#607 - Rhymes for the Times
by Ruskin Bond and illustrated by Siddhi Vartak
“Rhymes for the Times” by Ruskin Bond and illustrated by Siddhi Vartak. Published by Penguin. A rib tickling book of poems, limericks and nonsense verse by the master storyteller from the hills.
The book has a collection of musings from the journal of Ruskin Bond during the pandemic. Being a delightful and refreshing twist to his writing palette, the collection ranges from humorous to whimsical to zany poems to terse verse and more. There is a little bit of everything that a reader needs from fun, hope, words of wisdom, positivity and wordplay to create a joyful and reflective experience.
This heartwarming collection of poems ranges from an ode to Bond’s mischievous cat Mimi to the intriguing anecdotes of spooky experiences of a person from a visit and a revisit to a strange cafe to some on cricket to characteristics of some birds to aunt Elfie’s love for selfies to the legend of a flower to musings about the corona virus to how money makes the world go round to how birthdays are a time of feast to the nonsensical grammar of the ‘Idiot’s Alphabet’ and many more. Read this fun filled and delightful book which serves as a window into the unique reflections of one of India’s most beloved writers.
My eleven year old son and I found the book quite entertaining and interesting. While some poems made us grin, some led us to take a pause to reflect and some others had us in splits. The witty wordplay was quite captivating and we couldn’t agree more with Mr Bond especially about the vagaries of the English language. It was fascinating to know that this book started off as a cure for Ruskin Bond’s bout of insomnia during the challenging time of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now it has supposedly become a nightly habit for him to write “nonsense” verse :) Silly, humorous, fun-filled and sometimes thought provoking, the book helps readers to get a glimpse into the unique thoughts of Mr. Bond. We read the book just in time for the 91st birthday of Ruskin Bond, one of our favourite authors. This light and breezy read is a great addition to our Ruskin Bond collection. It is a perfect antidote for stressful days and sure to lift one’s mood!
Recommended Age
The book is apt for anyone aged 10 and above.
Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Penguin India, for review. Thank you to Mansi, from Penguin, for sending across the book!