Shower of Gold
Girls and Women in the
Stories of India

retold by Uma Krishnaswami
illustrated by Maniam Selven

"This wonderful collection of folklore is a fine addition to any library." —School Library Journal (8/99)

"Retold with immediacy and verve, these stories from the Indian subcontinent include Hindu and Buddhist tales, folklore, fables from old literary works, and legends based on the lives of real women. There are several reincarnation stories, a Romeo and Juliet story from fifteenth-century India, tales of Hindu goddesses who are magical and powerful, and traditional male-dominated stories told from the female point of view. Krishnaswami’s informal introduction is eloquent about themes, ideas, women’s roles, and cultural traditions in the stories she has chosen, and also about the way all stories move through time and place . . . she combines the casual with the scholarly and always cites further sources (including the Internet) for individual stories and in a final bibliography." —Booklist (3/15/99)

"Fascinating. . . . The retellings, simply and poetically presented, are a fine example of the storyteller’s art. . . . Humor, pathos, romance, and courage all have prominent places in these stories . . . ; set within the cultural framework so expertly provided, these tales will be a rich and rewarding experience." —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (5/99)

Krishnaswami provides supportive material for these tales in the introduction. Notes following each tale put it into context, and a pronunciation guide, a glossary, a list of characters, and source notes round out the book.

About the Author

A native of India, Uma Krishnaswami lives in New Mexico with her husband and son, and writes, teaches writing, and talks to schools and library groups across the country about writing and mythology. She has one other book published by Linnet, The Broken Tusk: Stories of the Hindu God Ganesha, and another title on the way about using the national parks to teach history to children.

For our complete list of Folktales and Storytelling books, click here.