Title: Curious Tales From The Himalayas
Author: Shaguna Gahilote & Prarthana Gahilote
Illustrator: Jit Chowdhury
Publisher: Penguin Random House India
Cover Design: Meena Rajasekaran
Type: Paperback
Pages: 208
Age Group: 8 years+ (publisher recommends 9+)
“The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.”
-Muriel Rukeyser
The best thing about folktales is that they take you to places connecting you to the people in a more authentic way and this book by the Gahilote sisters does that more beautifully.
The stories are set across the Himalayan ranges in the lands of Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarkhand, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, North Bengal, Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan.
The folktales take the readers to the snowcapped peaks, pristine rivers and serene landscapes treating them with the wisdom ingrained in the stories of this ancient land.
From a hungry red fox encountering a frog looking for enlightenment in Ladakh to the tale of flying monks set in Arunachal Pradesh, every story in this book is refreshingly unique.
The stories are witty, endearing, heartbreaking and enlightening.
There is also this very interesting story on two rivers falling in love.
The book gives its readers a glimpse of the lifestyle of the people, their cuisine, occupation, the landscape and the wildlife in the Himalayan ranges that are sure to leave a slice of Himalayas in the hearts of the reader.
The cover design by Meena Rajasekaran is a brilliant one with a fox camouflaged in the snow cap. The illustrator’s imagination is awe-inspiring.
What I liked particularly about the book is that at the end of each story there is a mention of the different versions of the same story that has been told over ages.
The illustrations in the inside pages by Jit Chowdhury bring the stories alive in the black & white sketches.
Overall, this lovely book holds the magic of taking you to the Himalayas through its folk tales if only you choose to pick this book.
P.S: We got this book as part of #kbcReviewerSquad and we feel happy and privileged to be part of it as we are free to have our opinions and give an honest review of the book.
You can read Vinay’s review of the other book in this series Curious Tales from the Desert here.
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