Sacred River: The Ganges of India

Lewin, Ted. Sacred River: The Ganges of India. Boston, MA: Houghton-Mifflin, 2003

Sacred River: The Ganges of India, is a representation of the sacred river in India where millions of Hindu Pilgrims journey to the city of Benares where they renew themselves in the water each year. It is a picture book that looks at the traditions and customs of the Hindu people by showing the boatmen to the bathers seeking religious purification in the holy waters, the religious solitaires meditating on its banks, the cremation grounds and lastly, the final journey of the ashes of the departed.

Although there is little text, the illustrations are rich in detail with colorful illustrations that paint a picture of what takes place in India for the reader. The text and illustrations accurately portray the different representations of the Hindu culture. While working on Sacred River, which he both wrote and illustrated, Ted traveled to India and observed the Hindus on their pilgrimage to the banks of the Ganges River in Benares. When creating his books, Ted does research in order to truly capture the culture that he is depicting and writing about.

This picture book has the most accurate portrayal of the Indian culture out of all of the books that I found. The detail of Lewin's illustrations makes this book a great text for students to read and have the ability to learn about the Indian Culture. The artwork gives its audience a glance of what life is like in India and the process in which the Hindus release the spirit and ashes of their loved one’s into the Ganges river.