ALA Booklist (Sun Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2013)

Twelve-year-old Arun Gandhi travels with his family from their home in South Africa to India to be with their grandfather, the Mahatma, in his service village of Sevagram, where they stay for two years. Arun loves his grandfather but resents all of the others who monopolize his time, and he worries about living up to his supreme example. He is a child, and like a child, he erupts in anger, seethes in frustration, and longs for connection. And his grandfather is there to tell him that anger is human and we must work to use it so it cannot use us. Collaborating with first-time picture-book author Hegedus, Arun Gandhi recalls his own childhood experiences, relating the stories in an immediate first-person voice. Working in mixed media, with pieces of fabric clothing and hand-cut, hand-painted figures, Turk mixes carefully detailed renderings with abstracted expressions of emotional struggle, achieving a powerful balance. A personal portrait of a legendary figure.

Horn Book (Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

Mahatma Gandhi's grandson, Arun, who angers easily, feels he will never live up to the Gandhi name. Gandhi explains that he, too, feels anger but has learned to channel it for good. Unusual for its child-centered portrait of Gandhi, the graceful narrative is matched by vivid mixed-media illustrations, rendered in watercolor, paper collage, cotton fabric, yarn, gouache, pencil, tea, and tinfoil.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

More than 10 years in the writing, this true story by Gandhi-s grandson and Hegedus (Truth with a Capital T) gives a personal window inside the peacemaker-s teachings. As a 12-year-old, Arun and his family come to live at an ashram where Gandhi resides with followers. Vibrant, mixed-media collages from debut talent Turk depict the boy-s first frustrating weeks there. A tangle of black yarn swirls around Arun, the threads creating a proverbial black cloud, as he struggles to learn a new language, share his grandfather with others, and even feel like a Gandhi: -peace and stillness did not come easily to me.- When Arun-s temper flares, he runs tearfully to Gandhi, who compares anger to electricity: destructive as lightning or a force channeled to power lamps. -Then anger can illuminate. It can turn the darkness into light.- Turk-s illustrations are stylized, strikingly patterned, and rendered in contrasting purples and golds, blues and creams, blacks and whites, highlighting the tension between anger and peace. Dynamic visuals and storytelling create a rousing family story that speaks to a broad audience. Ages 4-8. Authors- agent: Regina Brooks, Serendipity Literary Agency. (Mar.)

School Library Journal (Sat Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2014)

Gr 1-3 Mahatma Gandhi, as seen through the eyes of one his grandsons, is depicted in this picture-book biography as a loving grandfather and a revered figure. Twelve-year-old Arun and his family have come to live in his bapu 's "service village," which is a great honor, but is also hard for young Arun, who must share his grandfather with so many others demanding his time and attention. The boy frets over the difficulty of living up to the expectations that carrying the name Gandhi entails, and when a disagreement during a soccer game sparks his anger, Arun seeks out his wise and loving grandfather for comfort and advice. This is less a biography of a famous leader and more of an ode to a great man by an adoring grandson. While background details are left intentionally vague, i.e., the family's reasons for moving to India, memories of Gandhi himself are sharp and specific, lending an air of intimacy. The accompanying artwork is stunning, the use of mixed media collage is effective and beautiful, with varying perspectives and intriguing materials on display on every page. With so many biographies about Gandhi published recently, this one stands out for its unique point of view and gorgeous art, and makes a fine supplement to any collection. Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA