Mythology, Legend, and a Life Lesson That Home Means Everything in a Gorgeous Picture Book

Hari and Deepti, two internationally known paper cut artists, introduce young readers to a story based on mythology from their native Mumbai. The Seekers has a life lesson in teaching children that our environment is crucial to life and home is everything. Young readers are also introduced to mythological creatures in the form of a gorgeous picture book.

Mio and Nao grew up hearing the legends of the Silver Fox and Fire Wolf, two creatures that represented Ice and Fire and also day and night. The river that was so important to the life of the villagers was suddenly in danger under some mysterious threat. The two set off to discover what has endangered the river. One day Nao discovers a unique snail and inside the shell is a beautiful jewel. Mio believes that this jewel is some kind of key to what is threatening the river because ever since the jewel was discovered, changes have occurred. The river has become slower and slower. The shells have almost disappeared. As they travel on, Mio and Nao discover burned trees and smoky skies. The jewels do hold the key to what has happened to the forest and the river. Readers will discover the secret that the jewels hold and a lesson in how harmful greed can be is also learned.

The Seekers comes at a time when climate change is a major topic in the world. Young readers will see a correlation between what is happening in the legendary villages and in our own environment. Stunning illustrations from the two paper cut artists are intricately done and help to provide interest in the story.

The Seekers was published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House Children's Books and is recommended for ages 4-8. The Authors' Note is of particular interest for adults who purchase this gorgeous picture book for a child. The Seekers has an ISBN of 978-1-524-70152-9.

Picture books were a go-to tool for me when I was still in the classroom. I found picture books to be the best way to introduce my kindergarten students to a concept that I wanted to teach. The Seekers is an important picture book to introduce young children to caring for our environment in what has become a crucial topic of interest with climate change. It is also an intriguing story to introduce them to the literature form of mythology and legends.

*Read The Seekers in a group story time session. Call attention to the two legendary creatures that represent Ice and Fire in the legend. These also represent day and night in the myths.

*Call attention to the brilliant colors that are featured in the illustrations. How are these colors found in our environment?

*What was happening to the river? Why was the river important to the villagers? Engage students in a discussion of why water is important in our world. This can later lead to a discussion of the fact that we must take care of our rivers, lakes, and oceans.

*What did Nao discover on ttheir travels? What was the significance of her discovery ?

*Engage students in a discussion of the importance of our forests. Why did the villagers set fire to the trees? How did this affect the river?

*Have a globe available to locate Mumbai, India. Locate other important areas of our world where forests and rivers are important to the environment.

*Engage students in a discussion of what they can do to take care of our rivers. lakes, and oceans. Engage students in a discussion of what they might be seeing or hearing about climate change in our world now.