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Where Three Oceans Meet

by Rajani LaRocca

CCBC Review:

Sejal, her mom, and her grandmother (Pati) plan “to travel to the very tip of India, where three oceans meet.” They each want to see and do different things along the way. The first few pages introduce the characters. Pati and Mommy speak Tamil, Mommy and Sejal speak English, and Pati and Sejal speak a mixture of Tamil, English, and Kannada and use a lot of gestures. Sejal describes the clothes they pack for their trip: saris, t-shirts, jeans, langas, and blouses. In Chennai, they all eat a huge dosa, each with their favorite toppings. They take a train through the countryside to Coimbatore to visit friends. They take a slow boat ride down a river. They go shopping and enjoy street food. Sejal gets sick, and Mommy and Pati take care of her. Then they resume their trip, visiting the temple in Madurai, and eventually they stand on the tip of India at Kanyakumari, three family members (one from India, one who moved to America, and one born in America) together. The details of their family life and their trip together make for a fascinating story. The cartoon-style illustrations are filled with specific family and cultural details. The author and illustrator each provide an endnote relating their own personal experiences with visiting relatives in India as a child (the author), and being born and raised there (the illustrator). Highly Commended, 2021-2022 Charlotte Zolotow Award ©2022 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Illustrated by Archana Sreenivasan

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 3-7
Age Range: Babies/Toddlers (birth – 3) PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Format: Picture book
Subjects: Asian Americans Communication Grandmothers Indians and Indian Americans Mothers Travel
Diversity subject: Asian Other Religion

Publisher: Abrams
Publish Year: 2021
Pages: 40
ISBN: 9781419741296
CCBC Location: Picture Book, LaRocca

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