Bookasura: The Adventures of Bala and the Book- Eating Monster

Bookasura: Bala and the Book-Eating Monster

Author: Arundhati Venkatesh

Illustrator: Priya Kurian

Publisher: Scholastic India

Ages: 5+

The story of Bakasura must surely rate among the most retold mythological stories  across  Indian households – it has certainly been a huge favourite in my family for as long as I can remember.  After all, it’s got all the elements of a crowd pleaser– a hungry and evil giant simply asking to be trounced, helpless villagers, a quirky warrior (in my mind, the only interesting Pandava), and  food – lots and lots of it!   Add to this the plethora of sound effects the story encourages you to improvise - growling, roaring, burping, other bodily noises too rude to mention – let’s just say the story of Bakasura is designed to delight with each retelling.

In Bookasura, author Arundhati Venkatesh, creator  of the popular Petu Pumpkin series (and a reviewer here at Saffron Tree), gives us a fresh and funny take on that beloved myth, pitting  a young boy against a hungry ogre with a very peculiar appetite. There's plenty of delicious food as well, and some interesting sound effects too.. but I digress.

Little Bala loves books. In fact, he has just done something amazing – moved from picture books to finishing his very first chapter book. Sadly, that rite of passage goes unnoticed because of the little monster hogging all his parents’ attention – his baby sister Meera.  As if that weren’t unforgivable enough, she even chews her way through one of his beloved books! So Bala is quite happy to be shipped off to his grandparents’ house in quiet  Melagam, where he hopes to spend the holidays listening to Thaatha’s stories, filling up on Paati’s amazing cooking, pottering around Navaneeth uncle’s garden – and reading his books  in peace, of course. Alas, he isn’t rid of monsters yet.

 Enter Bookasura, a  ferocious hydra-headed rakshasa with an insatiable appetite – for books!  In a bid to keep himself alive,  Bala offers the monster his precious  horde of summer reads instead.  But books, like food and patience, have a nasty habit of running out when you need them the most. With three books left in his bag, what is Bala going to do? Will he find a way out of his troubles, preferably a way that leaves him uneaten? Will the books he loves so much help him out? Or will help arrive from some very unexpected sources? 

Priya Kurian’s illustrations are, as always, a treat. With a few simple pencil strokes, she brings  the characters of the book to glorious life. Her potbellied Bookasura is definitely the highlight of the book, from his little drawstring pyjamas to his many heads, each with their individual scowls and mohawks.

Bookasura is a fun adventure for younger readers to giggle their way through. It is also a book celebrating books and the powers of good stories , and that takes a cheerful dig at, erm.. the lethal powers of certain contemporary modes  of entertainment. I enjoyed Arundhati's depiction of customs in a typical South Indian household and the questions she teasingly leaves unanswered-Why does Bookasura resemble baby Meera? How much does Kala Aunty really know about the book guzzling monster? Why does the rakshasa only appear when Bala falls asleep? I would have liked books  to feature more prominently in Bala's plan to defeat Bookasura - the classic titles mentioned throughout the story lead you to expect a conclusion where they will all somehow be relevant. The ending, though, is sure to have younger readers  - and their parents - giggle approvingly!

Patua Pinocchio

Patua Pinocchio  

by Carlo Collodi
illustrated by Swarna Chitrakar
publisher: Tara Books


By now, The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi has become a household tale that manages to amuse and captivate the young readers. The story has been translated into many languages, endearing the wooden marionette to readers the around the world. His yearning to become a human boy and his adventures along the way is both absurd and heart-tugging.

Well known for their sophisticated books that showcase indigenous art forms and local artists, Tara Books has taken this classic story, abridged from Carol Della Chiesa's translations from the Italian original, and paired it with Swarna Chitrakar's Patua Scroll Painting of Bengal to present a uniquely amalgamated book that opens with this short and crisp introduction:

How it happened that
Mastro Cherry, the carpenter
Found a piece of wood
That wept and laughed
Like a child!
He gives it to his friend
Geppetto, who fashions a
Marionette and calls it
Pinocchio.

An engaging telling in just about 180 pages, the story pops out and grabs the reader via starkly stylized original illustrations.

Image Source: Tara Books

For readers used to the Westernized image of Pinocchio in rompers and a hat, it can be a jolt to see this new take on the puppet who wanted it all.

In loincloth and delicate jewelry, with dark-hued (wood-like?) complexion, Patua Pinocchio certainly challenges the readers to take the leap and test if the story is truly universal in its appeal.

The bold lines and rich earthen colors in plain white background adds a deceptive simplicity to the presentation while showcasing the strengths of this traditional art form practiced by the community of Chitrakars centered around Naya in West Bengal.

One of the perks for Indian readers is the parallel between Pinocchio's antics and that of Lord Krishna as a young mischievous cowherd. The idea that children are innately bestowed with godliness that they lose gradually as they grow up is pulled into this tale to present a vibrant interpretation of an ageless story.

The ideas for exploring Patua Pinicchio at Tara Books' site alludes to the fact that a fable that is considered a classic is open to multiple interpretations, one of which is presented in this book.

"Re-Drawing A Classic" section at the back explains how this book emerged from a workshop with artists from the Patua tradition of painting.

[Read an excerpt at DNA]

[Look Inside the book]

[Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher. The decision to review it, and share my opinions here, is entirely my own.]

The Incredible History of India's Geography

The Incredible History of India's Geography
Written by Sanjeev Sanyal with Sowmya Rajendran
Published in Puffin by Penguin books India
Ages 9-14

When Sanjeev Sanyal, an economist and environmentalist, came up with the book, The Land of the Seven Rivers - a history of India's geography (reviewed here on Saffron Tree - do click on the link), it was the India version of Jared Diamond's celebrated book Guns, Germs, and Steel. Sanyal's book explained lucidly what it was about India's geography that shaped its history. For although geography can be argued to be a science, it gets clubbed with social sciences because of its unquestionable effect on the narrative of a people. 

This book, however, catered to a YA and adult audience  - it was too detailed for it to really interest middle grade readers - I know my daughter struggled a bit with this, though she was fascinated by the bits I shared with her. She wished that there was an easier version. She was  right. The book needed to reach younger readers, those who study about the history of the subcontinent in middle and high school. Enter this edition - The Incredible History of India's Geography - that speaks to the 9-14 year olds, without talking down to them.

The possibility that the Harappan and Vedic civilizations co-existed. 
The flourishing of civilization on the banks of life-giving rivers, and the changes as natural calamities changed the terrain. 
The idea of a nation that probably first came with the Bharata tribe that gave its name to the subcontinent, despite there being discrete kingdoms for most of its history. 
The deal with lions, pillars, and rulers.
The linking of the east-west and north-south axis of the country right from the period of the Ramayana, with the heart of the nation around the ancient holy city of Prayag - renamed Allahabad by the Mughal emperor Akbar - how even our British colonizers had to recognize this. 
The many cities of Delhi. 
The rich maritime tradition of ancient India with flourishing trade, culture, and knowledge and the loss of it more a millennium ago when the people of the subcontinent closed themselves off from outside influence, making it a sin to cross the seas, which could be called the beginning of the downfall. 
Modern history - British and independent India.

And so much more.

This is a slightly watered down version of the original, with bite-size fun facts, sketches that make many things very visual, and the same touch of humour, slightly cranked up, if I may say - a wonderful adaptation by Sowmya Rajendran, the author of the Mayil books. Sowmya has taken the text of the original, made changes where needed,  keeping intact those passages which were simple enough for a middle grade reader, condensed the information a bit, added the bite-sized facts in boxes, and given her trademark quirky chapter headings. All of this so seamlessly that it does complete justice to the original book, and one cannot detect any patchwork.

If there is one book that I would recommend to learn about our country, this would be it.

Image courtesy Penguin books India.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review. The opinions are all mine.

Mathematics - Fun, Facts and Fiction

This fun, fact and fundas book from DC Mangobooks is a treasure waiting to be discovered.

Through stories, the author illustrates daily application of basic and complex concepts in Maths. From counting to factorials, from weight to Fibonacci patterns and much more, maths enriches our lives and these tales remind, highlight and showcase the concepts.

Extensively researched, written in a lucid way with puzzles to reinforce what one has read, the book travels across the world as the stories are sourced from various cultures and countries.

Age recommendation is five plus for a couple of stories and for older kids and adults for the others.

Here is a short Q&A with the author, Riti Prasad:

ST- How and why did you zero in on Maths as the focus on your book?

RP- I love maths and I love English and I love stories so this seemed like a potent combination.  Besides that I wanted to write a meaningful book which has an element of learning and thinking laterally for children who read them. I wanted the parents to experience the joy of reading a book that teaches concepts in a non traditional manner. It is said that if you have a great story to tell, then people will remember you better- the same goes with mathematical concepts. Narrate the story and the concept understanding will follow.

ST- Did you know all these stories earlier? How did you choose which ones to keep?

RP-Most of these are available material. I did a lot of search both on Internet and from my memory to pull out stuff that would relate to the concept.

ST- Did the stories come first or the maths principle you were highlighting?

RP- It worked both ways. But more often, I decided upon the topics that I wanted to cover and then tried to recall the stories. The stories were reinvented & retold keeping the original flavour intact.

For the counting story I used the original African location for the story but layered them with more concepts like detailing on the city and its culture or cuisine and then layered the story with counting in eleven different languages. ( which was a brilliant move !!  we at ST say. )

For the Fibonacci story I did a lot of research on how rabbit farms are run and what challenges come up for the farmer including the fact that some rabbits may be eaten up by predators or may just escape from the hutch. Or when they get overpopulated you need to build multiple levels in the hutch etc.  or backward integration by growing the rabbit feed and even selling some of it to when in excess.

So my focus was to cover as many concepts as possible and treat the book like a discovery or a journey.

ST- How do you think the book can be best used ?

RP- You discover a new concept each time you re read it or as you grow with it. Also a child of 8 may not follow all stories and concepts at once but understand it over the years. Or may be just treat it like a very good story and worry about understanding the concept later as they grow older. So in a way the book grows with your child.

Kudos to Mango Books and team ! You can view a sample page of the book  here.

Horrid High

Horrid High

Written by: Payal Kapadia 

Publisher: Puffin Books

Review Copy

Reviewer: Rachna Dhir

Author website: http://www.payalkapadia.com/about/

Payal Kapadia's Wisha Wozzariter won the Crossword Book Award for Children's Writing in 2013. I read about that book in "101 Indian Children's Books We Love" by Young Zubaan and enjoyed it so much that I not only reviewed it but also interviewed the author for Saffron Tree before the Award was announced.

When Ms. Kapadia sent me a review copy of her latest book, Horrid High, I was a little nervous. Having loved her "debut novella" Wisha and shared my enthusiasm exuberantly, I was unsure of how the author could match the expectations she herself had set of her readers. But, I need not have worried. Ms Kapadia is a true gem. India has few authors who have such mastery to engage readers in the 10+ age group.

Described on the jacket as "A riotous, rambunctious adventure in the world's most horrid school", this 311page long Puffin book is truly enjoyable from beginning to end! In the author's own words, as expressed in the acknowledgements, "it explores the limits of horridness"!

In other reviews, I have often lamented the need for better editing in most Indian books for children. Even our most popular writers seem to lose steam around midway, after having a wonderful start and unfortunately leaving the reader disinterested towards the end. I have to say - Payal did not let her readers down!

Children love Roald Dahl books because he was so good at bringing mean characters to life. Almost each of his book had multiple characters whose horridness children even today delight in. Similarly, Horrid High is full of people who are nasty beyond belief. So, parents of sensitive children will have to explain that the book is purely for entertainment lest they worry too much. Luckily, the humour overtakes the sadness, pretty early in the game!

Except for the "boys don't cry" stereotype that could easily have been avoided and a very Punjabi sounding comment by a central character towards the end, I did not find anything objectionable in the book.

Payal Kapadia continues to name her protagonists (from her previous book) in very creative ways. Once again, the plot is universal - it could be set in any country, any where. In addition, there were a handful of "purely"'Indian names, this time.

Details related to children, their anxieties, adults with their pet peeves, foods and places were extremely well researched, giving the plot an extremely authentic feel.

Each chapter was linked so beautifully to the previous and next that I see this book serving as a textbook for aspiring writers - the layering, the attention to detail, the element of surprise ...... All had a place and a time, so to say.

Without getting into the story, I do wish to share that while it is very un Enid Blyton like, despite the backdrop of a boarding school, many "mysteries" do get solved as friendships develop.

Readers are sure to get the message of strength from this book. While it is all fiction, the author has talked about human nature without getting philosophical. So, no challenge is a deterrence if we set to solve our problems.

The illustrations, again by Roger Dahl, support the text well. The faithful mouse shows up in every frame and the expressions of children and adults have been captured rather well!

Thank you Puffin for showing the world what talented authors we in India are lucky to have!!