Panna

by Kamala Das and illustrated by Puja Ahuja

“Panna” by Kamala Das and illustrated by Puja Ahuja. Published by Puffin. An enchanting tale of love and fantasy set near the sea.

Panna lived in a fishing village in India with her brother Moti who was a fisherman. They were orphans. He was nineteen while she was eleven. Moti was hard working and clever. He adored his sister and bought her all the things that she wished for. One monsoon day, Moti went fishing while Panna waited for him by the seaside. When he failed to return from the high seas, she fell asleep on the beach in the dark.

She woke up to find herself in a magical underwater world with its pearl lined streets, coral houses and green sky which moved. Dive into the world that Panna saw and meet the fish king and fish queen. See the marvels that Panna saw. And, yes, find out what happened to Moti when he returned late with his catch of fish and found his sister gone?

Enjoyed reading this lovely book with my seven year old. He remembered the book when we went on a beach vacation recently and he saw some fishing boats. The Madhubani paintings used for illustrating the story make it come alive in front of our eyes. Kamala Das was a writer and poet who received the Asian World Prize for Literature as well as the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1985. This is her first Children’s book in English. The book has been recommended by Ruskin Bond who is one of our favourite writers. Apt for children aged 8+ for self reading.