Book Review : The Bird with Golden Wings

Title : The Bird with Golden Wings
(Stories of wit and magic)
Author : Sudha Murty
Art : Ajanta Guhathakurta
Publisher : Puffin
ISBN : 978-0-143-33103-2

Sudha Murty has given another priceless gift to the children, a collection of 21 short stories conveying life lessons in a readable and relatable manner. Her earlier two books for young children to treasure were - 'How I taught my Grandmother to read' and 'Magic Drum and other short stories'. In 'The Bird with Golden Wings', some of the stories are age old fables showcased in a new garb and presented in a witty fashion with illustrations by Ajanta Guhathakurta adding colors to the stories.

One of the greatest flaws in human character which is not easy to overcome is that of greed and a couple of stories highlight the magical powers of this folly. Have you ever imagined how greed can turn a woman into a demon and how it can make the once sweet ocean water become salty.
Trust is the mandatory building material of any relationship and the lack of this precious ingredient can break the relationship. This is beautifully portrayed in one of the stories when the banana lady leaves her husband after finding out that he did not respect her only condition of trust.
Sometimes the wit and presence of mind of an ordinary person can even outsmart Goddess Lakshmi. In another story, because of his wit, Shekhar could make the royal King relish plain boiled rice with salt as the best dish in the world.

Respecting elders, sincerely working hard towards the goal and not looking for any shortcuts, importance of kindness in life are some of the other values which have been projected through interesting short stories.

I firmly believe that getting such messages from different sources and different situations always help in making the values firmer in the impressionable minds of the children. Sudha Murty's stories are definitely very helpful as a step towards that goal.

{Image courtesy : flipkart}