ALA Booklist (Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

The Warli people lived in Western India in the tenth century BCE. According to the book, they were one of the earliest groups to make the shift from being hunter-gatherers to farmers. The illustrations are based on traditional Warli art, which employs "geometric shapes made with a white rice flour paste on a darker background." A historical note points out that the Warlis created art reflecting their lives and surroundings, rather than showing gods. Useful background information is provided, including an explanation of key terms, a time line, and a discussion of how civilizations formed on rivers. Children can appreciate the story on its own as well. Jeong's intricate artwork is accompanied by short lines of text for each two-page spread. Topics such as the tribe (introduction of the people), seeds, salt, animals and trees, and more introduce various elements of daily life. A dramatic image of the rainy season shifts the book's orientation to emphasize how the monsoons alter regular rhythms. This beautiful and unusual book is a useful addition to studies of worldwide early peoples.

Kirkus Reviews

The women of the Warli people of western India first produced wall murals, but now men commercially produce these designs on paper and canvases.Focusing on quotidian activities, these paintings are highly recognizable due to their use of geometric shapes, including figures created with two triangles, one inverted above the other. White, rice-flour people, animals, trees, and symbols are traditionally painted on dark backgrounds made of red mud or cow dung. Jeong has skillfully created a series of paintings that look like the originals. She has taken a few liberties in doing one double-page spread with brown ink on a beige background and one illustration with a green background. Part of the Trade Winds series "featuring stories set in key periods of the history of economy and culture," the book's main attraction is the strong illustrations, which will probably appeal more to adults interested in folk art than young children. The simple text accompanying each spread is appropriate for children but often seems so generalized that it could almost describe any agricultural society. Troublingly, the book almost gives the impression that the Warli people no longer exist. The backmatter attempts to contextualize this culture within other agricultural societies but confuses rather than enlightens. Not of general interest to the intended audience. (cultural, historical, and art-historical notes, glossary, timeline) (Informational picture book. 6-9)

School Library Journal (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

Gr 3-5A startling first sentence cements the Warli in the past: "In about the 10th century BCE, in western India, there lived a group of people called the Warlis." (Most historians say that the tribe can be traced back to that time, with their art employing a perhaps 5,000-year-old style, and resembling some rock paintings that might have been done earlier elsewhere.) The text simply and eloquently depicts their civilization as one revolving around farm life; confusingly, the back matter notes the tribe's move from hunting/gathering to agriculture, circa 2500 BCE. The text omits all mention of religion, societal or political organization, the female artists' use of rice-paste paint, or the artwork's preservation. With the exception of the back cover, the Warli are referred to entirely in the past tense, as if they were ancient history, although almost a million are alive today, some still making art. Alas, none of the engaging images in the book are actually Warli paintings. The illustrations are "modeled after" Warli works. In other words, the lively images, which closely copy Warli style, are especially egregious as the Warli are trying to preserve their cultural intellectual property. VERDICT Appealing, almost lyrical, text is marred by a lack of context and questionable art.Patricia D. Lothrop, formerly at St. George's School, Newport, RI