We live in an age where books have a lot of competition from other forms of entertainment. We also live in times when attention spans are contracting. However, AdiDev Press has always offered bite-sized and yet meaningful books, designed in a very appealing manner for the new breed of modern readers. Three new board books add to the fun!
Pagdi for Sinh, One Elephant Two Monkeys and Animal Band bring in vibrancy and chutzpah. Written by Chitwan Mittal and illustrated by Ambika Karandikar, the books are bilingual board books and touch upon specific topics. However, the commonality, besides of course the fact that they are all in English and Hindi, lies in the colourful and lively illustrations that seem to draw the reader in completely. The lines read like a catchy rhyme. What trumps everything in my opinion is the unapologetic cultural rootedness of the books.
The storyline as well hooks the reader, while introducing the concept. Pagdi for Sinh for example, introduces South Asian clothing and wild animals. This combination may seem unusual but here’s exactly where the art of the picture book comes to play. a group of wild animals decide to go shopping and try on varied clothing. As the child participates in this shopping expedition, they are introduced not only to names of clothing but nuances of the same as well (Such as the Gher of the Ghagras). The reader experiences the fun of the shopping while reading the rhyme, learning new words and concepts along the way.
One Elephant Two Monkeys is an equally fun number book where animals indulging in fun absurdities entice the young reader. Lots of delightful laughter guaranteed in this one!
Animal Band puts the spotlight on South Asian musical instruments. As a group of animals form their very own band, out come the indigenous musical instruments one by one in all their glory.
Books like these honour and respect our rich culture seen through the lens of music and fashion, and yet make these concepts so attractive and digestible for toddlers and emerging readers.
