Book Review : Mai and Her Friends

Title : Mai and her Friends
Author and Illustrator : Durga Bai
Publisher : Katha

Katha presents another sweet simple story of Mai, an old woman who lives on the banks of Godavari river. She is not alone, her family includes, a cow - Konda and its calf. The cow goes out to graze during the day and returns back home to her calf in the evening. But one stormy evening, while coming back, Konda loses her way and is lost. She is distressed as she knows her hungry calf would be starving at home. In the hut, the calf is waiting for the mother desperately and conveys its agony to Mai through its big teary eyes. So Mai decides to set out with the calf in search of Konda. But the weather is such that it would make the whole endeavour of finding Konda very difficult. It is dark, stormy and pouring heavily so how could they find their path in such terrible weather.
But surprisingly for them, they are not alone in their search for Konda. They find many companions on their way who make it easier for them to find Konda. But does Mai finally get successful in uniting the calf with its mother?

An interesting and inspiring tale about love, affection, helping and acknowledging. I always admire such books which convey the message effortlessly through the narrative. Getting such character forming values from different sources always help innocent minds in imbibing the same.

A simple story beautifully accentuated by colourful Gond Art inspired illustrations. The lively colours are brilliantly used to captivate and fascinate young readers.