain briefly various gods, origins of gods, demons and animals that are in the story. I think it is another version of the Ramayana that brings such an ancient story to the present.
Read this with my 6 year old and he loved it. Heroes and demons, battles and magic. And a blizzard of Hindu gods and goddesses. It works as a children's book, but adults will love it also. Patel is an Oakland-based graphic artist who works with Pixar. He brings the magic to life with cool contemporary images.
This is spectacular. Engaging summary of some epic Hindu mythology, with really great illustrations. The author didn't pretend to anything more, and his hope that this book would be a good entry point to a more intensive study of Hindu myths is spot on -- I definitely want to read more now.
I absolutely loved this. The artwork is just perfect, the storytelling engaging. No need to be familiar with the story -- it's all incredibly clear and easy to follow. I tore thru it and am honestly looking forward to reading it again -- but first i'm foisting it on my mom. :)
Really cute intro to the story, and I loved the illustrations! But I expect nothing but the best from a Pixar animator. My only complaint is that there were a bunch of typos in the text. If the text were as detailed as the pictures, I would have given it 5 stars.
A gorgeously illustrated, easily digestible telling of one of the greatest stories of Hindu mythology. From princesses whose purity allows them to burn and live to 10-headed enemy gods to the lovable flying monkey Hanuman, this rich story will capture your heart.
I still need to read the text, but the pictures (done by an animator and storyboard artist for Pixar) are a-maz-ing. Incredible composition, symmetry, and color palettes. I also liked the sketchbook section in the back.
"From start to finish, this book took approximately four years to make, or roughly seven days per page. There are no shortcuts. The truth is, if you love scratching away on paper and organizing marks to make symbols that tell stories, you wouldn't want it any other way. Keep drawi...more
"From start to finish, this book took approximately four years to make, or roughly seven days per page. There are no shortcuts. The truth is, if you love scratching away on paper and organizing marks to make symbols that tell stories, you wouldn't want it any other way. Keep drawi...more
A great introduction to the Ramayana. Patel's graphic illustrations help make sense of this complex tale and are visually stunning. His breakdown of the Hindu gods, demons and other characters is a useful primer for newbies and helps keep everyone straight.
I read this for Diwali prep but it's great for anyone interested in global myths & folklore.
I read this for Diwali prep but it's great for anyone interested in global myths & folklore.
A fantastically illustrated, deftly retold Ramayana that is extremely accessible for kids and rewarding for adults. If you are unfamiliar with the Indian epic, I can't think of a more enjoyable introduction.
This book was awesome. The pictures are really good and the story is awesome. I have read the original story and I loved every bit of it, but seeing it in pictures helped me to really see what was going on. Good book!!
This book was worth the buy just for the beautiful artwork. I love the idea of an epic story like this being set in the context of a graphic novel, and Sanjay Patel did not disappoint.
Este libro es de un ilustrador de pixar que toma la historia épica hindú del Ramayana y hace ilustraciones hermosas, lo leí en mi trabajo pasado y me enamoré, lo quiero conseguir
The story is concise, but all the important bits are there. The artwork is amazing and that's really why you should read this book in the first place.
beautifully illustrated and very approachable retelling of an Indian classic. can easily be read to kids or as a first introduction to Hindu mythology.
I'm a little embarrassed to be reviewing an illustrated version of this book, but it was actually really good. Especially when read aloud...
I love the pictures, and it was really fun to learn a bit about Indian Mythology. The story was interesting, but my goodness what divine art work!
A good introductory book for someone with little or no knowledge of the Ramayana.
The illustrations are very colorful(and cute!).
The illustrations are very colorful(and cute!).
Art is fantastic. I felt the text read a little dry, but the kids enjoyed listening and were able to follow the story well.
Beautifully illustrated and makes the Ramayana understandable for us poor whities who haven't a clue. Love this book
Best book ever that Peter brought home from a business trip. Love the graphics, the story, the behind the scenes.
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