Zooni’s Alarm Clock: A Ramzan Tale of Resilience [Review]

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Book Title: Zooni’s Alarm Clock (Hook Book)
Author: Vibha Batra
Illustrator: Pankaj Saikia
Publisher: Duckbill (an imprint of Penguin Random House)
Type: Paperback
Length: 40 pages
Recommended Age: 5-9 years

Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast,

Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast.

If there is a heaven on earth, it’s here, it’s here.

Set in Kashmir, the story follows a young girl named Zooni, and her family following their daily routine on a spring Ramzan morning. Zooni’s brother Iqbal is an aspiring beatboxer. Zooni’s grandfather Bud Bab is a Ramzan drummer, who traditionally wakes up the village every morning by playing his drum. However, one day the drum is broken, and Bud Bab is left with no option on how he would continue with his ritual of waking up his village. The story takes us through how Zooni creatively finds a solution and saves her grandfather’s Ramzan drumming tradition.

The book explores Kashmiri traditions during month long Ramzan. It is culturally rich, with a focus on family, culture & community. Zooni’s ingenuity in finding a way to continue the ritual is inspiring, teaching kids the value of creative thinking.

Below is our conversation with Ananya’s quick observations

Me: What did you like in this story?
Ananya: Zooni was really smart and I could not guess what her solution was till I read the story.
Me: What did you learn from Zooni?
Ananya: Sometimes problems would be there, but we need to think different and solve it.
Me: Nice
Ananya: Also, learnt about Ramzan, where people fast for a month, eating before sunrise and after sunset.
Me: Did you like anything else in the book?
Ananya: I want to see Kashmir, drink noon chai, wear a pheran and take photos!
Me: Did you know noon chai is made of salt and not sugar and is pink in color?
Ananya: WHAAAT!
Ananya: Did you know my desk partner in school also keeps making sound with his mouth, constantly disturbing me like Iqbal?
Me: Now, you know the word for it. It is called beatboxing.
Ananya (grinning): Yeah, will use this word next time I meet him.

Kashmir is often referred to as a Paradise on Earth and is generally on everyone’s bucket list. We were intrigued to learn so much about Kashmir and Kashmiri traditions. Ananya and I have never visited Kashmir, so this book along with its traditional descriptions made us think a bit more seriously about planning a trip soon.

The Illustrations are colorful and detailed, capturing the essence of Kashmiri landscape, which adds depth to the story. It is a great read for children and parents who are looking forward to introducing the beauty of Kashmiri culture while fostering problem solving skills.

Happy Reading, everyone!

There are other Hook Books published by Duckbill which are just as funny and engaging as this book is. –You can read reviews of other hook books on our website. We have reviewed Biji’s in the Kitchen! , PUPPY TROUBLE,  KITTEN TROUBLE. Other fun reads include Shoo! Crow here. Not to miss, I Want A Pet!, Cyrus the Whyrus, Passepartout, Is That You?….
Get Hooked: The Hook Book Box Set – a set of 11 Hook Books (440 pages) is also available which works out to be more economical!

You can read the review of Gobi Goes Viral by the same author here. The previous book by the same author-illustrator duo: Pinkoo Shergill Pastry Chef.
Other books by the author can be found here.

If you’d like to visit Kashmir through this picturesque book, you might want to order it from Amazon (kbc affiliate link),

CLICK & BUY NOW!

Disclaimer: Pooja and Ananya are a part of the #kbcReviewerSquad and received these books as review copies from the publisher via kbc.