Rachna Gilmore, illustrated by Pulak Biswas,
The Flute
Tradewind Books, 2011.

Rating: E

You can hear the gushing river and the trill of a flute, so elegant, gentle and hopeful. A little girl called Chandra was born like most little babies, loved in their mother’s arms.

This beautifully written and illustrated story is reminiscent of a folkloric tale, sweeping us away in the pains, struggles and the hopes of Chandra’s young life in an exotic land. Each page we turn we want to learn more about her, to the point of wanting to pluck her out of the book to help her.

As some folklore and cultural based stories go, the protagonist gets ostracized because they do not live up to the standard of the people around them. This perfect formula is represented when Chandra moves in with her aunt and uncle since her parents disappeared. One can’t help but draw parallels to the classic Cinderella story, where both girls are worked mercilessly meanwhile being tormented, instead this time by her two male cousins. Her only solace was this eroded little wooden flute her mother had given to her upon her passing.

Chandra’s character has such a deep human element. As time passes our memories start to fade of loved ones, as does Chandra with her mother’s songs. Continually occupied by obeying and working tirelessly to help her family, yet Chandra is treated like a second grade citizen. The one moment she rests she makes a connection with her mother through whistling, similarly as humans we clear our minds our hearts open up. The more Chandra starts to connect with this flute, the more it starts to nourish her both with food and love. Due to the fruits of her flute, the story takes a dark turn where the innocent Chandra eventually is accused of being "an evil child" and practising "unholy magic".

The story comes full circle. Now little Chandra is abandoned and submerged in the monsoon waters much like her parents were. The only thing she had to hold on to is the trust and guidance of the flute, which leads her to ultimately find a loving home.

Rachna Gilmore’s enchanting story of hope and Pulak Biswas’ simple East Asian rural scenes flow with depth and grace just as the waters of the river in its calm spring stream. The graceful language is complimented in charcoal and ink textured monochromatic illustrations with hints of primary hues. A perfect marriage highlighting red for earth and life, blue for water and the yellow warmth of the sun and of course, her namesake Chandra for the moon in the sky.

This inspiring book is sure to be a permanent fixture in any library and one to be handed down from generation to generation.

Thematic Links: East Asia; Music; Culture; Folk Literature; Traditional Fables

Lara Chauvin
Vol. 17, number 1
October 2011

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.