Reviews : Rupa Books

Title : Ganesh

Author : Subhadra Sen Gupta

Illustrated by : Tapas Guha

Publisher : Red Turtle (Rupa)

ISBN : 978-81-291-4029-6

Thanks for beautifully illustrated children's books and movies on Ganesh, the Lord has become the most endearing and much loved friendly God for children. The stories behind his unique physical characteristics like pot-belly, elephant's head and a broken tusk - keep the children engaged to no end. While we all know the most popular stories associated with Ganesh, they are being retold by Subhadra Sen Gupta with a slight twist.

Though acclaimed as the most learned and witty divine being, yet the antics of Ganesh bridge the gap that a devotee feels with the divine. He is the adorable and friendly God for all, and the one who can be made happy by pure innocent love.

The book Ganesh has four stories - How Ganesh Lost his Head, Ganesh Loses a Trunk, Ganesh versus Kartik and Ganesh Curses the Moon. Each of the stories are beautifully accentuated by colourful illustrations by Tapas Guha.  A perfect gift to children of age group 5 to 8 years.

Available on flipkart, 

Title : The Story of Hanuman

Author : Mala Dayal

Illustrated by : Taposhi Choshal

Publisher : Red Turtle (Rupa)

ISBN : 978-81-291-3717-3

And who is the other God that incites the same feelings as Ganesh, none other than the monkey God Hanuman. Known for his unflinching devoutness towards his deity Sri Ram, the stories associated with Hanuman are equally amusing and awe-inspiring. When he was a child, he thought the shining Sun is some big juicy fruit in the sky and so leapt into the sky to pluck it. This led to a lot of chaos and many Gods had to intervene which made Hanuman's father the Vayu God very angry. The other Gods had to appease the Vayu God by bestowing special blessings and powers to Hanuman. When the time came to seek knowledge, Hanuman approached Surya to be his guru and in return Surya asked Hanuman to look after his son, the monkey prince Sugreev. Hanuman facilitated the bond of friendship between Sri Ram and Sugreev. He was entrusted with the task of searching for Sita in the south direction where Lanka is situated. He crossed the great ocean, met mother Sita, set Lanka on fire, brought the news of Sita to Ram. Soon after, the great battle began between Sri Ram and Ravan. Hanuman remained by the side of his Lord all through.

His devotion to Lord Ram is unparalleled. The whole story from the childhood of Hanuman to Ram-rajya has been retold by Mala Dayal in 'The Story of Hanuman'. While everyone is well versed with these mythological stories from the epic Ramayana, it is always interesting to read the same through the words of different authors. The added bonus that this book offers is extra trivia about names of different trees, and some activities like puzzles, mazes and games.

Available on flipkart

Book Review : The Ant Thief

Title : The Ant Thief

Author : Gita V. Reddy

Ants and bees make great subjects for short stories for very little children. Author Gita has picked the world of ants and bees as a backdrop to convey a subtle message to the young readers or listeners of this story.

Noira is a strong black ant who exercises regularly to stay fit. But she has one problem, she detests working and looks for easy way to eat, unlike other ants who dexterously work all day accumulating their food. She is a thief and a big liar too. Once she steals a diamond ring from somewhere and tells everyone that she has been awarded the ring as a bravery award by the king. To add to the woes of other ants and bees, Noira gets hold of a magic cloth, wearing which she becomes invisible. She uses this cloak all the time to steal more and more without any fear. But all bad things do come to an end. Does Noira realise her mistake? Does she learn the art of working hard and enjoying the fruit of her labour? Read on to know about Noira's fate.

The thing that I like about Gita's books is that the plots are built up slowly and simplistically which is a sure way to engage young readers and listeners. While going through bright and clutter-free llustrations, the connection is easy to make and there is a feel good experience that one gets after reading the book. This can be one of the great stories to narrate in story-telling sessions where the importance of recognizing the hard work of others should be highlighted duly. What impressed me the most is that Noira understands her folly not through some kind of fear but more by introspecting. This is a great way to encourage children to go through their actions and thoughts and try to course correct on their own, rather than reprimanding them for any of their wrong actions, and this can be adopted very early on.

Book Review : Bala Gala the Brave and Dangerous

Title : Bala Gala the Brave and Dangerous

Author : Gita V. Reddy

Illustrations by : VC Arts

'Bala Gala the Brave and Dangerous' is a cute little story which celebrates imagination of tender minds as the main theme. Every child is a gifted dreamer, and the flights of imagination take him to far and wider places which may not even exist in the practical world.

There once was a Gamba-Bamba forest in which a river Kanga flowed. Bala Gala was a tiger in that forest who roared ferociously. Earlier he was a deer, who was quick and fast. There were many other co-inhabitants of the forests too. Brammy-Gommy, the crocodile who always wanted to eat Bala-Gala whenever he came to the river to drink water. Once when a monster came to the jungle, Bala Gala turned into a fire dragon to scare the monster away. In every flight of his imagination, he made many friends, scared some away, saved some but enjoyed every tryst thoroughly.

Yes, these are all imaginations of a little child who wakes up every day with a fresh adventure in mind. Just by imagining himself to be a different creature every morning, he weaves a unique world around it.

Role play is a great way by which little children learn and entertain themselves. The author has done perfectly well in reaching out to the children through their dreamland where they usually love to reside. In fact, the ability to be able to imagine oneself to be anything is quite empowering. One can choose to be anybody or anything and that is what Gita has allowed Bala Gala to be. He chooses to be a deer first but when Brammay-Gommay frightens him,  he decides to be a tiger instead. And on a beautiful bright morning he looks forward to being a pretty butterfly. There is no end to the options and hence the excitement is endless too.

Illustrations beautifully accentuate the impact of the story.

Book Review : Hic!copotamus

Title : Hic!copotamus

Author : Geeta Dharmarajan

Illustrator : Atanu Roy

Publisher : Katha

ISBN : 978-93-82454-24-3

One lazy afternoon the inmates of Gulmohar Jungle are in for a surprise as a gigantic thing falls into the White Lily Pond. Some of the animals get really scared and run for their lives and in their confusion do not see the enormous thing walking out of the pond. Muyal the Rabbit is the first one who spots him and he is none other than a baby hic!opotamus (hippopotamus) - Hawasi.

He narrates his story to all attentively listening animals. He was blissfully sitting in a jungle in Africa, when a strong hiccup blew him away and brought him straight to the Lily Pond. He wails and wails and wants to go back to his mother now. His new friends are very compassionate and want to help him go back to his home. They all brainstorm to make him hiccup strong enough so that he is again blown over back to his home jungle. Does Hawasi find a way home?

Little readers will have a blast reading this short story. It is undoubtedly one of those fun stories to tell in story telling sessions with little children. Animal stories always fascinate young readers and if they are a little quirky, the fun quotient gets higher manifolds. Interesting facts, quizzes and trivia add extra flavour to the proceedings. The artist Atanu Roy infuses life and blood in the story with his colourful illustrations. Whenever Katha, Geeta Dharmarajan and Atanu Roy come together, the result is outstanding. 

Book Review : आँधी

शीर्षक - आँधी

लेखिका - गीता धर्मराजन
चित्रकार - अतनु रॉय
प्रकाशक - कथा

गीता धर्मराजन द्वारा शब्दबद्ध और अतनु रॉय द्वारा चित्रित आँधी नन्हे पाठकों के लिए कथा की एक  नयी भेंट है. कविता रूप में रचित यह रंगों से भरी किताब एक रोचक यात्रा पर ले चलने को तैयार है.

एक धूल भरी आँधी अनेक सूखे पत्तों को ले कर बह निकली है और उसका बहाव इतना तेज़ है कि वह अपने साथ एक नन्ही बच्ची को भी आसमान की सैर पर उड़ा ले चली है. वहाँ अनेक रंग-बिरंगे व खुशिओं भरे नज़ारे आतुर हैं उस बच्ची के साथ खेलने के लिए. जो-जो इच्छाएँ एक नन्हे बच्चे की होती हैं और जो-जो सपने वह देखता है, मानो इस आसमान की सैर में वे सब पूरे हो रहे हैं. बादलों पर जाना, तितली बन उड़ना, इन्द्रधनुष से बातें करना, पंख पसार हवा से बातें करना तथा हवा में तैरते रंग-बिरंगे गुब्बारों पर फिसलना. कौन नहीं जाना चाहता इस अद्भुत सपनों की दुनिया की सैर पर. तो देर किस बात की है? उठाइये यह किताब और भरिये अपने सपनों में सुन्दर सजीले रंग.

लय में बँधे शब्द हवा के बहाव के किल्कुल अनुरूप जान पड़ते हैं और विचारों को अनोखी उड़ान देते हैं. छोटे बच्चों में हिंदी भाषा के प्रति लगाव जगाने के लिए ऐसी कविताएँ अमूल्य साधन का काम करती हैं.

Book Review : मशहूर मुस्कान

शीर्षक - मशहूर मुस्कान
लेखिका - गीता धर्मराजन
चित्रकार - राशिन खैरियेह
प्रकाशक - कथा

'मशहूर मुस्कान', 'कथा' द्वारा प्रकाशित किताब है जिसमें एक महत्त्वपूर्ण सन्देश बहुत ही सहज रूप में व्यक्त किया गया है. यह एक प्रमाणित सत्य है कि बच्चों के कोमल ह्रदय को जानवरों की कहानियाँ बहुत लुभाती हैं. अगर कोई भी बात समझाने का माध्यम कोई चार पैरों वाला प्राणी बन जाए तो नन्हे बच्चे उसे खूब चाव से सुनते और समझते हैं. पशुओं के प्रति इस प्राकृतिक आकर्षण को अनेक कहानीकारों ने बखूभी इस्तेमाल किया है. मशहूर मुस्कान कहानी भी इसी का एक उदाहरण है. इस कहानी के माध्यम से दन्त सुरक्षा और दन्त शोभा का सन्देश बच्चों तक पहुंचाया गया है.

इस कहानी में अगर मगर एक ऐसा मगरमच्छ है जो अपने दाँतो के प्रति ख़ास सजग है. वह मेहनत  से और पूरी लगन से नीम की पतली शाखाओं से रोज़ अपने दाँतो को साफ़ करता है. फिर एक मधुर मुस्कान अपने चेहरे पर सजा कर वह नदी किनारे इस उम्मीद में बैठ जाता है कि जो भी उस तरफ से गुज़रेगा, वह उसके दाँतो की चमक से प्रभावित हुए बिना न रह पायेगा. उसके दांत हैं ही इतने खूबसूरत और दूध की तरह सफ़ेद कि अगर-मगर का उन पर गर्व करना बहुत ही स्वाभाविक है.

वह कुछ छोटी मछलियों से मिलता है और उन्हें हंस कर अपने पास बुलाने कि कोशिश करता है. पर मछलियों को अपनी जान प्यारी है. कौन तेज़ धार दांतों वाले मगरमच्छ के पास जा कर उस से दोस्ती करना चाहेगा? वे सब जान बचा कर वहाँ से भाग निकलती हैं . इसके बाद अगर मगर जंगल के अन्य जानवरों से भी मिलता है  - पर बन्दर हों चाहे बाघ, कोई भी अगर मगर के दांतों पर ध्यान नहीं देता. थोड़ी सी प्रशंसा के लोभ में अगर मगर यहां से वहाँ घूमता रहता है. कहाँ मिलेगा उसे उसके दांतों का सही प्रशंसक जो यह समझ पाये कि उसके पास दांतों के रूप में कितनी बड़ी निधि है? बस उन कुछ तारीफ़ भरे शब्दों की तलाश में है अगर मगर. क्या उसकी यह तलाश कभी पूरी हो पाएगी? क्या उसके दांतों को वह सम्मान मिल पायेगा जिसके वे हक़दार हैं? पढ़िए और पता लगाइये कि अगर मगर अपने चमकीले दाँतो के साथ मशहूर हो पाया या नहीं.

यह कहानी एक उच्च स्तरीय ख़ूबसूरत कल्पना को दर्शाती है. यह कथाकार की कल्पना ही तो है कि  कठोर चमड़ी वाले मगरमच्छ को इतने प्यारे अवतार में प्रस्तुत किया गया है. एक छोटे बच्चे की तरह अगर मगर सबका ध्यान आकर्षित करने में अपना पूरा समय व शक्ति लगा देता है. उसे इंतज़ार है तो बस इस बात का कि कोई उसके दांतों को देखे और उन से प्रभावित हो. वह अपनी मेहनत को मान्यता प्राप्त करवाना चाहता है. उसकी इस लगन को छोटे पाठक बहुत चाव से पढ़ेंगे व समझेंगे.

कथाकार गीता धर्मराजन एक ऐसी लेखिका हैं जो कोमल हृदयी पाठकों को खूब पहचानती हैं और उनकी कलम से निकली यह कहानी इसीका प्रमाण है. रशिनं के द्वारा बनाये चित्र कहानी में जान डाल  रहे हैं और चित्रों के साथ कहानी को पढ़ने का मज़ा चौगुना हो जाता है. 

Book Review : Mimi's Dream

Title : Mimi's Dream

Author : Kuei Ling Hsu

Publisher : Katha

ISBN : 978-81-89934-92-7

Age : 3-6yrs

Mimi is a little princess of the dreamland inhabited by her dear companions and friends. They fly with Mimi to far off places riding on the waves of their dreams. The colourful dreamland comes to life when ladybugs, rabbits, lions, leaves of the trees and the wind wake up to greet the morning sun. They help others come out of their slumber too. Clouds float and make trees whisper about the sleeping little kite which is happily dreaming about the cotton candy clouds and much more.

We all have seen sliver of sunrays sparkling the fine threads of an otherwise invisible web entangling the branches of the trees. Some mystery spider seems to be weaving these webs which help many creatures on an adventurous ride to their respective dreamlands.

Mimi is joined by her friends, and together they climb the mystery webs, visit places inhabited by huge whales, enjoy the raindrops falling from the pregnant clouds, dance with the wind, watch the little shoots appearing from the moist soil and finally get ready to welcome the shimmering stars on the firmament. After a complete day's adventurous ride, Mimi and her friends resign to the inviting arms of sleep.

'Mimi's Dream' is a spectacular extravaganza of colours with text very sparse. The book offers a wonderful way to steer the imagination of young readers to different locales. The author has beautifully captured the chain of thoughts of little children when one thing captures their attention for a short period of time and soon enough something quite different and far removed from the first takes the center stage in their minds. Similarly the narrative, endearingly moves from lions and ladybugs to clouds and raindrops to whales making swishing music with their tails.

In the short description about the author, it is mentioned that 'Kuei Ling Hsu has been amazed by this colourful world every since she was a child' and sure enough the readers will get to see a small slice of her fascination for the colours of the world through her book Mimi's Dream.

Book Review : The Moon Wants to be Spotless White

Title : The Moon Wants To Be Spotless White

Author : Priya Narayanan

Illustrator : Suhita Mitra

Publisher : LeadStart

ISBN : 9789381576342 

'Daag achche hain' (Stains are good) if they happen to be the price for joy, happiness and love - this is the premise of Priya Narayanan's 'The Moon Wants to be Spotless White'.  Moon who is otherwise quite vain and is drunk on his own beauty, gets the shock of his life when he overhears a bunch of stars talking about his dirty spots. He finds a patient ear in a little girl Mitu who enjoys looking at the moon from the window of her room and always admires his grace and beauty. Moon comes up with a plan that he needs to get himself scrubbed clean in order to get back his pristine white looks. Mitu feels very happy to help the moon by letting Dhobi Kaka into the little secret. Dhobi kaka is kind enough to use his special secret formula on Moon so that the moon regains his spotless whiteness back.

The trio get together at the dead of the night to work in this rare kind of mission but by the time they are done with washing and scrubbing, it is time for the day break. Now the moon will have to wait for the night fall to go back to the sky. What happens when the moon finally meets his heavenly friends in the sky? How does he narrate his adventure of previous night when he took a trip to the dhobhi ghat? Can he boast of his spotless white looks in front of them? Is he really as spotless as he wanted himself to be? Does his vanity win or the love of his friends? Head on to this rare adventure along with the moon who is ready to take all the trouble to satisfy his pride of being the most handsome in the sky.

A great way to reiterate and reinforce the life value that life is just not about the external appearance, it is much beyond that. And this the moon realises at the end of the story when he observes that his friends are glad, just to be with him - with or without spots.

It is a simple, feel-good story which would appeal to all little children, however, the length of this story goes against its appeal to the age group that it is targeting. It is hard to finish complete reading of the story in one sitting. Moreover, stories adhering to commonly observed practicalities, always make more impact. In 'The Moon Wants to be Spotless White', Mitu's mother sending Mitu with Dhobi Kaka at night, feels a little unreal and impractical. Barring these two irritants, it is quite an interesting read for young readers (Age : 6-10 years)

Book Review : The Bicycle

Title : The Bicycle

Author : Paavannan

Illustrated by : Ayush Rajvanshi and Mohit Srivastava

Publisher : Katha

ISBN : 978-93-82454-20-5

'The Bicycle' is a story of a young man and a little boy who share a common passion - to cycle to distant places. As the story opens, the narrator (the young man) looks at the scooter parked in front of his house and recalls the time when a bicycle used to stand there instead. The bicycle, which was his prized possession, his key to enjoy freedom of the world, away from the drudgery of routine work. He wanted to ride his new bicycle to far away places. To satisfy this urge of his, he once planned a long trip from Mangalore via Hassan. He experienced the thrill of becoming a part of the nature as he rode for more than 200 km in all kinds of terrains. He savoured his uplifted sprits as he made the best of every moment of the decision of following his dream. This powerful life lesson of listening to one's heart is brought out in the most subtle manner here.

Through the forests and across the hills he kept riding till his bicycle got punctured. He had to stop in the middle of nowhere but he found a lively and cheerful little boy who invited him to take some rest at his humble abode. They both shared their dreams with each other to ride to distant places. The little boy opened up his heart which had deep longing to possess a bicycle of his own.

But will the little boy ever get his own bicycle? Will he ever be able to live his dream as the narrator could?

In the end, the narrator does something extraordinary which extends his exhilaration further. The readers would love to read how the story ends. Though a very short story barely covering 18 pages, it is power packed in more ways than one. A true example of how sometimes good things come in small capsules.  It brings out another important learning that when you work towards realising your dreams, you develop a sensitivity to value dreams of others too. Then you would want to do your bit in helping others realise their dreams as well.

Read this tender little story of a unique friendship which, though developed within a few hours yet made an indelible mark on each other.

Books like these reinforce my belief in Katha publishers that they are doing a wonderful job in creating quality literature for young readers. Moreover, these delightful books make my job as a reviewer much more pleasurable. 

Book Review : The Case of the Runaway Continents

Title : The Case of the Runaway Continents

Author : Geeta Dharmarajan

Illustrator : Joyita Banerjee

Publisher : Katha

ISBN : 978-93-82454-15-1

An information packed book 'The Case of the Runaway Continents' is a new offering of Katha books. It is about the changes that our Earth is undergoing unrelentingly, every single moment and how it reached to the state where we see it now. It tries to explain the reason behind some of the observed facts in the nature and on our earth.

Coral Reefs which are found mostly in the Southern hemisphere have their remains in Northern hemisphere as well. Some of the animals that are found in South America and in Africa share common ancestors. Rock samples taken from different coastlines are found to belong to the same original rock. What connect these things together which physically appear to be so far away from each other? The questions like these have intrigued geologists and historians for ages. After understanding the trend that the surface of our earth shows, scientists have come up with the logical explanation that initially all the continents formed a single big landmass. With time this large land mass broke off giving rise to different continents which drifted apart from each other.

It is understood that Earth's continental crust is constantly under change and it follows a cyclical timeline which is called the supercontinent cycle. Though a cycle takes 350 to 500 million years to complete, the continents are continuously in the process of merging or breaking up.

The author discusses many other concepts related to our planet Earth and its surface, ranging from tectnoic plates, how they float on the molten magma, what causes earthquakes, how some of the mountains are formed, what are trenches, how is the ocean floor increasing, is Earth growing in size to accommodate new land formations, the ring of fire and much more. It is interesting to read how India got detached from one landmass and merged with another and how Himalayas got formed due to this collision.

'The Case of the Runaway Continents' is a comprehensive introduction to our planet Earth, its surface, hot secrets buried in its womb and the perpetual process of change that Earth keeps experiencing. There is a high chance that readers would get motivated to read more on these concepts which are  briefly touched in the book. The first impression that one gets from the cover page of the book is that this book should be for young readers, however, some of the concepts are a little complex for that age group. The book is appropriate for readers of age 11+ years. At a few places, the illustrations and text show some disconnect. A couple of images are too detailed which are not backed by equally detailed description.  

Book Review : Run Ranga! Run!

Title : Run Ranga! Run!

Author : Geeta Dharmarajan

Illustrator : Srivi

Publisher : Katha

Katha has come up with yet another endearing tale and this time it is about Ranga, a little Rhinoceros. Ranga is a newborn baby when the story begins. She enjoys the gentle, loving and warm touch of her mother. Her Ma tenderly nudges the reluctant little baby to stand, but Ranga just wants to get back into the comfortable confine of her Ma's belly. Slowly she learns to stand on her legs, to drink milk, and to take rest. Ranga's babyhood phase is filled with listening to stories softly narrated by her Ma, taking mud baths, playing, learning to speak and laugh. Ranga feels proud that she is able to do all these things like how her Ma does. Gradually the horizon of her small world expands and she starts acknowledging and understanding her surroundings, meets other rhinos and makes friends. But the bond that she has with her mother remains unparalleled. Time flies and now Ranga has a baby brother. Ranga, a loving and protective elder sister wants to keep her Ma and her baby brother safe from all sorts of dangers. The three of them want to revel in the beauty and tranquility of the grasslands but their Ma feels the need to teach them to run from humans because 'rhinos are scared of no one else but humans'. Ranga does not like living under the threat of humans destroying the grasslands and killing animals like her. Ranga wants to grow up, to walk majestically in the grassland, to have her own baby but she wishes for a new and different future, 'hopefully I won't ever have to teach the baby to run from humans.'

Story of Ranga lets the readers peek into the life of this majestic and graceful member of the grassland. Peace loving Rhinoceros do not demand much, they just want to be safe and happy. Run Ranga! Run! Brings out the plea of Ranga and all wild animals in general that they want humans to respect all forms of life. The precarious balance that exists in the nature is under threat because of greed of humans.

Mahatma Gandhi very rightly said, 'Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed.' The other living creatures are silently paying the price of human greed.

The book is a wonderful way to introduce young readers to these Big Fat friendly creatures who enjoy their solitude in verdant grasslands . It is a great step by Katha to ignite awareness for nature and for all significant aspects of the nature in young minds so that they grow up to be responsible and compassionate citizens of Earth.

Book Review : Little Cloud's Quest

Title : Little Cloud's Quest

Author : Stephen Aitken and Sylvia Sikundar

Illustrator : Joyita Banerjee

Publisher : Katha

ISBN : 978-93-82454-13-7

One fine morning a little cloud is born. She looks around but doesn't find any companion or a playmate. Seeing her sad, the wind offers to give her a ride to up above in the vast sky. Some thin wispy clouds are floating there but they do not include the little cloud in their group because she looks different. While she tries to be like wispy clouds, Cirrus clouds pass her by and mock her for her slowness. A big cluster of fluffy clouds do not pay any attention to the little cloud either. They remain engaged in the hide and seek game that they are playing. Then the little cloud meets Cumulus clouds who reject her for her smallness.

The little cloud is really sad and cannot take her loneliness any longer. She starts shedding tears. What magic!!! The drops coming down from the cloud are greeted with mirth and happiness by the desert children who want the little cloud to stay with them for a while. Little cloud is delighted as she is wanted and cherished by these little children who are enjoying every drop of water that is falling from her. Soon her sad tears are replaced by joyful showers. The little cloud plays and  plays with them to her heart's content because she has found her friends now. She does not want to miss the magical gift that she has received and given to her new friends.

Katha books are committed to opening innumerable beautiful vistas for young children through the world of books. 'Little Cloud's Quest' is another step towards that objective. The authors have beautifully weaved an adventure around the clouds and the world high up in the sky in the book. As the little cloud riding on the wings of the wind floats over distant lands, she gets to meet different kinds of clouds and understands their specific characteristics. Children will get to enjoy the fun ride with the little cloud in her quest for friends to play with. As the story progresses, many interesting cloud facts are also introduced in a fun manner. This works as a perfect example for 'play and learn'.

Book Review : The City of Ember

Title : The City of Ember

Author : Jeanne Duprau

Publisher : Random House

Another gem of a book introduced to us by my sister and her children. 

There is something strange about the city of Ember. It is night everywhere but no twinkling stars and no moon in the sky. There are no plants and animals except for bugs and insects. It is dark all the time except for the yellow lights that flicker from the lamps in the houses and on the streets. Since there is no notion of day or night, the activities happen as per the specific timings. The lights are put out at certain hour every day indicating bed time and the lights are turned on after specific passage of time every day. Everywhere everything seems to be bathed in an ominous yellow glow but still the brightness is missing. Beyond the area that is lit by these floodlamps there is a black scary world that no one has dared venture into. In fact, some people did try exploring that part of the city but were not successful in finding anything after just a few steps in the pitch dark unknown world. The life has been going on in the city as a rhythm, or is it so? Though people have been living here for more than 240 years, it is becoming more and more noticeable that the storerooms are running out of supplies, things are getting scarcer by every day and the city is plunging into blackouts more often now, bringing everything to standstill. In short, uncertainty is looming large over the future of the city and its inhabitants. This underlying fear is getting reflected in the gloominess that is writ large on the faces of citizens of Ember.

One more school term is over and twelve-year-old Doon Harrow and Lina Mayfleet have been assigned their life jobs - Lina as a messenger, and Doon as Pipeworker. The lifeline of the city - the pipeworks are underground where a river roars and a generator works untiringly, illuminating the whole city. Doon believes that he would find something there among the pipes which could possibly change the doomed future of the city. Lina happens to find an old document titled - 'Instructions for Egress', (Egress means exit) in a torn state and along with Doon she decides to solve the puzzle to find the new world. These happen to be the instructions that were written by the builders of the city some 241 years ago to lead the people out at the right time. But clearly something went wrong in the way it was supposed to get passed on from one generation to another.

While on their mission to find directions out of the city, they stumble upon some unflattering secrets about the mayor of the city and his guards. Doon and Lina now face a prison sentence for spreading false rumours. Time is ticking, the guards are looking for them, Doon and Lina have to decide fast and act fast. They have to decipher the mysterious instructions and the task becomes even more difficult when they do not even know what do things like matchsticks, candle and boat mean. Will they every see any light at the other end of the tunnel?

'The City of Ember' is full of fear, mystery, adventure, and desire and determination of two pre-teens to save the people of their city. The narration is engaging and it is interesting how the strangeness of the city is unraveled slowly chapter after chapter. While smoothly weaving the flow of the story, the author very subtly talks about the 'want' in a person which often plagues any logic or reason that comes in its way. Lina experiences this feeling once when on seeing the colour pencils in the store which she so desperately desired, she finds the 'need' of a coat for her grandmother fading away. It was perhaps the same 'want' which had cast its spell on the mayor and his trusted people too, including one of Lina's friends. 

If you want to know what happened to the people of Ember, you need to read the sequel of this book - The People of Sparks. 

Book Review : Brady Needs a Nightlight

Title : Brady Needs a Nightlight

Author : Brian Barlics

Illustrator : Gregory Burgess Jones

Publisher : Black Rose Printing

ISBN : 978-1-61296-195-8

'Brady Needs a Nightlight' is an endearing tale of a little bat - Brady. Though Bats are supposed to be sleeping during the day, Brady likes to enjoy the day time - playing and staying awake. He does not like the dark caves where the rest of the bats sleep during day time. Darkness scares him and he is afraid to close his eyes to sleep. He spends most of the time staying awake and watching other bats sleeping deeply.

Nights are no better for Brady either when all other bats are up and ready to go out and play. The darkness all around, the spooky sounds of animals and insects at night add to his fright. Brady finds no peace anytime of the day or night, he feels like crying. But there are some tiny creatures who sparkle and glimmer in dark. Brady gets a brilliant idea. Can he use these glistening small flies as his very own personal nightlight? Will  he be able to win over the darkness that seems to be engulfing him all the time? Children must read the story to find out how Brady conquers his fears and how a smile returns to his face because of his new found friends.

I love such children's books where the information is very casually entwined in the story rather than making it the prime focus. Children are made aware of the physical features of bats, their nocturnal characteristics, their physical features, their sleep patterns and their unique sleeping styles.  Moreover, the story addresses an issue which is very commonly faced by young children when they are learning to put themselves to sleep without any aide. The issue of getting scared of dark and not wanting to shut the eyes close to fall asleep. The good part is Brady tries to find a solution to his problem and when he gets an idea he first goes to talk it over with his mother. All these are wonderful points in the book which very subtly convey the message to the young readers. Moreover, these are great places in the story where children can be encouraged to talk about their individual fears or the things that bother them without being judgmental. Children will be able to identify with the lovable character Brady.

'Brady Needs a Nightlight' is the first story from the series called 'Fundamentale', a collection of tales that are created to kindle the imagination of young readers. 

Guest Book Review III : Who Wants Green Fingers Anyway?

Title : Who Wants Green Fingers Anyway?

Author :  Geeta Dharmarajan

Illustrator: Archana Sreenivasan

Publisher : Katha

ISBN : 978-93-82454-06-9

Reviewer: Mouli Banerjee

Who Wants Green Fingers Anyway? is the new gem from Geeta Dharmarajan, prolific writer of children’s books and 2012 Padma Shri awardee for her service in Literature and Education. This joyful narrative revolves around a family’s growing awareness of the care they have to provide to the plants of their garden.

The story is very funny and entertaining. The narrative voice is that of the young elder daughter, who chronicles this family drama. She is chirpy and smart while observing the incidents unfold. Keeping her distance from the strife, she is amused at the course of events taking place before her. Amma takes immense pride in her potted plants, but they seem to be wilting. Appa tactlessly points this out to her, provoking her short-temper. Some pots break, a witty battle of words ensues, and a challenge is thrown. Will Appa be able to look after the plants better than Amma? The reader wonders, with the daughter. The plot is tightly woven and retains suspense until the final climax.

The illustrations by Archana Sreenivasan, a Bengaluru-based visual communication designer, add vigor to the story. Srinivasan, through the

caricature of the characters, enhances the humour in the story. The narrative, a good-humoured take on family life, is a typical example of

these incidental disagreements that end up as amused memories in our minds. All readers will relate to that.

The story urges its audience to realise that it takes time and effort to become good at something. Not all information can be based simply on theory. Practical experience is also crucial, as Appa learns when he tries to don the gardener’s hat, taken over from Amma. He reads books that claim to provide all the knowledge one needs to keep plants in good shape, but the mistakes he will soon commit prove otherwise.

The writing style and expressions of the book prolong this critique of pure theory. Puns on words also add to the story’s wit, for when, exasperated, Appa declares that the books said gardening should be “as easy as making mud pies.” The irony does not escape the readers: a mud pie is exactly what he has made, albeit literally a mud pie. The readers are also invited to understand the importance of accepting defeat gracefully. Appa, in the story, cleverly manages to hide the mess from Amma, which the reader may find ridiculous, yet cute. The title, too, is a clever quibble on the ability to grow plants well, and the literal meaning of one’s fingers turning green.

Who Wants Green Fingers Anyway? is a great read. It is an entertaining family story, combined with a subtle but important message on relationships.

Guest Book Review II : Old Man Who Would Not Listen

Title : Old Man Who Would Not Listen

Author :  Nonda Chatterjee

Illustrator: Joyita Banerjee

Publisher : Katha

ISBN : 978-93-82454-08-3

Reviewer: Mouli Banerjee

Katha’s new book, Old Man Who Would Not Listen, is a delightful tale of how Old Man and his five friends bring a traffic offender to justice.

Nonda Chatterjee’s narrative is gripping and entertaining. Though we get ample hints from the illustrations, the text at no time specifies that Old Man and his five friends are in fact… dogs. This adds to the power of the intrigue and amplifies the mystery created by the artwork. Not without a pinch of humour, the protagonist actually behaves like a proper Old Man: he walks with his friends in the park every morning, before going and getting hot jalebis from the sweet seller, Moyra, who calls him “Babuji”. When Old Man has to cross the road, the illustration shows human footprints next to the pug marks, thus kindling the puzzlement. When the guard refuses the entrance to Old Man and his friends, Chatterjee punctuates with a touch of wit: “a heated exchange about the rights of the underdog followed.” With such smart, understated quibbling and subtle humour holding one’s attention, the book is undoubtedly a captivating read.

The art by Joyita Banerjee is innovative and original. It uses the contrast of black, white and yellow tones to create an ambience that generates intrigue. The use of silhouettes is also clever as it retains suspense, while Old Man and his friends walk through the last hours of the night, in the streets of Kolkata.

Old Man Who Would Not Listen is a tale on survival and standing up for righteousness. Old Man is stubborn, but so are his friends, in their loyalty to him. The title of the book gives a glimpse of its spirit, for Old Man “would not listen” to all the signs that told him he wasn’t allowed in the park. The story is an invitation to young readers to recognize and contribute in fighting discrimination. The “dogs not allowed” signboard outside the park is Chatterjee’s subtle allegory to evoke the larger question of exclusion of the oppressed and the underprivileged in (human) society.

The story transpires of a faith in kindness, but it also has more practical concerns: it informs readers on traffic discipline. It is a tale about friendship too, and how loyal friends fight for each other and help one another. Moreover, it invites readers not to underestimate the capabilities of the underdog, for, ultimately, Old Man and his friends, rechristened “the Super Six”, turn out to be the most effective guards of the society.

All in all, Old Man Who Would Not Listen is a fun, entertaining and, at the same time, a highly instructive book that is worth reading, and re-reading.

Guest Book Review 1 : The Friday Fair

Since the inception of Literary Sojourn, it has remained my journey in the literary world and I do not foresee that to be getting changed anytime soon. However, honouring one request by Katha, Literary Sojourn is proudly hosting three guest book reviews of these wonderful Katha books.

Title : The Friday Fair

Author : Rabindranath Tagore

Illustrator : Debasmita Dasgupta

Translators : Himanjali Shankar, Geeta Dharmarajan

ISBN : 978-98-82454-10-6

Reviewer : Mouli Banerjee

Katha’s new ‘Tantalising Tagore’ series is a delightful collection of five of famous children’s poems by the Bengali writer, bringing to light a spritely world of colours and life. The collection consists of five translations: The Friday Fair, The Champa Flower, The Astronomer, The Little Big Man and Clouds and Waves. Himanjali Shankar and Geeta Dharmarajan’s translation of Tagore’s poem ‘Haat’, The Friday Fair is a delightful adaptation of the original story, which famously portrays each and every minute activity at the weekly village market.

Tagore’s poem presents a word picture of a busy weekly market on the banks of Padma, in the village of Bakshiganj. It is a kaleidoscopic vision of all the frenetic events that take place in the village on that day. H. Shankar and G. Dharmarajan’s translation is refined, as it retains the flavour of the original, while at the same time making the whole experience available through the imaginary world of children in metropolitan cities, who may not be familiar with the village atmosphere.

The illustrations by Debasmita Dasgupta amplify the colour and vibrancy of the story. They are based on traditional motifs and strokes but represent a modern version of the weekly village market. This is visible in the attire of the people depicted, which are very different from what Tagore’s villages would have looked like. The illustration seamlessly merges into the narrative to provide the children with a unique artistic experience.

The original poem by Tagore, a part of his collection for children, Sahaj Path or Simple Lessons, is a tightly rhymed piece. In this translation, the original Bengali rhyme scheme gives way to a sense of rhythm and musicality. The structure of the book, with each line depicting a different scene placed on a separate page with a related illustration, offers an impression of slideshow, shifting through scenes and people and thus creating a collage of human lives from various backgrounds. There are children playing, girls from the village coming to trade hay, men and women selling vegetables, sweets, jaggery, handicrafts, blankets and even cheap umbrellas from the city! It successfully evokes a feeling of activity and community interaction at the marketplace. The Friday Fair is thoughtfully structured so to include, along with a brief but instructive annexe on Tagore, the original Bangla poem in its script and in a Roman transcription. This highlights Katha’s concern for projects of translation, which culminates here in a subtle way to initiate children to this other art.

Young readers can see the rhyme scheme of the original and contrast it with the translated version. Thus, The Friday Fair is a colourful, exciting book that takes its readers on a journey through colourful cultures and life stories.

Book Review : Where's Green?

Title : Where's Green? (The EnteleTrons Series)

Author : Renee Heiss and Gary A. Stewart

Illustrated by : Fay Cofrancesco

'Where's Green?' introduces us to three EnteleTrons : Ellie - the electron, Priti - the Proton and Ning - the Neutron. And in tune with the typical characteristics of these particles, Ellie is always looking for ways to make connections and sometimes ends up making mistakes too. Priti, the Proton brings positivity to everything around her. She is a loving character taking strength from her positive outlook towards people and life in general. Many times she gently nudges Ellie to correct her mistakes too. Finally the mediator, the most neutral character is the Ning. He is the one looking to solve problems and to work on challenges. He is an expert in using various devices that are available in their EnteleLab.

The author has very intelligently chosen the names for these significant particles highlighting the essence of their personalities . The name Ellie is of Greek origin meaning Light, name Priti is Indian and means love and Ning is of Chinese origin which means peaceful.

This time all three of them are trying to investigate the reason for the green color to be missing from the plants, trees and even from the rainbow. They decide to question the primary colors first for the reason behind the disappearance of green color from among them. They come to know that the bickering of all the rest of the colors annoyed the calm green color to such an extent that it decided to leave the group.

Thanks to Ellie, Priti and Ning, the rainbow colors realize their folly and agree that the natural order was indeed the best way to be. This appeased the green color too and it wooshed back at its rightful place.

A colorful book for young readers and a step towards starting them early on the concepts of science in a fun and light way. The rainbow colors, the three particles of matter, the prism, separation of visible light and many other things are introduced in a very simple manner through an interesting tale. Moreover, the life lesson of working together and in unison is also conveyed beautifully here. The after notes written by the author are worth mentioning too - "When you read about the EnteleTrons and their adventures, think about how tiny they are in size, but how huge they are in their effect on the universe. You can be just like the EnteleTrons.  Think about how you can make a huge difference in other people's lives too."

More activities, experiments and interesting discussions can be accessed at www.entelechyed.com

Book Review : Bijoy and the Big River

Title : Bijoy and the Big River

Author : Praba Ram and Meera Sriram

Publisher : Tulika

ISBN : 93-5046-326-1

Since primeval ages rivers have given birth to many civilizations near their banks and ever since rivers have hidden innumerable stories in their dancing waves. Almost every crest and trough of these life wires of a nation witness and chronicle myriad incidents, episodes, happenings and life stories. One such story is that of Bijoy presented beautifully by Praba and Meera.

As the big river Brahmaputra (Burha Luit in Assamese) rocks, bends, winds, coils, curls, rolls, twirls, swings and sways from Himalayas on China side, to enter the Indian borders in Arunachal Pradesh, it cascades down the plains and forests of Assam and there it enters the lives of Bijoy and his people. The story takes us through Bijoy's first ferry ride on the river as he accompanies his father to the silk village of Sualkuchi. Bijoy's father raises eri silkworms in their backyard. Eri culture is the most eco-friendly and non-violent method of obtaining silk and hence the silk is also known as 'Peace Silk'.

As Bijoy's day's routine unfolds, a slice of Assam gets revealed page after page through various photographs, relevant art by Koel Basu along with nuggets of factual information on various aspects of lifestyle, culture, flora and fauna of that part of our country. Tall bamboos and coconuts, one-horned rhino in Kaziranga National Park, endangered Gangetic river dolphin Xihu, people celebrating Bihu and the fine golden silk Muga - the book offers a peak into myriad of things. The young readers are sure to get enriched with information about eri, the biodiversity and the ecosystem sustaining in the natural environs of Assam and much more. It is amazing to notice that people living so close to nature know exactly how to acknowledge and bow down in front of the various moods and forms of nature. Bijoy and the Big River is a tribute to the river as well as to the people and other creatures who have their lives entwined with the endless flow of water.

Tulika books under the 'Where I Live' section are committed to bring traditions and lifestyles from various parts of India for the young readers. 'Bijoy and the Big River' makes this category proud by its presence there.

I feel really proud to mention that I am part of Saffron Tree, the seeds of which were sown by Praba and which has now matured into a blooming tree guiding many parents to pick age appropriate gems for their little ones.

I conducted a brief e-interview with Praba and Meera and I am pleased to share it with the readers of Literary Sojourn here.

1. How do you pick a topic?

Broadly speaking, environmental and cultural themes appeal to our combined curiosities. Even simple things that we see or use everyday can set us thinking about a certain idea. Sometimes, questions or reactions from our own children spark off a train of thought. In general, we find ourselves often inclining toward stories that have not been explored before, in both fiction and non-fiction.  

2.  What all research goes in creating a fine book?

The narratives in both the books we have written so far for Tulika are a mix of fiction-non-fiction. For those, we do first decide on a certain topic and try to create a story around it. In Dinaben and the  Lions of Gir, we wanted to tell the story of ghee. Reading about different dairy-farming communities in India gave us a clearer idea about what exactly we wanted in our narrative. And after weeks of research, the story of Asiatic lions in that region and the Maldhari community seemed even more compelling than a simple ghee story. We chose the forests as the backdrop and decided to showcase their harmonious co-existence in Gir.

In Bijoy and the Big River, we thought it would be exciting for kids to read about silk and silk weaving. It was clear to us it had to be about the silk varieties of Assam. Our research led us straight to the Brahmaputra. The big river and its background had so many beautiful tales to tell. Plugging in them together had its own set of challenges. But they did eventually blend well. And yet again, we were amazed how seamlessly they came together for what started as a simple silk story. 

3.     What all led you to the life of Bijoy?

With Bijoy, we knew we wanted to keep the focus on Assam.  So we were trying to bring out several cultural and regional details through our Assamese boy growing up near the river.  And through Bijoy, we decided to weave a quiet narrative capturing the non-violent eri silkworms, the Gangetic dolphins and in general, the lives of people and the bio-diversity around the big river. It was a fascinating journey writing Bijoy!

4. From the forests of Gir (Dinaben and Lions of Gir) to bustling waves of Brahmaputra (Bijoy and the Big River), where do you see your creative flight taking you next?

We have some more ideas in the pipe for Tulika. Another book from Mango Books, D.C. is out for print. It’s a piece of non-fiction about animals that are endangered in India

5. What ambition do you nurture in terms of writing books for children?

We feel the need and desire to continue sharing stories that involve nature, wildlife, people and communities.   And we often feel the desire to tell stories that capture the diverse world we live in, in a way that children can enjoy.  But now and then, we find ourselves toying with totally off-beat, goofy, crazy stories!  It’s probably safe to say we don’t quite know where our next story will take us to

6.  How has the journey of being authors been so far? What is the biggest joy of being one? 

It is always a joy to reach out to children and see their responses first-hand to our books. Their interactive questions during read-alouds are heart-warming and are also tremendous fun to answer.  Both our families are definitely the first audience for our stories, and we look forward to their first feedback. Our children have been incredible in their enthusiasm around every new book and we are grateful for the multiple readings they have sat through. Also, our research connects us to people who are also deeply passionate about some of the things we write about – like nature conservationists, wildlife photographers and people who love to travel. Overall, we are very pleased with what we’ve chosen to do and the experience has been very gratifying for us.

This will be a five-day-long blog tour - with five different perspectives. Here are the dates and places where our readers can find Bijoy and the Big River.

March 18th - Saffron Tree. Sandhya Renukamba.
March 19th - Literary Sojourn. Vibha Sharma.
March 20th - The not-so artful dodger. Artnavy.
March 21st - Mamma of Twins. Itchingtowrite.
March 22nd - The Mad Momma. Lavanya D / Prateek.

Do visit!

Book Review : Palanquin Bearers by Sarojini Naidu

Title : Palanquin Bearers

Author : Sarojini Naidu

Art By : Indu Harikumar

Very understandably words fail when the creations like these are to be reviewed. How can one review a gem like this and more so when such pieces are embellished by beautiful and spirited illustrations as are done by Indu Harikumar.

Sarojini Naidu - the nightingale of India needs no introduction. Many of us have read Sarojini Naidu in school coursework and this time Katha has brought one of her brilliant poems - Palanquin Bearers, in a new avatar. The drawings by Indu Harikumar have aptly filled beautiful colours in the lyrical verse.

Palanquin also known as palki, a humble means of transportation was used in olden days but here the one that is being talked about is the one carrying a bride. The new bride is transitioning from one phase of her life to another and umpteen thoughts cross her mind as she is securely seated inside the palanquin. She has tears in her eyes for leaving her loved ones while at the same time she has twinkling stars in her eyes awaiting beginning of a new life full of hope and fervor. 

The bearers who are carrying the palanquin on their shoulders are conscientious about their duty. They are bearing the palanquin gently and carefully, joyfully and happily, smoothly and lightly while singing songs as they make progress towards their destination. 

It is a sheer pleasure to read Naidu's poetry luxuriously brimming with metaphors which make the readers float with the words.

The illustrations by Indu are the vibrant scenes actually sewn on pieces of fabric. Every page is a visual treat for the eyes, however a drawing of a full palanquin would have been a cherry on the top and would have been easier for children to imagine what a palanquin actually looked like.