A Bucket of Blessings by Kabir Sehgal

A Bucket of Blessings Reviews

• 
  Ashley Adams

  A sweet story about what it means to spread kindness to others.
• 
  Nisha

  The first thing I noticed about this book is the artwork. It has a distinctly East Asian style, starting with the shape of the monkey's head (like a coconut) to the muted color palette. Coincidently, the illustrator is Chinese and utilizes traditional printmaking into his work. I am visually intrigued by the dimension created on each page - especially the rain page. The powerful visuals affect the tone of the book, and in this case, it changes the cultural associations.
  
  The story is told in present tense, with animal characters. The story is simple and encourages young readers to do good deeds, however small, because even small blessings can bring big change. The pacing is decent, though I felt like there was too little description in the writing, to convey the message. The artwork does a lot of the heavy-lifting. Water scarcity and volunteering are subjects that are difficult to introduce to young children, but these complex concepts are simplified enough for children to understand. This is a beautifully illustrated book addressing very important values. I can definitely applaud the writer for their vision.
• 
  Edward Sullivan

  A well-meaning effort but contrived and heavy-handed. The double spread page of the peacock dancing is lovely but not enough to compensate for the rest.
• 
  Becky B

  The land desperately needs rain, so Monkey goes to visit Peacock to see if he can make it rain by dancing. But Peacock says he needs some water to start with. Can Monkey get enough water to Peacock?
  
  The bucket Monkey uses to get water to Peacock is leaky and he leaves a path of refreshed land behind him. This is supposed to be a metaphor. See if kids can figure it out. I really like the illustration style Tsong used for this. A nice, simple intro to Indian folklore for kids with a message about spreading hope and blessings that is good for all. If you're on the hunt for Asian folklore or rain folklore, also a good pick.
• 
  Sarah

  In the middle of a drought in India, a little monkey seeks to help by aiding the peacock to do his rain dance. Notes in the back about how the characters and plot are pulled from Indian mythology. A few different directions to take this: problem/solution, lesson- sometimes we are drained in order to be a blessing to those along the way, talk about Indian folktales.
• 
  Heather

  my favorite picture in the book is of the storm
• 
  Ann

  Short, simple myth (based around the peacock as a symbol for Indra, the Hindu god of rain and thunder) with absolutely beautiful illustrations. Would make for a great read-a-loud.
• 
  Michelle

  Has a good message
• 
  KaitandMaddie

  A great retelling of a myth with beautiful illustrations.
• 
  Allison

  This would be a great story for storytime and I can see several extender crafts and such.
• 
  Gail Cooke

  
  A simple story at heart A Bucket Of Blessings is one of the most endearing and inspiring children’s books to come across my desk. It is an Indian myth beautifully illustrated by Jing Jing Tsong. Her serene, graceful art fills every page until as the story moves along pages burst with color.
  
  We meet Monkey who lives in a large jungle with many mango trees. All is not well for Monkey due to a lack of rain - both the village well and the pond are dry. He and his neighbors look everywhere for water but there is none. Then suddenly Monkey remembers a story his mother used to tell him about peacocks making rain by dancing. So, he decides to climb a nearby mountain and visit Peacock.
  
  Would that making rain would be that easy! Peacock says he needs water to make it rain and asks Monkey to find him some. With hope in his heart Monkey goes off to try to find water. What he does find will help young ones realize that just one person can make a difference, and that there is joy to be found in helping others.
  
  A Bucket Of Blessings is a happy, captivating story - one that will be read or heard time and time again.
  
  - Gail Cooke
• 
  Barbara

  All the plants and animals are desperately in need of water and Monkey decides to find some. He happens upon water in a cave and hauls it back up the mountain. Recalling his mother's story about how peacocks can make it rain by dancing, he figures this is his best bet. But by the time he reaches his destination, almost all of the water has leaked from the bucket. What he doesn't realize is that the water that dripped from the bucket has already worked its wonders and provided some sustenance for the plants and animals that need it so much. I liked the illustrations, created with traditional block prints and some digital enhancement, but the story seemed rather didactic and heavy-handed to me. Still, there are lessons to be learned here, particularly surrounding the idea of blessings and misfortunes.
• 
  Liz H {Redd's Reads}

  Monkey and his friends are experiencing a drought, where there is no water to be found. Luckily, Monkey remembers that Peacock is known to bring rain when he dances, so Monkey climbs the mountain to speak with him. Peacock has sad news though, he needs water to bring the rain.
  
  This gorgeously illustrated Indian myth brings to mind that a little goes a long way. And, that friends working together can make a situation better. The artist chose bright colors reminiscent of traditional Indian coloring and was able to create a flowing landscape that evoked various emotions throughout the retelling. This would make an excellent multicultural story time read in a classroom or in the library.
• 
  The Styling Librarian

  A Bucket of Blessings by Kabir Sehgal and Surishtha Sehgal, illustrated by Jing Jing Tsong *Afterward by Dr. Maya Angelou – Well. This book was my random purchase of the Spring. It came up on a book order form and I loved the sound of the story. I really enjoyed reading it… being kind to others will pass kindness on to you and others in the world. Such a special book- trying to help others with additional unknown side effects.
• 
  Amy Rae

  I loved the illustrations and thought the story was sweet, but the story's origin isn't well-attributed. I had a difficult time figuring out whether this was an original story based around the idea of peacocks dancing before a rainstorm or a legend retold. It would have been more helpful if the authors spelled out where the story came from and how they reinterpreted it.
• 
  Lynne Vanderveen Smith

  Monkey is worried because there has been no rain. Having heard that a peacock can do a dance to bring rain, he sets out on a quest. Along the way he does good things he didn't intend to do and is a blessing to others. Lovely story. Would work very well with "How Full is Your Bucket?" (kids version) for a story time.
• 
  Evie

  Wow. This is a visually stunning book that promotes kindness towards your community and seeing your blessings within seemingly unfortunate situations. I really, really enjoyed this and would love to bring it into my school's library, especially because we have some students from India.
• 
  Holly

  I loved the textured illustrations in this book. The patterns and designs are delightful and the 2 page spread of the peacock is breathtaking.
  
  A young monkey endeavors to bring rain to his thirsty village. This Indian myth shows the power of kindness and hope.
• 
  Katy Pitrucha

  The jungle is so dry, that the monkey is desperate to find water. Hearing that the peacock can rain dance, he goes to visit her. He finds a leaky bucket and fills it with water. He makes it to the peacock with just enough water left in his bucket, and it begins to rain.
• 
  A. K. Evans-Brown

  A Charming book of hope & wishes. This book speaks to never give up, keep faith & believe anything is possible.. I bought this for my nephew and he LOVED it!
• 
  Ann

  A wonderful story from India, it will make a nice addition to the myth text set. Amazing illustrations!
• 
  Mayra

  A story, a lesson, a picture book. Beautiful. For all ages.
• 
  Dan

  Beautiful artwork,but too fast,and kind of a strange story.
• 
  Kevin

  read
• 
  Alise

  Very good book on showing children how little things matter. This book was a team building book i believe that is very colorful and enjoyable for children.