Room in Your Heart
by Kunzang Choden and illustrated by Pema Tshering
“Room in Your Heart” by Kunzang Choden and illustrated by Pema Tshering. Published by Young Zubaan. A charming tale from Bhutan about openness and generosity of spirit.
An old lady lives in a small house somewhere high in the mountains between Thimphu and Trongsa in Bhutan. She has a grey cat, a yellow dog and a brown speckled hen for company. Late in the evening one day a wandering monk arrived at her doorstep. “Neypo shong gna? Is there room for me?”, he asked. The old lady welcomed him.
The question was repeated again and again by more people who needed food and shelter that night. The kind and generous lady welcomed them all to share her food and home with them without any complaints or worry. How could she be like that? Did she not feel overwhelmed?
How would all the people manage to fit in her tiny home? Would they like the experience? Would they want to know how she managed to be like that? Read this lovely tale by one of Bhutan’s leading writers. The write up is complemented by equally charming illustrations in the form of watercolour paintings which portray the beautiful landscape as well as the people of Bhutan.
My almost eight year old enjoyed reading the book. The book gave a peek into a typical Bhutanese home and also their costumes. The generosity of the old lady, humility of the guests to make do with whatever they had without any complaints and the curiosity of the visitors to know how the old woman could be so calm and composed when they asked for room are some of the highlights of the story which we liked. The question in Bhutanese became a favourite phrase to keep repeating. This was our second book set in Bhutan. We had already enjoyed reading “Aunty Mouse” by the same author earlier.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 5/6+.
Reasons to Read
The book serves as a good introduction to Bhutan and its people.
The book gives the good old message of “There will always be room in your home, as long as there room in your heart”.
Where to buy from?
The publishers Young Zubaan here.