More than a tale of sport, the book is an exploration of sibling camaraderie, childhood curiosity, joy of the ordinary, and the thrill of small acts of independence. Keditsu’s lucid prose and Loitongbam’s expressive artwork together create a reading experience where simple storytelling resonates with both culture and emotion.
I became such a child at heart with the book in my hand. My child ego blossomed, pushing the adult ego to the back burner. Putting my fingers to the keyboard to write a review came at a later stage.
Luckily, the task at hand is to make a globe with all the continents, and the materials needed are right at hand. Chintu takes a big blue ball from Pihu, his sister, and pulls down the ‘Animals Around the World’ chart from the wall. With scissors and glue, and an able assistant in Pihu, the job’s done! With a globe in tow, Chintu rushes off to school triumphantly.
In Jim Corbett National Park, we meet the giant Asian elephant—gentle and wise; weighing up to four tons. But right behind him slithers danger: the King Cobra from Agumbe, a massive reptile that is eighteen-feet long and actually not true cobra (surprise!).
A book becomes compelling when it transforms raw, realistic moments into sources of fascination. Raya’s character, although a child, is still shown as mature and understanding and these traits make her a deeply endearing character. Her observing nature is a catalyst for learning, which develops understanding of not only her surroundings,
Singh, subtly but definitively, challenges gender roles and stereotypes through the characters in the book. The father is scared of lizards, while the mother is not. It brings in the idea to children that men, even grown men, are allowed to be afraid. Later in the book, Diya shares her experiences with her bus driver, Rani, and her friend, Farah. By choosing to portray a woman bus driver, Singh has again broken the stereotypical notion of male bus drivers.