I thought this was a beautiful story about an ancient tale of a famous Princess of India. I like how it was told for children to understand, learn, and see another mythology come to life.

This was so adorable! I don't have many school-aged children in my life, but I have such an appreciation for children's literature and books and when I saw the title on this one, I just had to request for it! I was not disappointed!

The artwork ended up being beautiful in ways I couldn't comprehend when just looking at the cover photo. Its very reminiscent of ancient Indian art and was complimentary to the story being told. In regards to that story, it was beautiful. I'm always looking for introductions into other cultures and stories and this provided that perfectly. It was a wonderful introduction into the mythology and lore of India. I will definitely recommend this title to parents looking for this genre of children's books.

What a beautiful book. The story, although ancient , relates well to the issues of the present day. The illustrations are stunning and add much to the joy of the story. Delightful.

Princess Savitri chooses Satyavan for a husband. Her father doesn’t want to agree as he knows the fate of Satyavan. He will die in a year. But the princess refuses to choose another. No matter how long or short his life is, she wishes to share her life only with him.

For a year, they live happily. Then, Yama, god of death, comes to claim Savitri’s husband. But Savitri doesn’t give up that easily as she claims her duty is to be with her husband. She persistently follows Yama as he cares away her husband.

Yama grants Savitri three wishes, one at a time, in hopes the princes will go away, but none of the wishes can grant a life for her husband.

The princess is smart, courageous, and firm. She makes very smart three wishes that change her life and her family.

This is a very short tale, yet very powerful in its message. It brings a remarkably independent woman, who dares to oppose even a god.

This book is an ancient folk tale tells about a princess who marries a man she is warned not to marry because his death is imminent. When the husband dies the princess tricks the spirit of death to give her husband his life back. I appreciate that this is a cultural folk tale and tells a story that has been passed down for generations, but I'm not sure if, as a grade 3 teacher, I would purchase this book for my class, mainly due to the focus on death. Many folk and fairy tales have grim elements to them, but usually in the more kid friendly versions the character dies and everyone moves on, Cinderella has her evil step mother (not great but not focused on death), Snow White wakes up etc. the Grimms versions are much more gruesome but we don't often have those books in early years classrooms. This one isn't gruesome, I'm just not sure how some of my students might react to the princess following the spirit trying to convince him to bring life back her husband, her hand going through her dead husband and there being a noose around his neck. I would just caution parents and teachers to read the book prior to purchasing or recommending it to be sure that the specific reader is comfortable with the content. Other than that, I think it is a great opportunity to learn about ancient folk tales from other cultures. The images show traditional clothing and there is information at the beginning and end of the story that help teach readers about the meaning behind the traditions and stories of this culture as well as pronunciation of the character's names.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

A faithful retelling of a well-known story from ancient India. Savitri, a virtuous and loyal princess, marries Satyavan despite knowing he only has one more year to live. When the god of death comes to take Satyavan's soul to the world beyond, Savitri requests him to restore her husband to life. This book is full of colour illustrations showing the major events of the story, although the drawings may be somewhat harsh/scary to a very young audience.

This was a wonderful story, beautifully told, stunningly rendered in ink and watercolor. I loved the themes of courage, loyalty, devotion, selflessness, and intelligence. Strong and determined, Savitri is the author of her own fate and is sure to speak to modern readers. I appreciated the factual information Shepard provided in the afterword about the origins of the tale. He made a wise decision maintaining the archetypal elements of the tale. The book is a gem.