Rama and Sita by Malachy Doyle

Ill. by Christopher Carr. Bloomsbury Books, 2012. ISBN 9781408139516.
(Ages 6+) Folk Tales. India.  With large, colourful and bold illustrations, the Indian folk story of Rama and Sita is given life in short, easy to read sentences and brief but vivid descriptions. The tale is of Sita, stolen by the Demon King and taken to his inaccessible island. Rima searches for her and being good and true, enlists the help of the monkey king who tells his followers to build a bridge to allow access to Rima and the demon king's army. They overpower the demon and his followers returning Sita to her rightful place.
This story reflects that goodness will overpower evil, just like the little oil lamp brings light to the darkness, and this story is remembered each year at the festival of Diwali, where lamps are lit to recall the story.
This book is one in a new series, Stories from World Religions, published by Bloomsbury in England, and would be a sound addition to a school library.
Fran Knight