Indian folklore comes alive in this slightly suspenseful and delightfully humorous tale about a barber who is full of compassion and generosity and a bit light on the making enough money for shelter and food. His wife sends him one day insisting that he not come back until he has some money to show for his day's work. His compassion typically leads him down a path of being uncomfortable asking to be paid for his work.
Away from his familiar world the barber takes a nap under a tree and wakes to find himself confronting a hungry ghost who is imagining the barber as his next meal. A moment of fear quickly becomes an opportunity seized as the barber cleverly whips out his mirror and frightens the ghost with his own image.
This is a lovely, gentle tale set in Bengal. Makes a great read aloud for talking about being kind to others and taking care of yourself too! And the ghosts give it the edge that keeps the wiggly listeners waiting for more.
32 pages 978-0874838350 Ages 5-9
Recommended by: Barb Langridge, abookandahug.com
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A barber in Bengal is so generous to others that sometimes he has nothing left for his own family. When he comes home empty-handed once again, his wife, tired of going hungry, sends him packing until he finds a way to feed the family. As the barber rests under a banyan tree he is terrorized by a ghost. Through his cleverness, though, he turns the frightening encounter into a solution to his problems.
When he returns home to his grateful wife, their money worries are over, and the barber can continue to share with those in need. In a hilarious turn of events, the barber discovers a way to scare the ghost into doing what he says.
Kristen Balouch's crisp and colorful illustrations transport us to a world where the living bargain and bluff with the dead, where the communities gather under sprawling banyan trees, and where generosity prevails. This colorful, Indian folktale will teach readers the importance of courage, resourcefulness and trustworthiness.--from the publisher
