• Age: 3 to 5
• Grade: p to k
• Reading age: 3 to 5

In this beautiful picturebook written by Governor General's Award-winning author Rachna Gilmore and illustrated by India's most renowned illustrator, Pulak Biswas, a little girl nearly drowns when a swollen river overflows its banks. Tragically, her beloved mother and father are swept away in the flood. Raised by a cruel and uncaring aunt and uncle, the little girl finds solace in her mother's magic flute. The Flute is an enchanting tale of the power of hope and the resilience of the human spirit.

Rachna Gilmore is the critically acclaimed Governor General's Award winning author of numerous books with multiple honours and awards. Her publications include picture books, early readers, middle grade and young adult novels, as well as adult fiction. Her books are sold internationally with translations in French, Danish, German, Korean, Dutch, Spanish, Urdu, Bengali, Chinese as well as several other languages.
Rachna's fantasy novel, The Sower of Tales, won the National Chapter IODE Violet Downey Book Award, and was nominated for the Red Maple Award and the Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award. Her YA novel, A Group of One, (published by Henry Holt, and now available in paperback in Canada, published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside) received a Jane Addams Children's Book Award Honor citation and was included in the New York Public Library's Best Books for the Teen Age list.
A student of life, Rachna loves to explore the ideas that spark and seize her imagination, as well as to play with words. She calls the process of creating books plarking - work, she says, is too tedious and grinding a word to describe the delight of the creative process, and play doesn't quite convey the real time and effort that goes into completing a book, whereas plarking covers it all, especially as it also reflects the joy and song of larking about.
Born in India, Rachna has lived in London, England, Prince Edward Island, and now lives in Ottawa. A skilled and experienced presenter, Rachna loves to share her enthusiasm for reading and writing; she has given readings and workshops in schools, libraries and conferences across the country as well as internationally.
Website: www.rachnagilmore.ca.

 

Rachna Gilmore's profile page

Pulak Biswas is one of India's leading children's book illustrators. A recipient of UNESCO fellowship for advanced studies in Illustration, he has illustrated many books including Tiger On a Tree which won the prestigious Biennale of Illustrations, Bratislava. He lives in New Delhi.

Pulak Biswas' profile page

• Short-listed, CCBC Choices selection
• Short-listed, SYRCA Shining Willow nominee
• Commended, Resource Links "The Year's Best"

"Chandra is a strong yet realistically vulnerable figure who withstands adversity without appearing too saintly, while the magic that saves her offers some compensation for the misfortune she has suffered."

Publishers Weekly

"The story reads like a folktale, and the striking, somewhat stylized artwork fits that tone. Despite its magical elements, this is really a story of hope and resilience in the face of hardship and loss."

School Library Journal

"Full of hope springing from adversity, this is a touching story elegantly told, whose mood is captured in beautifully evocative illustrations."

www.lovereading4kids.co.uk

"Deftly executed…The lyrical text is imbued with energy by the sweeping illustrations, much as the river bestows magic upon the music of the flute."

Uma Krishnaswami, award-winning author of <i>Book Uncle and Me</i>

"The dramatic illustrations create a strong, rural south Indian setting, with their quick black lines, almost-solid black bodies and bold use of red and blue, with just a hint of yellow for the moon."

Kirkus Reviews

"This beautifully written and illustrated story is reminiscent of a folkloric tale, sweeping us away in the pains, struggles and the hopes of Chandra's young life in an exotic land. Each page we turn we want to learn more about her, to the point of wanting to pluck her out of the book to help her...Rachna Gilmore's enchanting story of hope and Pulak Biswas' simple east Asian rural scenes flow with depth and grace just was the waters of the river in its calm spring stream. The graceful language is complimented in charcoal and ink textured monochromatic illustrations with hints of primary hues...This inspiring book is sure to be a permanent fixture in any library and one to hand down from generation to generation."

Resource Links

"Pulak Biswas, one of India's most distinguished illustrators, displays his gifts in the striking woodblock prints coloured in red, blue, black and the occasional burst of sunny yellow, that both complement and enhance Rachna Gilmore's beautifully cadenced prose...[An] emotionally powerful tale...delivering a satisfying and happy resolution."

The Globe and Mail

"Ornamented and further interpreted with stunning black and white paintings with vivid splashes of red for Chandra's dress, blue for the river, and yellow for the overlooking moon. This author/illustrator team is first class and deserves further high awards for artistry, authenticity and design."

Midwest Book Review

The Flute

In this original folk tale set in India, a little girl nearly drowns when a river overflows its banks. Raised by her cruel aunt and uncle, she finds solace in her mother's magic flute.

This story is set in India and will help students consider the power that music can have in our lives in order to give us comfort, hope, and resilience. Chandra, the protagonist of this story provides an example of a strong female character determined to overcome obstacles.

The Flute

Chandra, named after the moon and born in India, is orphaned at an early age. Taken in by a cruel aunt and uncle, she finds solace in her mother’s magic flute. When her uncle throws the flute into the river, Chandra is unable to retrieve it. The magic of the flute eventually saves Chandra and brings her to a better life.