The Greatest River

Have you read Namita’s latest book “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘙𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳” yet? I was very curious to find out how she has woven the story, for writing one with Ganga in the spotlight isn’t easy. I was even more curious to find out how Khoa Le would integrate her style to illustrate the Ganga and a story revolving around it, which is typically South Asian (and not South East Asian – there’s a distinct difference)!

The story is about Ananda who had heard about the magic of the Ganga ever since she was a baby. Her Mamma is now unwell and finally she goes to the banks of the Ganga with her Maasi to pray for her mother and feels the healing vibes.

The story is beautiful but it must have been such a challenge to write about it – for Ganga is close to the hearts of millions of people of the Indian origin; there are rituals that take place by its banks; its flow speaks to the soul… and Namita has caught the very essence in her book! Khoa Le doesn’t miss a beat – I love the illustration on the spread where Maasi and Ananda offer diyas and of course the one on Ganga-Arati (the magic of the Ganga Arati is intense – if you watch this once in your lifetime, you will yearn for it again, such is its charm)!

Don’t miss the Author’s Note for the back story and the Cultural Note for more on Ganga. My only wish – if only there was a way to find more about the creative process for Khoa Le in this book!

This book is a beauty! Great for preschool and above!

PS. Khoa has a great blog post on the creative journey of illustrating this book - https://www.khoaleartwork.com/post/greatest_river

Do read this; I love that she writes “I don’t want my art to simply depict everything that happens in the story, it should also convey the underlying emotions of the characters and the subtle nuances of the backdrop” – and this is exactly what sets great illustrators apart! Thanks Namita for the link to the blogpost!