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PICTURE BOOK REVIEWS
BOPU THE BUFFALO REFUSES TO WAKE UP
Have you ever read stories that have used traditional
styles of drawing and painting in the illustrations? From Scholastic
come two small books, enchanting because they use Warli and Madhubani
art to make the stories come alive.
Written in a simple and straight forward style, Jeyanthi
Manokaran's 'Wake up Lazybones'
is just what a very young reader will love.
This story, which is illustrated by the
author using the Warli
folk art of Maharashtra, is all about Bopu the buffalo
who simply refuses to wake up. It takes quite an event to make him
stir from his slumber, you will discover.
This unusual animal story is full of sounds, smells, textures which
are so typical of a small town in India.
Drawing from familiar experiences - a rooster which signals daybreak
with his loud crowing, women drawing water from the well, children
running about, trying hard to get in everyone's way, Jeyanthi infuses
her story with a sense of rhythm, the chorus being 'Bopu slept on!'
The stick figures, so special to Warli art, lend life to the story
with their stunning simplicity.
Open Sesame, Deccan Herald August 30 2003
THE RUMBLING, GRUMBLING POT OF WORRIES
Jeyanthi Manokaran's other book, is a fun
way of introducing a child to geography and the natural world.
As landscapes change and different animals flit across the pages,
events always take a dramatic turn where ever the rumbling, grumbling
pot goes. Simply because nobody wants a pot of worries!
The pot actually belongs to Chitra's father. He's filled it up with
his worries.
So Chitra travels all over the world to get rid of it. Across mountains
and streams, rivers and valleys, Chitra travels only to discover
that the pot just won't go away!
So, she's back home, pot in tow and a pleasant surprise is waiting
for her...
Kavitha K
Scholastic India Pvt. Ltd.
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