Selvakumar Knew Better
“Tsunami! Run!”
The bright December morning dawned like any other. The Ramakrishnan family went about their daily business, but their scruffy yellow dog, Selvakumar, felt something in the air.
When a low rumbling noise began to fill the village, Papa climbed on the roof to see what was happening. What he saw was a wall of water rushing toward the shore. “Tsunami! Run!” The family scrambled to outrun the huge wave, but seven-year-old Dinakaran misunderstood. He ran toward his house, where he huddled in a corner for safety.
But Selvakumar would not let him stay there. Barking, nudging, and dragging Dinakaran by the collar, Selvakumar managed to convince him to flee from the house toward the hill. As they reached higher ground, the boy stopped to catch his breath, but Selvakumar knew better. He pushed him even higher to where Mama and Papa had fled and were waiting, worrying about their eldest son.
This true story of a courageous and clever dog who saved a boy’s life during the devastating tsunami of 2004 is sure to touch the hearts of readers of all ages. While the region is still struggling to recover from the disaster and families rebuild what they have lost, Selvakumar reminds us that with our loved ones beside us, no obstacle is too great to be overcome.
Proceeds from every book are donated to Give2Asia's Tsunami Recovery Fund.
India 2-Book Set
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Build-a-Bear Workshop has a website that includes all sorts of fun things for kids, and every month "Bearemy" the bear picks books on a theme for his book club. April features dogs and ecology, so Selvakumar Knew Better by Virginia Kroll and Xiaojun Li fit right in. You can see it and the book club here.
That's me and Virginia Kroll outside the San Jose airport. I had just given her a copy of The Wakame Gatherers, so that explains why Virginia Kroll would be illogically holding someone else's book. Of course, I wasn't thinking clearly enough to take a picture of us somewhere more beautiful, either, like the Asilomar Conference Grounds. No, we posed at the curb of the departures doors at Terminal A. Brilliant, Renee.
Wowee! Selvakumar Knew Better by Virginia Kroll and illustrated by Xiaojun Li has been chosen as a Best Children's Book of the Year by the Children's Book Committee of the Bank Street College of Education. Every year, they select a list of the best books and print a wonderful little booklet that is organized by age group and subject, indexed and cross-referenced. A wonderful resource, and a wonderful honor for Selvakumar.
I'm on a little pre-Thanksgiving vacation in Las Vegas at the moment, but I wanted to share a link to this nice essay at Paper Tigers that reminds us to be thankful and highlights books that keep on giving-- where the publisher donates some or all of the profits to a worthy cause. It's a great little list to keep in mind as Thanksgiving comes and goes, and holiday gifts need to be bought.
Best of all? Our very own Selvakumar Knew Better, by Virginia Kroll and illustrated by Xiaojun Li, is one of the featured books. A percentage of proceeds from this book goes to Give2Asia's Tsunami Recovery Fund.
The September issue of the online children's literature monthly At the Edge of the Forest is up! And I am pleased as punch and pie that editor Kelly Herold has chosen the Shen's Books publication, Selvakumar Knew Better (by Virginia Kroll and illustrated by Xiaojun Li) as one of its non-fiction stand outs for the month."...a marvelous volume which should give many children insights into the life of the villagers affected by these natural events."
-Frank Hodge, Hodge-Podge BooksVirginia Kroll is the author of over 50 books for children, many of them multicultural. She loves animals and nature and is aware of the deep connection between dogs and humans. Her current companions are Daisy, a gentle, smooth-haired collie, Ying-Yang, an affectionate shih-tzu, and Bella, a spirited chihuahua. Virginia is married to David Haeick and has six children. She lives in the delightful Village of Hamburg, New York, just south of Buffalo.
Xiaojun Li Xiaojun Li is an internationally known children's book illustrator. His illustrations have won him awards from United Nations, China, Japan and United States. Born and raised in Inner Mongolia of north China, Xiaojun Li studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Tianjin and the University of California Davis, he now lives with his wife and son in Davis California.
Shen’s Books is a publisher of multicultural children’s literature that emphasizes cultural diversity and tolerance, with a focus on introducing children to the cultures of Asia.
Through books, we can share a world a stories, building greater understanding and tolerance within our increasingly diverse communities as well as throughout our continuously shrinking globe.
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