Here is an interesting title capturing all the necessary elements that evoke interest to pick a book to
Read: mystery, wonder and mention of a strange unique place, the Uparwale Gaon. The author has not only succeeded in arousing interest through the title, but she also manages to sustain it throughout.
This joyful little book by Rajiv Eipe is the perfect way for a young reader to enter the magical universe of books and reading, by being transported into a world seen from the wonder-filled eyes of a little boy.
Aithihya’s abstract art amply illustrates the theme and intent of this little ‘wordless’ book as the young reader is shown rather than told, about the monstrous impact of all the plastic we so thoughtlessly litter our world with. The Cyclops-like creature is the eponymous Plasto who devours our waste with voracious delight and assumes awesome proportions as its gluttony finds enough to satisfy it. Very soon the monster becomes bigger than the human beings on the page and turns into a real threat as it dominates the landscape and takes over. Since this is a book for young readers, the dystopian images are effectively balanced with a solution, the eco-warriors who valiantly cut the monster down to size as they reuse, reduce and recycle, and segregate the waste into manageable proportions. The devil is in the detail and this book demands that each page be ‘read’ carefully for the images are the text. The speed with which the monster grows is a timely warning and the carefully drawn panels on the closing pages, a clear reminder of how laborious the process of reversing this damage can be. Aithihya has chosen well to use only the power of images to tell her story and hopefully convert all the readers of the book into eco-advocates who will save the planet from the evil monster thoughtless human beings have created.
Meera Ganapathi’s text and Rohit Kelkar’s illustrations that complement it make this book a sensitive intervention about the importance of love and understanding in everyone’s life, especially someone who is visibly ‘different’ and suffers for it.
As I opened the first page of this moving story by Rajiv Eipe, I found so much to absorb my attention that I spent a happy time weaving stories around the urban landscape and the minutiae that filled it with life.
As soon as you read the title, you know there is adventure and a mystery to look forward to and that is a made to order recipe for a delightful reading experience.