PLOT: 3.5/5 STORYTELLING: 3.5/5 RELATABILITY: 4.5/5 ILLUSTRATION: 4.5/5 OVERALL: 4/5
Perhaps it is because of my daughter, or perhaps it is just me, that I have been increasingly leaning toward children’s books. After all, they are so many of them. I am often amazed and captivated by the astounding variety and diversity that is being served in children’s fiction in India. So, it was in search of this diversity and variety that I came across Geeta Dharmarajan and Katha Book’s Who Wants Green Fingers Anyways?
What to expect?
Expect an illustrated children’s fiction of under 50 pages. Expect a book that brings out the beauty of an Indian childhood, and that stands testimony to the joys of a simple and unchaotic life. Expect a book that captures a regular episode from daily life and enthuses vivid colours in it. Expect a book that pays a humble tribute to the daily cacophony of life. It is a book about which everything is relatable, right from its characters, to its setting, story, and outcome.
Who can read?
Who Wants Green Fingers Anyway? is meant for children aged 5 to 9. Each of its beautifully illustrated pages has a few lines of text on them.
The summary
The story takes us to a middle-class house where Amma loves gardening but is in a foul mood today because her plants are all dull and droopy. Now, Amma can be very competitive and when Appa makes the nasty mistake of complimenting her neighbour’s plants over hers, Amma’s anger bursts out of her.
The result is a banter that sees Appa take on a gargantuan challenge, all in the pursuit of proving a point. As the kids see the parents hustle and bustle, they wonder what will it take to finally get the house and its peace to be back in order.
The writing
The writing is simple and its beauty is only complemented by its simplicity. The book also serves nostalgia and relatability in generous doses. What I love the most is that there is no adventure, no fantasy, and no magic. Instead, the author and the illustrator take an ordinary episode from daily life and turn it into an extraordinary one. Perhaps that’s exactly what our children need, to be reminded to look at the beauty of every single day. To make the most of every day and be grateful for each day that life brings.
Pick the book if
- You are looking for a book for children aged 5 to 9.
- You are looking for an illustrated book.
- You want to read a relatable story about Indian childhood.
Can’t wait to read it? Buy your copy of Who Wants Green Fingers Anyway? using the link below.
