The magician with words, always has a book up his sleeve! This year, as the world opens up after the devasting pandemic, here is a gift for his young readers in the form of a very delightful book: Hop On- My Adventures on Boats, Trains and Planes (Illustrated by Samrat Haldar and published by Talking Cub, an imprint of Speaking Tiger Books).
Reading takes you to places when you have to stay where you are! While the world is slowly opening up, we may or may not be able to travel just yet. But, this book is the perfect invitation to travel in your imagination.
Hop On- My Adventures on Boats, Trains and Planes is one of the most special and delightful armchair travels that the child reader will ever have! Firstly, the illustrations by Samrat Haldar are absolutely breathtaking and wonderfully appealing. Couple them with Bond’s magical words, and you have a tapestry of imagination woven right there in your minds.
Ruskin Bond turns child-narrator in the book. If you’ve read his books before you know already that what he narrates is a slice of his own life. Each chapter recounts some interesting experiences with various modes of transport. Bond has a knack of making the reader participate in his adventures quite deeply. Hence, don’t be surprised if you experience how it is to fly in a Tiger Moth as co-passenger! Or, sail in an Arab Dhow! And finally, you’ll also witness the very fascinating event of spending a night stuck in a train!
The book is a reminiscent of the thrill of travel, and with the references to modes of transport that modern readers may not have really encountered before (such as the Tiger Moth plane or an Arab Dhow!) the journey is all the more fascinating. Ruskin Bond’s wonderful sense of humour completely pervades the three stories in this collection. His ability to get under the skin of a child-narrator is wonderful. All older readers who are Ruskin Bond fans will love it, even though it is meant for children. The stories will appeal to kids aged 5 upwards. Hop On- My Adventures on Boats, Trains and Planes by Ruskin Bond clearly fits snugly in my collection of timeless Ruskin bond books.
