The Road to Mumbai by Ruth Jeyaveeran

The Road to Mumbai is the story of the journey through India of Shoba, a young girl, and her pet monkey, Fuzzy Patel. Fuzzy announces in the middle of the night to Shoba that they have been invited to a monkey wedding in Mumbai, India. Fuzzy is sort of a snob and he doesn't want anyone else to know about the wedding. Shoba and Fuzzy lose their way multiple times during their trip and must seek the help of many other characters including, camels, elephants, monks, a snakecharmer, a snake, and many Indians.

Fuzzy keeps trying to dissuade everyone from following them to the "boring" monkey wedding. But in the end all their new friends follow them to wedding and save the day.

This is a fun story about adventure, friendship, and imagination. Kids will love the rich colors of Jeyaveeran's drawings and all the interesting creatures and sights of India. This story works as a nice introduction to India for younger children and it includes some factual information including a map of India at the end of the book.

This is a good book, especially for someone specifically looking for something about India or other cultures. Its not one of the best books I've read this year, but I have no trouble recommending it to others.

Keywords: travel, imagination, India, wedding, animals, monkeys, other cultures, customs