FOLKLORE Hanuman is no ordinary monkey. Son of the celestial nymph Anjana and the wind god Pavan, Hanuman was born on Earth to be a helper for Ram, the earthly incarnation of Lord Vishnu and the hero of the Hindu epic the Ramayana. Hanuman has the ability to leap higher than the sun and move faster than the wind. When the demon king Ravana kidnaps Ram’s wife, Sita, and carries her off to his island home, the army that goes to rescue her is left discouraged on the beach–stopped by the wide expanse of water between them and the island of Lanka. But magical Hanuman is able to jump over the ocean in one amazing bound. He finds the captive Sita and helps her to take heart and remain strong and confident that Ram will find a way to save her. And indeed Ram does, but only with the assistance of his devoted monkey helper. Hanuman shrinks to the size of a fly; grows large enough to uproot a huge tree as though it were a turnip; soars through the sky, setting the city of Lanka on fire with the tip of his tail; and digs up an entire mountain in order to deliver its healing herbs to Ram’s stricken army. Illustrated with rich color paintings executed in the traditional Indian wash technique, this retelling of Hanuman’s story makes accessible to Western children and their parents one of the most playful and beloved characters of the Hindu tradition. VATSALA SPERLING, Ph.D., fluent in a number of Indian -languages and Sanskrit, learned these -traditional stories at her mother’s feet and enjoys introducing them to children of the Western world. Before marrying and moving to the United States, she was the chief of Clinical Microbiological Services at the largest children’s hospital in India. She is the author of How Ganesh Got His Elephant Head, How Parvati Won the Heart of Shiva, and Ram the Demon Slayer and lives in Vermont with her husband and son. SANDEEP JOHARI was raised by his uncle Harish Johari, who taught him classical Indian painting. He is the creative director in an advertising agency in New Delhi, India.
