Do you remember the first book you ever read? I don’t mean a long novel or some boring textbook. I mean those small picture books or comics with lots of colours and just a few words. Those were the books that actually made us start reading. But now that we are older, we kind of forget how important they were. That is precisely why I am writing about Sound Town by Vibha Batra, illustrated by Priyadarshini Banerjee.
When I first got this book, I thought, ‘Really? A picture book? At my age?’ It felt a bit silly. But when I opened it, I realized I was so wrong. The drawings are amazing! The pages are big and square, and every single one is full of bright colours. The pictures look so alive that you feel like you’re actually inside the story.
The main character is Zip-Zap, who zooms into Sound Town on skates. He’s super energetic and fun. Then comes Whoosh, who looks all cool and navy-blue, and plays hide-and-seek with the trees. There are also little things happening in the background, like two fishes swimming, which made me smile. Next is Splash, who loves jumping into muddy puddles. He reminded me of myself when I was younger (and sometimes even now!).
There’s also a messy character who totally reminded me of my messy room. Then there’s Thakitta Tharikitta, who makes music with footsteps. You can almost hear the beat just by looking at the picture. And finally, there’s Pop, who is trying so hard not to burst while creepy fingers follow him around.
All these sound-characters are so different, but together they make the story really fun and unique. It’s not like a regular story with a beginning, middle, and end. It’s more like a world of sounds that come alive and make you imagine things.
When I finished the book, I realized something important. Every time I read a big fat novel, I should remember that it was small books like this which first got me into reading. Sound Town shows that picture books are not just for little kids—they are for anyone who wants to have fun with their imagination.
So next time you see a picture book, don’t ignore it. Pick it up—you might be surprised how much you enjoy it!