Seven Golden Rings: A Tale of Music and Math

In this clever, convivial picture book, an Indian boy untangles a mathematical conundrum to win a place at the Rajah’s court.

In ancient India, a boy named Bhagat travels to the Rajah’s city, hoping to ensure his family’s prosperity by winning a place at court as a singer. Bhagat carries his family’s entire fortune--a single coin and a chain of seven golden rings--to pay for his lodging. But when the innkeeper demands one ring per night, and every link snipped costs one coin, how can Bhagat both break the chain and avoid overpaying? His inventive solution points the way to an unexpected triumph, and offers readers a friendly lesson in binary numbers--the root of all computing.

Rajani LaRocca is the author of many acclaimed novels and picture books for children, including Red, White, and Whole which received the Newbery Honor. She was born in Bangalore, India, and immigrated to the US with her parents when she was a baby. She graduated from Harvard with both a BA and an MD, and has worked as a primary care physician since 2001. Rajani lives in Concord, Massachusetts, with her family. Visit her online at rajanilarocca.com.

Archana Sreenivasan is the illustrator of several children’s books including the star-reviewed Desert Girl, Monsoon Boy by Tara Dairman; the award-winning Where Three Oceans Meet by Rajani LaRocca; and My Bindi by Gita Varadarajan. She made her author-illustrator debut with her board book India on a Plate! Archana is based in Bangalore, India. Please visit her on the web at archanasreenivasan.com.