Books For Beginners

Soda and Bonda is a charming tale about friendship. It is a story about a dog called Soda and a cat called Bonda, who feels like a dog, though it is actually a cat. Bonda tries its best to be a dog. It wags its tail, takes away dog toys, bites the pillows till the stuffing come out, steals the owner’s slipper and tries to imitate Soda as much as possible. But, Soda does not want Bonda to be a dog, it wants Bonda to be a cat. Soda tells Bonda that it is not a dog and should not behave like one. Upon hearing this, Bonda feels sad and wonders why Soda is not willing to accept Bonda as it is.

The two part ways as Bonda feels hurt and wanders away. Eventually, Soda begins to miss Bonda and regrets its words. The illustrations show that Bonda looks everywhere from empty shopping bags to the laundry hamper, and from the garbage bin to under the bed. Finally, Soda looks out a window and sees Bonda rolling around in the mud. It runs towards Bonda and the two play together in the mud. Soda then tells Bonda that it is a great dog, showing that Soda accepts Bonda. Bonda replies with a cheeky ‘I know!’.

The illustrations express the emotions of the two animals very well and helps the story to progress thereby making the story easy to understand for 3-year olds, which is the targeted age group. It teaches the children to accept their friends as they are rather than what they want them to be.

Hriday Nayak is a 15-year-old studying in Vibgyor High, Pune.

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