"....The book provides authentic meanings. They consulted vernacular Indian dictionaries in Sanskrit, Hindi, and Gujarati to arrive at the definitive meanings. The book has delightful combination of pink pages for girls' names and blue pages for boys' names."

                                                          - India Abroad

" An excellent book - a must for anyone considering the sacred Hindu name-giving sacrament."

                                                    - Hinduism Today

" The authors have done the Indian community quite a service. Especially grateful will be parents and grandparents to be."

                                                             - News India

 

Reviews about 'Here Comes Diwali ! The festival of lights'

" Diwali, an important festival celebrated by Hindus, is presented in this book through the eyes of a child as he observes the various activities connected with this celebration. Holidays around the world is a theme that in one form or another is studied by children in elementary schools all across the country. Teachers use children's literature extensively during the course of such a unit, and this book would be a useful addition to the literature used. Multicultural literature helps to broaden children's perspectives of peoples and cultures different from their own. Culturally accurate information and illustrations and depiction of characters engaged in authentic activities are the hallmarks of excellence in any multicultural book, and all of these elements are present here. However, the absence of a glossary may pose a problem in the understanding of some of the terms used in the book for readers unfamiliar with the culture."

              Shalini Murthy - Children's Literature

 

Reviews about 'Here Comes Holi, The Festival Of Colors !'

Geared for children ages 6 to 11, her book ‘Here Comes Holi: The Festival Of Colors’ is told from the perspective of a little boy, who asks his mother about the significance of Holi. Meenal Pandya retells the myths surrounding the festival and then accompanies the text with the children actually celebrating in its festivities.

Children in the primary grades should enjoy learning about a holiday that has a powerful message with a fun angle to it. Here a young boy gathers with his friends Raju, Govind and Abha to listen to a story told by his mother. We follow him from the story’s narration to the playful act of playing holi with his friends and enjoying the evening’s festivities. Step by step the young narrator listens to the story of Prahlad and Hirnakasyapu and Holika. Through the use of attractive illustrations and descriptions to illustrate each point, the book tries to confront difficult problems, of good and evil, without reducing the complexities.

Meenal Pandya, sends her comments to Lokvani thus, “I wanted to write about Holi because first of all it is a very colorful and enjoyable holiday for children and the story itself is about a young boy. It is also a beautiful way to welcome spring so children growing up in this country may realize that we have something comparable to Easter eggs to welcome spring. Interestingly, we have mythological stories to back up why we celebrate any holiday so I think when we make children "see" the link, they feel more solidly "rooted" in the tradition.

- Nirmala Garimella
Lokvani News - Boston