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CM . . .
. Volume IX Number 8. . . . December 13, 2002
excerpt: The caravan left at dawn, taking a narrow path that was cut into the cliff beside the water. Tinle led the way. But soon he had to stop. The path was blocked by a mass of fallen rock. The yaks snorted, angry at being forced to a halt on the edge of the precipice. They could not turn around on the narrow path. Tsering clung to his mother in terror. Tinle and the old caravaner set to work. Clinging to the cliff they rebuilt the path rock by rock. Finally, Tile pulled his white yak forward. "If you come, the others will follow," he said. For a glimpse into a world that is both beautiful and strange, fascinating but harsh, the picture book Himalaya, by Kathmandu artist Tenzing Norbu Lama, can be recommended. Based on a film by acclaimed French film-maker Eric Valli, the book tells the story of the Dolpo people who live high in the Himalayan Mountains of Nepal. Each year, before snow closes the mountain passes, people of the village must lead their teams of yaks down the mountain trails to trade salt for grain.
In the village, a young boy, Tsering, waits for his father, the chief, to return with the salt caravan. But this year, when the caravan arrives, it brings the body of his father who has died in a mountain crevasse. The young men of the village are anxious to leave for the south before winter, and they set off, led by Karma, who was a friend of Tsering's father. Tinle, Tsering's grandfather, refuses to leave with the caravan, saying it is an inauspicious day and fearing that Karma wishes to become chief and prevent Tsering from inheriting his father's position. Tinle and Tsering set off on their own caravan trek with the rest of the men and women from the village. On the way, they encounter many dangers and obstacles. In the end, Karma proves his loyalty by rescuing Tinle when he collapses in the snow. The text of this picture book is rather formal, possibly as a result of its translation from the original French. The book's most exciting quality is its illustrations which appear to be done in ink and watercolour, mainly in shades of brown, gray, blue and white, mirroring the snowy mountain scenes. The pictures, which are large and detailed, often extending across the center of the page, vividly present a picture of the arduous trek taken by the Dolpo people. We are told that the artist, Tenzing Norbu Lama, himself from Dolpo, studied painting in a monastery where he prepared to be a lama. This picture book could be used to discuss the lifestyles of mountain people in remote areas of the world. It could also be used as an example of courage and determination (on the part of the grandfather, Tinle) in the face of obstacles. Recommended. Helen Norrie is the regular "Children's Books" columnist for the Winnipeg Free Press.
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