#424 - Extra : Extra Chromosome, Extraordinary Love
by Archana Mohan and illustrated by Prarthana Merchant
“Extra : Extra Chromosome, Extraordinary Love” by Archana Mohan and illustrated by Prarthana Merchant. Published by Bookosmia. A delightful story creating awareness about Down Syndrome and showing that children are the best ambassadors to bringing about inclusiveness.
The story starts off with ten year old Sara setting off on a trip with her parents. Their destination this time is the idyllic fishing village of Anjor. They were going to stay with relatives whom she was going to meet for the first time. Shivani Aunty was her father’s cousin and had three children. Avi was the eldest one and in grade 10. The little one called Noor was 8 years old and Shreya was 12 years old. Sara was excited to be meeting them. Her parents informed her that Shreya had Down Syndrome and different abilities compared to her.
The vacation turned out to be quite fun with Sara liking the family and enjoying with her cousins. She began to learn more about Shreya and her abilities. The cousins managed to have quite an adventure in the village by finding an object believed to be the moon’s missing third eye. It was supposed to have been lost for millions of years. The mystery was an unsolved one and mentioned in a book that Sara had stumbled upon in Shivani aunty’s home. The book was Shreya’s favourite. What happened next? Were they able to solve the mystery? Would the girls be able to navigate through their differences? Was Shreya’s condition going to slow them down or help them in solving the mystery? Read this charming book to find out all of these.
My nine year old and I enjoyed reading the book. We loved the plot and couldn’t wait to finish reading the book to see how it would end. The characters were a delightful lot and we were thrilled to know that the story is inspired by and based on a real family, though the plot is fictional. Most of the chapters end with diary entries of Sara in which she expresses all her thoughts and feelings about Shreya which gave the story an endearing touch. It was a learning experience for us to realise how much effort Shreya had to put in to do things which we take for granted. It was heartening to read how her family supported her so well.
The narrative uses beautiful analogy to explain the concept of Down Syndrome. The book busts misconceptions about people with Down Syndrome. It was thus an eye opener of a read for us. The book is definitely a “MUST READ” for all children and adults alike. We had read another well written book by the same author last year about neural diversity and autism called “Not That Different”. This book reinforced the message of how we can be open minded and inclusive of those who are different from us.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 8/9 and above.
Reasons to Read
The book is an ideal means to learn about Down Syndrome.
Disclaimer - We received this book from the author, Archana Mohan, for review. Thank you to Archana for sending across the book!