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Book Review – Amma, tell me about Hanuman’s Adventures in Lanka by Bhakti Mathur

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Being a mother of a little munchkin, I am a newbie when it comes to story telling. As one of the firsts of the story books, I got for my son is Amma, tell me about Hanuman’s Adventures in Lanka by renowned author Bhakti Mathur.
Many parents do not feel the necessity of doing a story session these days thinking that their children are small or don’t have interest in hearing stories before sleeping. However, I have always felt that reading books and story telling are important activities that a child must indulge in during early and growing up years.
Today the amount of media exposure that a child has is phenomenal but this in no value lessens the importance of hearing stories from loved ones or reading a story book.  Simply because I feel, a book held in hand is the closest and most harmless form in which a child can connect with a story. Adding to it if the story gets  narrated by parents then the entire story telling session makes the parent-child bond fonder.
I remember as a child reading books about Jesus, Panchtantra stories and many more. This in a way helped to shape my thought process and helped me be the person I am today.

Book Title – Amma, tell me about Hanuman’s Adventures in Lanka
Author – Bhakti Mathur, Illustration by Maulshree Somani
Genre – Mythology
Publisher – Anjana Publishing
Pages – 32
Available Formats – Paperback Import
Price – Rs. 218
Available Online at – Amazon.com

Plot:

The book narrates the account of Hanuman’s meeting with Sita while she is held as a captive by Ravan in his kingdom, Lanka and how finally, Hanuman helps Ram to rescue Sita by setting Lanka ablaze.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

  • I feel the pictorial illustrations of all characters barring Sita’s illustration could be made more cuter.
  • Also the colours put in illustrations fail a little to attract children. Use of basic primary colours and texture for some illustrations could have worked better.
  • Some words used are complex as compared to understanding of children.

What Worked for Me:

  • The moral of the story given at the end.
  • The beauty with which the story written and the picture go along to attract a child.
  • At some places the words have been formatted to give a wave-like shape and more.

About the Author:

Bhakti Mathur is a Hong Kong based banker cum writer. She has a number of books to her credit under ‘Amma, Tell Me About’ series of children story books. She is also a writer ambassador for ‘Room to Read’, a global non-profit organisation.

About the Illustrator:

Maulshree Somani heads a graphic design company and is based out of Mumbai. She was previously working in Walt Disney Company.

Verdict:

My rating for this book will be 3.5/5.
My concluding thoughts about this book is that it achieves in bringing your child to know more about Hanuman. I feel it is not about a character from Hindu mythology that has been celebrated in the story per say but the underlining lesson for a child that is important in this book. So if this inspires you enough, then grab a copy of this book now and bond with your kid.

 

 

 

(2) Comments

  1. Sounds interesting

  2. I have read this book and it is an interesting read. I also read it to my nephew.

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