Arun Gandhi, born in 1934, is the fifth grandson of Mohandas K.
Gandhi, also known as Mahatma Gandhi. He was a journalist for more
than thirty years for the Times of India and has written for The
Washington Post. His first of two books for children was
Grandfather Gandhi. Currently, Arun serves as president of the
Gandhi Worldwide Education Institute and travels the world speaking
to governmental leaders, as well as to university and high school
students about the practices of peace and nonviolence. He lives in
Rochester, New York. Visit him at ArunGandhi.org.
Bethany Hegedus is the author of Between Us Baxters and Truth with
a Capital T, as well as the coauthor of Grandfather Gandhi. She
owns The Writing Barn, a writing workshop and retreat center in
Austin, Texas. She teaches widely and speaks across the country.
Visit her online at BethanyHegedus.com.
Evan Turk is an Ezra Jack Keats Award–winning illustrator, author,
and animator. He is the author-illustrator of The
Storyteller, Heartbeat, You Are Home: An Ode to the
National Parks, A Thousand Glass
Flowers, and Hello, Moon and the illustrator
of Muddy: The Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters, which was
a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s
Book; The People’s Painter; Grandfather Gandhi; and its
companion Be the Change. Originally from Colorado, Evan
now lives in southern California with his husband and two cats. He
is a graduate of Parsons School of Design. Visit him at
EvanTurk.com.
"Collaborating with first-time picture-book author Hegedus, Arun
Gandhi recalls his own childhood experiences, relating the stories
in an immediate first-person voice. Working in mixed media, with
pieces of fabric clothing and hand-cut, hand-painted figures, Turk
mixes carefully detailed renderings with abstracted expressions of
emotional struggle, achieving a powerful balance. A personal
portrait of a legendary figure."
*Booklist, December 2013*
* "More than 10 years in the writing, this true story by Gandhi’s
grandson and Hegedus (Truth with a Capital T) gives a personal
window inside the peacemaker’s teachings…. Turk’s illustrations are
stylized, strikingly patterned, and rendered in contrasting purples
and golds, blues and creams, blacks and whites, highlighting the
tension between anger and peace. Dynamic visuals and storytelling
create a rousing family story that speaks to a broad audience.”
*Publishers Weekly, December 2013, *STARRED REVIEW*
* "This first-person account presents Mohandas Gandhi through the
eyes of his then–12-year-old grandson.... Turk’s complex collages,
rich in symbolic meaning and bold, expressive imagery, contribute
greatly to the emotional worldbuilding.... Never burdened by its
message, this exceptional title works on multiple levels; it is
both a striking introduction to a singular icon and a compelling
story about the universal experience of a child seeking approval
from a revered adult."
*Kirkus Reviews, January 2014, *STARRED REVIEW*
"Mahatma Gandhi, as seen through the eyes of one his grandsons, is
depicted in this picture-book biography as a loving grandfather and
a revered figure...an ode to a great man by an adoring
grandson...memories of Gandhi himself are sharp and specific,
lending an air of intimacy. The accompanying artwork is stunning,
the use of mixed media collage is effective and beautiful, with
varying perspectives and intriguing materials on display on every
page. With so many biographies about Gandhi published recently,
this one stands out for its unique point of view and gorgeous art,
and makes a fine supplement to any collection."
*School Library Journal, February 2014*
"Unusual for its child-centered and intimate portrait of Gandhi (we
learn, for example, that he smelled like peanut oil), the graceful
narrative is nearly outdone by the vivid mixed-media illustrations,
rendered in watercolor, paper collage, cotton fabric, cotton, yarn,
gouache, pencil, tea, and tinfoil. The cotton yarn, handspun on an
Indian book charkha, gives the pictures such a three-dimensional
look that one feels as though it could be plucked right off
Gandhi’s spinning wheel. But it’s more than just an attractive
effect—the yarn becomes a visual metaphor for anger channeled into
light."
*Horn Book Magazine, March/April 2014*
"The grandson of Mahatma Gandhi tells this true tale of how he
learned to use his anger to work for him rather than letting it
take control of him. . . . The spare text in this magical,
transformative anecdote is paired with mixed media artwork. . . .
Turk brilliantly uses broader, thicker strokes and darker colors to
show anger. By telling the story of Gandhi’s approach to civil
disobedience in this manner, it becomes a relevant, approachable
concept for youngsters today."
*Library Media Connection, August/September 2014, Highly
Recommended*
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