#425 - Moramba : A Tangy Story of Childhood
by Urmila Bilgi and illustrated by Tanvi Kumthekar
“Moramba : A Tangy Story of Childhood” by Urmila Bilgi and illustrated by Tanvi Kumthekar. Published by APK publishers. A delightful story of little Avani and her carefree childhood days centred around a mango tree.
Avani is a sprightly eight year old living in an apartment in Mumbai. Most of her life she has looked forward to summer holidays and spending time with her friends around the mango tree in their apartment. When talks of chopping the mango tree to create a parking lot start, Avani and her friends decide to take charge of the situation. They have to save the tree that is so central to all their play and has been a source of comfort for them.
The adults just don’t seem to understand the point of view of the children. They feel that the children are being unreasonable and interfering in matters not pertaining to them. Disobeying adults in the nineties was a strict no-no and quite uncommon. What will Avani do to make the adults realise why she and her friends want to save the tree? Will the children be able to prevent the mango tree from being chopped? What will the adults do? Read the engrossing story to know all of these while getting to meet Avani and her friends.
My nine year old and I enjoyed reading this book. He was happy to read a story centred around a mango tree as he loves mangoes. The setting in the grounds of their apartment complex was quite relatable for him. It gave him a glimpse of how life was in a typical middle class Indian family in the nineties. The spirit of Avani appealed a lot to him. Her willingness to stand up boldly when she knew she was in the right and her learning to correct a mistake when she realised that it was one was appreciated. Every chapter ends with questions that the child can discuss with their parents. We found many points to be so relevant and it was fun to have conversations around them. Some of the things in the story made me feel nostalgic about my own childhood :) The cover picture is beautiful and our interpretation of it is that a well loved childhood memory has been preserved in a pickle jar to be savoured forever.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 8 and above.
Reasons to Read
The story gives out an important message of standing up for what is right while giving a glimpse to our children into how life in the nineties was for us while growing up.
Disclaimer - We received this book from the author, Urmila Bilgi, for review. Thank you for sending across the book Urmila!