Catch That Moustache Thief!
by Sukumar Ray and illustrated by Pankaj Saikia
“Catch That Moustache Thief!” by Sukumar Ray and illustrated by Pankaj Saikia. Translated to English from the original Bengali version by Sudeshna Shome Ghosh. Published by Talking Cub, the children’s imprint of Speaking Tiger. A delightful translation of a hilarious and iconic Bengali nonsense poem “Gonph Churi” about a moustache of all things being stolen!
The Big Boss in the head office is supposed to be mild, one would presume. But he is clearly not in a good mood one particular day. To begin with he was happy and fine at his desk. Then all of a sudden, he leapt from his chair weeping and howling. People in the office were clueless as to what had caused this. They ran helter skelter. There was total chaos in the office. But no one could figure out what the problem was. They tried to solve it in their own ways. While one suggested to call a doctor, another tried to call the police. All this came to a halt when one of them suggested that the boss might bite them if they do foolish things. Something was clearly wrong!
Amidst all this chaos came the revelation. The boss was upset that someone had stolen his precious moustache. It was an extremely touchy subject for him. The moustache which had made him win several awards was gone after all. He wondered how someone could have stolen it so quickly! That too in broad daylight with everyone around. Everyone tried telling him that it was impossible. They tried proving to him that nothing was wrong with him and his moustache was still there with no changes. But did he believe them at all? Read this rib-tickling book to know what happened next :)
My 8.5 year old and I had a jolly good time reading the poem. We found it very funny and just couldn’t stop giggling. The witty and comical illustrations which bring the setting to life had us in splits :D This is one of those lighthearted nonsense books which will be thoroughly enjoyed by children. We found it to be a lovely way to get acquainted with the work of Sukumar Ray whose works are supposed to include some of the finest writing for children. We had heard of him when we read “The Boy Who Played With Light” about his son Satyajit Ray. Thanks to translations like these, we get to read some of the fine works from Bengali literature.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 6 and above.
Reasons to Read
For a lighthearted and hilarious read on a topic which should be funny for most children.
The book is a good means to get introduced to the works of a great writer like Sukumar Ray who is credited for having created some of the finest works of Children’s literature.
Where to buy from?
The publishers Speaking Tiger here.
Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Talking Cub, for review. Thank you to Tanu, from Talking Cub, for sending across the book!
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