Amma, Tell Me about Diwali!

This is an excellent series of books to learn about Indian festivals. Our grandchildren enjoy them immensely. Every year, their grandmother has to read the whole story to them. They love the illustrations.

beautifully illustrated, my 5yr old and 3yr old loves listening to it - easy to follow but also has an important message 'just praying isn't enough, actions need to be good!'

Great for bi-culture children. I got this for my daughter and we live in NZ. It may be a bit too much for an 18 month old but she sure did enjoy looking at the colours and am sure in time she will enjoy it. I just wish the language used were more toddler friendly i.e. words that rhyme. May be a little difficult considering the cultural differences. Otherwise, book is definitely a hit.

This book is a wonderful little package that covers all the highlights of Diwali.- Starts with sharing a perfect, happy & festive Diwali day to highlight the celebrations.- Then recaps the Ramayana in about 9 pages & 14 short paragraphs to share the reason for the celebration.- Finally ends with a story about Goddess Lakshmi, which has a beautiful moral that highlights the importance of honesty & hard work for kids.All in all: This book is a perfect little package that celebrates the festival, shares the reason behind the festivities - and all with the help of FANTASTIC ILLUSTRATIONS!!HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

I like that, unlike many other books, it tells the story behind the festival with Rama and Sita and Ravana.Unfortunately the writing is stilted with no rhythm and poor rhymes. The illustrations aren't my favourite either- on one page the child's eye is Picasso-like and sits halfway off his face. I do like the patterns though.

No doubt about it, this book looks beautiful. The illustrations are fantastic. However, as many have said, the prose is just annoying and leaves much to be desired. Sometimes it tries to rhyme, sometimes there is no rhyming at all. Words such as “thus” are used randomly. Would have been better if it simply told the story, instead with all this fussing much of it is lost. Unfortunately there is a real shortage of decent Diwali story books out there for younger kids. Luckily my son was raptured by the images and I was able to fill in huge gaps in the story myself and answer his questions, but to someone learning about Diwali for the first time this book would not be suitable. A shame.

Badly written book, difficult to read, does not flow. The writer should spend less time trying to fit in the names of all her family members and more time focussing on the text.

My 3 year old asks me to read this to her constantly! At first, I thought this book would be a little long, which it could be for those with a shorter attention span, but my daughter not only listened to the entire story, I had to re-read it on request. It is nice, however, if you wish to break it up. The book has 3 "sections" that aren't clearly delineated, but easy enough to figure out as you read. First, it starts with how Klaka (the main character) celebrates Diwali with his family. Then, his Amma (mom) tells him about why we celebrate Diwali, about Rama vs. Ravana, etc. Lastly, he hears about Goddess Lakshmi and the importance of being a good person, not just doing the rituals of lighting diyas. The pictures are beautiful, the verses rhyme a bit loosely (I didn't even notice the rhyme my first time through the book), the message is great, the history is told in a simple way for young children. All in all, I love this book and most importantly, my daughter loves it too!

Excellent!!!!

Amma tell me series is the best series for kids, in my view..I came across Durga book and Diwali book recently. And immediately made a purchase. My child is 5 yo and the grasping power of kids in this age grp is high. The eye catching illustrations and the ease of the story makes sure that this story stays with kids for long. This book and the durga puja book are really good additions in my kid's library.

This book is a wonderful little package that covers all the highlights of Diwali.- Starts with sharing a perfect, happy & festive Diwali day to highlight the celebrations.- Then recaps the Ramayana in about 9 pages & 14 short paragraphs to share the reason for the celebration.- Finally ends with a story about Goddess Lakshmi, which has a beautiful moral that highlights the importance of honesty & hard work for kids.All in all: This book is a perfect little package that celebrates the festival, shares the reason behind the festivities - and all with the help of FANTASTIC ILLUSTRATIONS!!HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

Apart from the beautiful illustrations, the story line tells us the reason why and how Diwali is celebrated. There s also a good message in the end.