Poombah of Badoombah - Softcover
Synopsis
Bright, busy paintings and rollicking verse bring to life a fantastical tale of sorcerers and spells, complete with a glossary of exotic Indian words, all in a lively picture book about a most unusual hero. Reprint.
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Review
The Poombah of Badoombah--a powerful, energy-infusing sorcerer--makes pots leap out of clay and fabulous carpets fly off the loom, but he also gleefully sends "a pudgy rajah swirling to the public bath" and a "nervous dervish whirling down a curvish path." One day, the magical Poombah goes too far: he pulls the elephant right out from under a government official and his howdah, which is a fine howdah-you-do. The city people are furious, and the Poombah, now a pariah, flees to the countryside to grow Badoombah beans, and, as we all know, "a bowl of Badoombah beans or two is all one needs for a hullabaloo." Dee Lillegard, author of The Wild Bunch, poombahs a wildly ebullient rhyming story, and Kevin Hawkes's rich, full-bleed paintings of swarming street bazaars in India explode with color and excitement. Explanatory notes, cleverly presented, define Indian terms such as howdah and nabob, and make-believe ones as well, including Poombah ("to impart, or infuse with, extraordinary energy") and Badoombah beans, Lillegard's son's invention. Kids will love this bouncing ride through the streets of India, with the contagious joie de vivre of the playful Poombah. (Ages 4 to 8) --Karin Snelson
From Publishers Weekly
This tale's lavish imagery, borrowed from "The 1,001 Nights" and "Aladdin," may lure devotees of Eastern exoticism, but the plot, unfortunately, fizzles like a dud firecracker. Lillegard (The Wild Bunch) prefaces the story with a definition: "To poombah means to impart, or infuse with, extraordinary energy. A Poombah is one renowned for having this power." Thus, the title character is a village wizard, an impish, bespectacled man whose snow-white turban matches his eyebrows and pointy beard. As he strolls among blocky, whitewashed houses, peering into their shadowy interiors, he uses a twisted wand to fire green-and-gold zaps: "The Poombah sent a pudgy rajah/ swirling to the public bath./ The Poombah sent a nervous dervish/ whirling down a curvish path." The townsfolk indulge his harmless pranks, but revolt when the Poombah causes an elephant to rampage through a bazaar; they then banish the trickster to the countryside, where he lives as a hermit and cultivates magical "Badoombah beans." Hawkes (By the Light of the Halloween Moon) saturates every spread with gorgeous, glowing color. His sunny midday skies, clay pots and bright cotton clothing set the scene beautifully. Likewise, Lillegard's inventive verse and vocabulary ("howdah" rhymes with "proud") make for a peppy ride. Yet the abrupt conclusion is unsatisfying. The Poombah still uses his energies selfishly, despite hints that the Badoombah beans may provide an opportunity to make amends with his peers. There's no resolution besides the Poombah's unconvincingly merry solitude. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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