Hop On : My Adventures on Boats, Trains and Planes

by Ruskin Bond and illustrated by Samrat Halder

“Hop On : My Adventures on Boats, Trains and Planes” by Ruskin Bond and illustrated by Samrat Halder. Published by Speaking Tiger. A collection of four short stories of Ruskin Bond’s marvellous childhood journeys filled with adventures.

The first story is of a dream that Ruskin has of driving a train. When he wakes up, he decides to write the next three stories related to his childhood experiences of going in a plane, a boat and a train.

Little Ruskin is taken by his mother to the aerodrome to watch the planes take off and land. One of the young pilots who knew his mother offered to take them on a spin in the Tiger Moth which was a small airplane. Had Ruskin known this before, he would never have gone there for sure. One look at the somewhat flimsy plane and he became anxious about going up in it. Did the plane ride prove to be fun? Was Ruskin happy?

The second story is of little Ruskin going with his father on a short boat ride from Jamnagar port. The cook has told him many fearful stories of monsters in the sea and strange fish which ate men. He is very apprehensive of going on the boat. Was the boat ride nice after all? Did he sight any of those creatures?

The last story is of an adventure filled unusual train ride to go back to school after winter holidays. A compartment full of school boys headed on the toy train from Kalka to Shimla with just one teacher to manage them. The train chugging slowly up the hill amidst piles of snow. Was it an exciting journey? Did Ruskin and his friends have fun?

My 7.5 year old enjoyed reading the delightful book. He was amused by the adventures of little Ruskin and couldn’t stop chuckling throughout the book. The charm of Bond’s writing never fails to impress us. Clearly one of our favourite writers! The illustrations are charming and add a nice touch to the story.

Recommended Age

The book is apt for children aged 6/7+.

Reasons to Read

The book is a good way of introducing the world of Ruskin Bond to children.

Where to buy from?

1. The publishers Speaking Tiger here.

2. An independent indie bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.