Do! - Hardcover

Wolf, Gita

4.12

25 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 8190754610 ISBN 13: 9788190754613

Publisher: Tara Books, 2009

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Do! is a set of action pictures rendered in the elegantly minimalist Warli style of tribal art. It introduces basic verbs to the young reader through a series of delicately drawn pictograms, which both illustrate the verb and tell a further string of stories. Every page or pair of pages invites the child to explore a busy world and make up her own tales. The art conjures up a world teeming with human figures, animals, plants, and birds.

The illustrations in Do! were made by people belonging to a tribal community in Maharashtra, in western India. Ramesh Hengadi, Rasika Hengadi, Shantaram Dhadpe, and Kusum Dhadpe are the artists featured in this book.

Do! was conceived of by Gita Wolf, who has written more than seventeen books for children and adults. A highly original and creative voice in contemporary Indian publishing, she has pursued her interest in exploring and experimenting with the form of the book and its status as a revered cultural object.

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About the Author:

Gita Wolf has written more than seventeen books for children and adults. A highly original and creative voice in contemporary Indian publishing, she has pursued her interest in exploring and experimenting with the form of the book and its status as a revered cultural object. Many of her children's books have won major international awards.

Review:

This unique and assiduously crafted book features illustrations by members of the Warli Tribe in Maharashtra, India, silk-screen printed on recycled craft paper the color of paper bags, lending an organic, rough-hewn feel. A single verb (pull, drink, carry) appears on each page or spread as figures in white perform each of the actions. As a note explains, the images mimic lime and chalk paintings from the region, which are traditionally created by women on walls washed with cow dung, mud, and paint. The flat, narrow, hourglass-shaped humans and primal animals possess surprising vitality: the "fight" page features figures wrestling and wielding sticks while, by a peanut shaped pond, deerlike creatures clash horns. For "play," figures play badminton, shoot marbles, jump rope, and toss balls. Parents will find the book's finesse and aesthetic appropriate for coffee table display, though kids should also grasp the concept and appreciate the stylish and dynamic imagery. Ages 4-6 --Publishers Weekly

"This unique and assiduously crafted book features illustrations by members of the Warli Tribe in Maharashtra, India, silk-screen printed on recycled craft paper the color of paper bags, lending an organic, rough-hewn feel. A single verb (pull, drink, carry) appears on each page or spread as figures in white perform each of the actions. As a note explains, the images mimic lime and chalk paintings from the region, which are traditionally created by women on walls washed with cow dung, mud, and paint. The flat, narrow, hourglass-shaped humans and primal animals possess surprising vitality: the "fight" page features figures wrestling and wielding sticks while, by a peanut shaped pond, deerlike creatures clash horns. For "play," figures play badminton, shoot marbles, jump rope, and toss balls. Parents will find the book's finesse and aesthetic appropriate for coffee table display, though kids should also grasp the concept and appreciate the stylish and dynamic imagery. Ages 4-6 -- Publishers Weekly, NY, March 2010

"Much more than the introduction to English verbs for young children that it first appears to be -- as is the case with most projects of Tara Books ... The wealth of detailed imagery in Do! offers much stimulating material for young children to use in making up their own stories.The book is another example of how Tara's commitment to new and emerging tribal artists in India benefits an international audience." --Paper Tigers, October 2010

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