Three Idols by Manorama Jafa is about the discretion and wisdom of a young prince who solves the puzzle and helps his father in choosing the right idol presented to him by the neighbouring king. The story however, deals with the larger theme of choosing right, trustworthy companions based on their ability to be a good listener and a good keeper of secrets. The book is well illustrated and carries apt cultural references.
Nita Berry’s excellent book Two Clouds depicts an interesting story of a little cloud named Chumki and her day’s adventure with her friend Badal. The story would definitely add wings to a reader who is just like me, a cloud dreamer! The characters Chumki and Badal are personified as two young jovial friends who love to roam around and play over fields. The story presents the carefree Chumki, a little white cloud who lives high up in the sky. As Chumki and Badal float across the sky over the brown and yellow fields they grow thirsty. The thirst leads them to gulp down the water from a nearby lake.
Folktales, since time immemorial have been a source of knowledge, cultural beliefs and practices and most importantly, entertainment. Leaving an indelible mark on people’s memories and consciousness, folktales have played the role of a teacher before books, television, internet and other modern technological inventions took the human race by storm. Brief, secular in nature and a repository of knowledge and culture, folktales have had a strong appeal for the masses. The cover page consists of a montage of illustrations from different stories in the anthology with the title written on the silhouette of the leaf of a Peepal tree, symbolizing antiquity and eternity, very much like these folktales.
The play Children of the Magic Pen is an AWIC (Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children) production collectively written by the authors was completed under the guidance of Feisal Alkazi, the eminent theatre personality. This play was conceptualized and performed as part of a three day Conference on Children’s Libraries: Building a Book Culture. The play depicts the meaningful quest and the journey in itself as its major narrative for both the readers and the characters. When we read the play, we are not just introduced to myriad characters across time and space, but we also see them come alive and relive once again in our memories.
In the collection titled Rangbhari Kahaniyan the themes and content of the stories are organized to generate interest and motivate the readers to explore the books. Characters are depicted in enabling and varied roles. As illustrations, there are characters such as Ambrish and Pooja, siblings who take a lot of interest in playing and working together. In ‘Kouli Aur Ouli’, two friends Kouli and Ouli think of an imaginative way of doing something and helping each other.
Kaua Aur Hans, which revolves around the question ‘Who is more beautiful’, has a simple plot, meant for early readers and all bird lovers.