A great-grandfather describes to a young man what it was like to meet and follow Gandhi-ji, the Mahatma, as he calls him, in this lyrical homage to a legendary leader.
The narrator, then a boy, describes the day of Gandhi's arrival in his village of Aslali. Giuliano Ferri's watercolor illustrations portray the architecture and clothing of Aslali, while Elizabeth Cody Kimmel's text explains Gandhi's mission in accessible language: he "has pledged to make our Mother India free from the rule of the British Raj. And he promised that we will do so without hitting or hurting the British soldiers." Gandhi passes under the boy narrator's tree and "gazes up into my face." It is enough to compel the boy to follow him. As he packs to join Gandhi in his mission to gather salt peacefully, free of British authority, his oldest brother, Rajiv, catches him and decides to join his brother. Each night in every village, "the Mahatma gathers all the villagers together and talks of peace. And of salt." Thousands follow him to Dandi, to the edge of the sea, on April 5, 1930. A triumphant painting depicts Gandhi holding high a lump of sea salt, glistening as if engulfed in a halo.
The story ends like a poem, with the narrator coming full circle, describing what that day meant to him. It's a terrific introduction to Gandhi as a man and the strength to be gained in a simple yet powerful act to reclaim what was rightfully theirs. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness