Rochester Author’s New Book Fifth in Series of Classic Tales
By Martha Slater

Vatsala Sperling has published a book of traditional Hindu tales told for children.

Rochester resident Vatsala Sperling has translated her love of telling stories into a series of books of traditional Hindu tales told for children.

This Sunday, Sept. 30, from 3-4 p.m. at the Rochester Library, Sperling will read from her newest book, "Karna: The Greatest Archer in the Wold," a story from Hindu mythology. She’ll also answer questions from her listeners, and sign and sell copies of the book.

Sperling, who earned her Ph.D., is a native of India. She learned these stories at her mother's feet and says she enjoys introducing them to children of the Western world. She is also the co-author, with her husband, Ehud, of "A Marriage Made in Heaven," and lives in Rochester with him and their nine year-old son, Mahar.

"I like to tell stories and I wanted to tell them for my son and his friends, and it just grew from there," Sperling says of the writing career that has, so far, produced five books in this series, which teaches children life lessons through storytelling. "For example, the story of Hanuman tells children to use what power they have to help those weaker than themselves and to be humble in their giving."

The first one was published in 2003 and she has produced another each year since then.

"Indian mythology is an endless source of inspiration, so I plan to continue the series," Sperling said. "Each book addresses different cultural aspects. In the first book, which addresses the adoption issue, Karna is adopted after being abandoned at birth. The second, ‘How Parvati Won the Heart of Shiva,’ is a love story, but it’s also about what any one person chooses to be devoted to. In ‘Ram, the Demon Slayer,’ Ram is an incarnation of Vishnu, a god whose mission is to rid the world of evil. And ‘Hanuman's Journey to the Medicine Mountain’ is about a magical monkey."

Sperling enjoys hearing comments on her work from her readers, and says "the best live feedback I get is when I speak with fifth graders in area schools and they ask me many questions."

""Through stories you have a road into the heart of a country. You can get to know the people and their beliefs," she notes. "Children have a healthy amount of curiosity about the world around them and other cultures." As with the others in the series, Sperling’s latest book was published by Bear Cub Books, an imprint of Inner Traditions International, a publishing company based in Rochester.

The book is illustrated throughout with glowing full-color paintings, created in traditional Indian style by illustrator Sandeep Johari, who studied classical Indian painting with his uncle Harish Johari. He runs a graphic design business in New Delhi, India, and also illustrated one of Sperlings previous books, "Hanuman’s Journey to the Medicine Mountain."

"My son visits my family in India with me every other year," Sperling said. "When we go there, we always visit temples. In fact, his curiosity when he saw a 60-ft. statue of Hanuman inspired me to write that book."

Sperling's new book will be out in stores the first week of October. She will also participate in a special Educator Reception day at the Barnes & Noble at 102 Dorset Street in South Burlington Saturday, Oct. 13. At this event, held in support of Educator Appreciation Month program, Sperling will speak to over 100 educators interested in addressing the issue of multicultural education.

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