Hanuman, based on Valmiki's Ramayana

by Erik Jendresen (Adapter), Li Ming (Painter), Joshua M. Greene (Adapter)

Hanuman, a monkey hero, tries to save Princess Sita from the ten-headed demon king, Ravana

Genres: Picture Books, Mythology, India, Religion, Childrens, Folklore

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1998

Reviews

[Ravi Jain · Rating 5 out of 5]

"My name is Hanuman. I am a monkey, and, like all children, I was born with great powers."

Many Hanuman books for kids seem to bite off too much -- too many characters, too much moralizing -- especially when written by Indian authors. This book was written by screenwriters, and they know exactly how to hook you in. In their hands it reads like a scifi/fantasy adventure epic, and in addition (for me at least) had the ring of conviction and depth echoing through it.

I heard my 4-year old son's teacher was reading it to him; he was entranced, and I found the writing very moving.

[Phil J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent introduction to the Ramayana. Most tellings begin by focusing on the backstory of Rama, which is less accessible for readers who have not encountered it before. By focusing on Hanuman, the story begins with a single character, and the other characters and situations flow forth in a more manageable way.

The text and illustrations were great. They help me understand the underlying theme of love, and explain why Rama is beloved by Hindus.

My only criticism would be that sometimes the artwork seems to switch from a realistic style to a brushier, more impressionistic style. I found this jarring. For example, there is a two page spread near the end on the pages beginning with "Prince Rama opened his eyes..." On the right is a close-up of Ravana, and you can count the wrinkles on his faces and the hairs in his eyebrows. On the left, Rama, Lakshman and Hanuman are so stippled that they look like a Monet painting.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sure, he'll eventually get around to read any one of the versions of the Ramayana, but this is a fun adventure story with gods, monsters, monkeys and fighting. What sticks with me is when Hanuman is young and he goes off to try to eat the sun, there's a short line that says (to the effect) "Like all children, I was born with special powers." I always hope my son remembers that little bit.

[Cheryl]

For the artist; I loved Merlin and the Dragons and want to see more work by Li Ming.

[Ruby the Wizard · Rating 5 out of 5]

"There is no such thing as large or small when it comes to acts of love"

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The famous story of how prince Rama defeated the horrible monster, Ravana, with the help of a monkey with magical powers. The illustrations in this book are outstanding. I mean how can you not want to read a book with a cover like this one--a muscular monkey jumping between very scary sea monsters? You look at something like that and you want to open it up to see what the heck is going on. I really enjoyed this story. It is very well written and I found the monsters and monkey combo to be very interesting. I hadn't ever heard of this very popular piece of Indian folklore before and I'd really like to learn more about Rama and Sita now.

[Meena Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the paintings by Li Ming and felt nostalgic as I had read and my father had narrated it to me during my chidhood. I chose this book for a presentation at an elementary school in U.S.

[Juliette · Rating 5 out of 5]

My six year old loves this book. He loves the pictures and the story that goes along with it. It's the story of Hanuman the monkey who helps Rama destroy the evil Ravana.

[Nativida · Rating 4 out of 5]

A retelling of Ramayana, one of India's most sacred texts. The boys loved it!