Sunday, March 14, 2010

Little Vinayak


Little Vinayak
Narrated By Vidya Balan
Written By Shobha Viswanath
Music By 3 Brothers & A Violin
Art By Shilpa Ranade
Ages 4 -8


Little Vinayak is the story of a baby elephant with a trunk so long that he trips and falls when we walks. Being different makes him feel painful and lonely. One after another, he tries several ideas offered by his mother and friends to fix the problem with his long trunk. But, nothing seems to help poor Vinayak. He continues to trip on his long trunk, until one day, a special somone visits him and shows him a very special way to approach the problem.

With refreshingly simple text paired with bright, bold illustrations, Little Vinayak is an inspiring story, which celebrates differences in a positive way. The endearing tale continues to touch the heart of my preschooler, long after the last page has been turned. Without being melodramatic (but through humor), the story can teach a child that it's OK to be different and a weakness can cease to exist, if you looked at it differently - and of course, what sets you apart can make you special, too!

Karadi has no doubt created some excellent picture books in the Read With Me Series. The storyline is simple enough for children to follow easily, and the illustrations are vibrantly colorful. Vidya Balan engagingly narrates the story in a humorous tone in the audio version of the book. Needless to mention, the music, sound effects and title song by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, are outstanding.

10 comments:

sandhya said...

Touched a chord. My daughter A often feels different because she is probably the only serious reader in a classful of children, doesn't know the latest Hindi films or songs, is the only child with two long pigtails in her class...the list could go on. As Choxbox once said, these children will either become social misfits or do something extraordinary. I sincerely hope that we are on the right track and it will be the latter. In the meantime, books like these should help her cope with being 'different from her peers.

Vibha said...

We have almost all the books in 'Read with me' series and enjoy all of them.

'Little Vinayak' is favourite of my daughter and I like the part where the special someone gives the message - 'learn to manage the problem, don't let the problem manage you'.

Artnavy said...

HUGE karadi fans here and with Vidya Balan - they just cannot go wrong

Choxbox said...

Lovely pick Praba. You just cant go wrong witha nything Karadi!
@ Sandhya: Oh did I say that?! Having lived a little more since then, I'll say some more then - isn't each of us different from the other? And whether these kids do anything extraordinary (how does one define that btw?) or not, they are and will hopefully continue to be happy and thats what matters!

Meera Sriram said...

I remember picking up our first Karadi book-CD in 2004 /(?) and yo can still find us humming to some of the tunes:) The assurance that this story presents is, I guess, is a much needed dose of comfort and confidence for both parents and children. Will be listening to it soon. Thanks!

SoulSpace said...

love karadi...and its tales

a simple yet powerful tale is it not...
sometimes it is the simple ones that truly get the message across, and stay with us...
will pick it up for sure

Karadi Tales said...

Thanks for this, Praba, and thanks for the lovely comments, everyone! :-) Little Vinayak is one of our favourite stories too!. In fact, it went into a second reprint very recently after the first print of 5000 copies was completely sold out!

sathish said...

praba, glad to hear your views.

We enjoyed the karadi rhymes CD a lot. Something our kids dance to, every now and then.

the mad momma said...

it sounds so lovely. the bean would love any book about an elephant

Sheela said...

Thanks, Praba! We've been reading/listening to this story for the last 2 days - at home, during commute - and it has appealed to both the 2 and 5 year old!

I agree with you, the Read With Me series is quite well done, and Vidya Balan's narration is quite engaging. The music adds that much-needed Midas touch to these short and sweet stories.

Lizard's Tail is another top favorite in this series - makes me beam when Ana sings the songs therein - be it the Squirrel's or the gruff Dogs' renditions :)

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