Ann Whitehead Nagda,
Snake Charmer.
Henry Holt, 2002.

Children love to read books about what they might become someday as adults: firefighters, doctors, and artists, for instance. However, in such depictions, these professionals are often smiling stiffly in staged situations. Their jobs are romanticized, perhaps out of concern that children might not appreciate the grittier side of careers.

Snake Charmers is a story that portrays professions in a more realistic light. It is not the exotic nature of snakes nor the lure of the charmer's flute that Ann Whitehead Nagda focuses upon. Rather, hers is a very realistic portrayal of the many problems the snake charmers face as they eke out a living from a dying profession. Perhaps because of the stark realism that Ms. Nagda employs, the craft of snake charming impresses the reader as both meaningful and mesmerizing.

Vishnu Singh is a young Indian boy whose father and grandfather are snake charmers. Far from insisting that he follow the family tradition, they encourage him to continue with school, even if Vishnu himself longs to learn how to tame snakes. We follow Vishnu as he spends an ordinary day in his village. To the captivated reader, however, Vishnu's life is far from routine. Using vivid descriptions and excellent photographs, Nagda reveals Vishnu's world with all its grinding poverty, fascinating rituals, and memorable characters. Even while providing a lucid and detailed description of the history of snake charming, Ms. Nagda maintains the mystery of this fascinating profession.

Children may not desire to charm snakes after reading this account, but they certainly will gain invaluable and intimate insights of one very real boy's life in faraway India.

Fatima Wilson