PLOT: 4/5 CHARACTERS: 4/5 TEACHING: 4.5/5 ILLUSTRATIONS: 3/5 ENTERTAINMENT: 3.5/5
“Our challenge isn’t so much to teach children about the natural world, but to find ways to sustain the instinctive connections they already carry.”
– Terry Krautwurst
My musings
In a world that’s in a constant race to replace the natural with the artificial, it has become all the very essential to teach our children the value of nature and its significance in our lives. To teach them the basic truth about jungles and animals – that we need them more than they need us.
I was, therefore, quite happy to have come across Annapurna Krishjeev’s Oh! We Brutes: The Kingdom of Animals, a book that is many things at once – an urgent call for action, a comfortable companion to a lazy afternoon, and an engaging children’s story that has a lesson for us all.
What to expect?
Expect a short and sweet read that is primarily meant for children aged 6 to 9 years. Expect a jungle story that has animal characters as protagonists. Expect a book that helps us understand our world from animals’ point of view. Finally, expect a book that entertains and also educates.
Let’s talk about the storyline
On a hot summer day in the forest of Woody Woods, the giant Enorma, famous for being the largest tree in the forest, comes crashing down, as it finally gives up on life. In the jungle, the days have become unbearably hot and the once-mighty river has narrowed into a mere trickle.
Mr. Hugy, the oldest and wisest resident of the jungle is worried. He can sense a disaster in the making. With the increased human activity in the region, the very life force of the forest is under imminent threat. And Mr. Hugy wants to do something about it.
And that’s how the idea of a school takes shape in his mind. A school where he wants to educate the younger generation about the many dangers, and challenges that they are facing and the solutions that they can implement. Soon, with his encouragement, the resident animals of the forest agree to send their younger ones to the school.
Oh! We Brutes: The Kingdom of Animals is the story of the jungle, its school, and the issues that the residents of the forest face from time to time.
The writing
The writing is simple and uncomplicated. The stories and characters are interesting enough to keep the children engaged. I like that the book is divided into bite-sized chapters that can be read to children one story at a time spread over the course of multiple days. The unique style of narration intersperses prose with poetry and lays more focus on conversation and dialogues than mere descriptions. Thus making the book fast-paced and interaction-based.
The lessons to be learned
The story aims to not just educate the children about the environment and our role in maintaining its sanctity but it also teaches a child fundamental manners and ethical values. Teaching about roles and responsibilities, respecting our elders, strength in unity, and other such concepts lays down the foundations of an ideal citizen.
In the end
Oh! We Brutes: The Kingdom of Animals is a book that narrates a riveting story of unity in strength that aims to teach our younger generation a thing or two about the environment and our integral role in safeguarding it.
Pick the book if you are
- Looking for a children’s book on nature, environment, and jungles.
- Looking for a book for children aged 6 to 11 years.
- Looking for a book that imparts moral and ethical lessons to the little ones.
Can’t wait to read it? Buy your copy of Oh! We Brutes: The Kingdom of Animals using the link below.
Some other children’s books that you may enjoy.