Rama and Sita: A Tale from Ancient Java

In even the most remote villages of Bali you will hear, late into the night, the shimmering metallic music of the gamelan, a collection of gongs, chimes, flutes, drums, and cymbals whose music provides the accompaniment to the beautiful dances that serve to entertain the Gods, Rama and Sita.

Kindergarten-Grade 5-Not many retellings of the Hindu epic The Ramayana are currently available in editions for children and surely no other is as elegantly illustrated as this one. Necessarily condensed from the 25,000 verses of the original, Weitzman's retelling relates the portion of the story concerning Rama's exile; the abduction of his wife Sita; the alliance between Rama, his retainers, and Hanuman, the Monkey King, who together defeat the evil Ravana and his minions; and the restoration of the world to a state of peace under Rama's rule, which lasts 10,000 years. Weitzman sets the narrative within the framework of a shadow puppet show given by a traditional Javanese storyteller. His illustrations employ the delicate, lacy designs of the puppets and the strongly contrasting colors of gilt, black, and dense-hued reds, blues, purples, browns, and greens. The result is arresting, as is the startling tension of the graceful forms of the long-limbed figures arranged in impossibly awkward positions. The drawings can be challenging to decipher, but they are so breathtakingly beautiful that their implicit invitation to take the time to understand them is irresistible. Printed on heavy stock with a slight gloss to it, each page is composed with thought and a keen sense of space.
Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 1-3. Author-illustrator Weitzman celebrates Javanese shadow puppetry in this retelling of the Hindu epic The Ramayana. Weitzman begins his version with Prince Rama's exile from his father's kingdom, accompanied by his beautiful bride, Sita, and his devoted brother, Lesmana. When a demon king captures Sita, Lesmana and Rama save her, aided by a cast of mythical creatures. Weitzman uses the framework of a Javanese puppet show to surround the narrative. He briefly describes the puppeteer's preparations, and his elaborately detailed, gold-accented illustrations mimic the angular, long-limbed, two-dimensional look of shadow puppets. Unfortunately, he misses the opportunity to provide background on this theatrical tradition, and the little bit that children may infer from the text may be more confusing than helpful. What children will easily connect with is the exciting superhero action, which Weitzman sets down in elegant, well-paced language. Jatinder Verma's The Story of Divaali [BKL D 15 02] is a much more accessible version of the story, but Weitzman's story-within-a-story is a unique, if not entirely successful, perspective. Gillian Engberg
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