Sheela’s Two Homes comes across as a charming picture book with a delightful and eloquent storyline. When the author and the illustrator is the same, it has been seen, the words blend with the pictures effectively and the artistic representation certainly complements the story perfectly. This picture book illustrates the above fact.
The story begins many years ago, describing the family set-up, particularly the relationships in the prevalent joint family system. The young protagonist calls her parents by their popular names and her father’s older brother is addressed by the term for a father. She lives and journeys to places with her elder aunt and uncle while her sisters live with her parents. Visits to temples and far-off cities are enjoyed in the same way, exclusively with her elder aunt and uncle. She even gets a sewing machine to stitch dresses for her dolls and learns the art in the process.
Living conditions change, situations undergo a drastic upheaval with the talk of Partition in the country. The protagonist accompanies her parents and siblings across the border. But family relations do not grow distant, they stay naturally strong.
An intense story wrapped around in solid human bonds rings with smooth feelings of affections and strength of relations.
Just like the sentiment ridden story, its gorgeous pictures bring alive the feelings and the cognizance of circumstances. Pictures of people in a variety of situations enliven the scene as well as characters in motion. Soft colours are appealing and perception of movement aesthetic. The journey displaying moving trains implants motion to the story on the pages, silently describing much more about the state of affairs than mere words in the tight text. It emphasizes the confusion, the turmoil of the existing vicinities, and the motion relates to conditions and people moving on.
A very pleasing story, explaining life in two countries with two fathers in two houses, than what Sheela’s memories could relate. The book encompasses hints of multifarious talents of the artist storyteller and animation filmmaker in the creation of a satisfying read for very young readers.