Seeing Through Texts

Seeing through Texts invites us into the world of south Indian Hinduism through a study of 100 songs of the Tiruvāymoli, the great masterpiece of the ninth-century Hindu saint Saṭkōpan. These unique songs, dedicated to the Hindu god Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa, lead us through poetic and imaginative, philosophical and moral reflections on the nature of the self and the world, ancient myths and temple worship, and the mystical moods of longing, desire, and love in which one seeks, loses, and finds again the God who loves us first. The book is also a study of the interpretation of the Tiruvāymoli in the traditional Hindu Śrivaiṣṇava commentaries of the twelfth-fourteenth centuries, as well as a comparative theological study which explores the implication of the songs and their commentaries for readers from outside the Śrivaiṣṇava tradition.

These unique songs, dedicated to the Hindu god Visnu/Krsna, lead us through poetic and imaginative, philosophical and moral reflections on the nature of the self and the world, ancient myths and temple worship, and the mystical moods of longing, desire, and love in which one seeks, loses, and finds again the God who loves us first.

Forest: A See to Learn Book is the first book in a series of non-fiction picture books for very young children, using lyrical phrasing to encourage a sensitive perception of the natural world and a caring connection with it. Through gentle questions, the text asks young readers to consider what they see and experience in the forest through the seasons — animal tracks, tiny creatures in the soil, birds soaring in the sky above, towering trees, shade and dappled sunlight — drawing local connections alongside those of a global sensibility. Stunningly beautiful illustrations show a child and grownup exploring the forest, appreciating its beauty, learning its secrets and enjoying moments of wonder, all first steps toward developing a lifelong awareness of our interconnectedness to the Earth and our impact on the environment. Key Text Features author’s note Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4 Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.5 Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of text types.