The Broken Tusk: Stories of the Hindu God Ganesha

Uma Krishnaswami is a careful writer — Indian-American, a longtime children’s book author, with a steady editorial habit of telling readers where her material came from. The Broken Tusk is her Ganesha collection, ten stories drawn from various Puranic sources and arranged so that each one can stand on its own.

The book is older than the Sanjay Patel Ganesha and reads differently. Where Patel does one tale at picture-book pace with full-bleed art, Krishnaswami does many short tales in a chapter-book layout with smaller spot illustrations from Maniam Selven. It is the right book for a child who has already gotten the introduction to Ganesha somewhere else (often from Patel) and now wants more — the obscure birth stories, the contest with Kartikeya, the encounter with Kubera, the moon’s curse, the mouse mount.

Krishnaswami’s source notes at the end of each story are unusual and welcome. She’ll write “this story is found in the Ganesha Purana, with variations in the Skanda Purana” — exact enough that a curious child or an honest librarian can follow up. Most children’s mythology books don’t bother; this one does.

Best given as a follow-up book rather than a first book. Pairs naturally with either of the Patel Ganesha titles for a younger sibling.

A note on the edition: this is one of the older books on the list. August House has kept it in print, but availability varies. The audiobook reading (also kept in print by August House Audio) is excellent and worth knowing about for car listening.