Saahi’s Quest
by M.Yuvan and illustrated by Anusha Menon
“Saahi’s Quest” by M.Yuvan and illustrated by Anusha Menon. Published by Kalpavriksh. A lovely story of a Wandering Glider Dragonfly who takes us through the world of insects as she tries to find more dragonflies like herself.
Saahi is a tiny little creature who lived at the base of a paddy field in the slushy mud. She was swimming in the soft mud looking for some tiny insects to eat. When the sun crept up higher and the sky got brighter, she knew that something special was going to happen. She climbed up a paddy plant and sat still waiting for the special event. Her skin split open and her colour had changed from brown to golden yellow. She now had two pairs of glassy and large wings. She had transformed into a fully grown dragonfly.
Saahi could take off now and see her surroundings from a different perspective. Her world widened with her ability to fly. All that she needed now was to find more dragonflies like her. Where are they? She is curious to know. She goes on a journey seeking them. Who all does she meet? What does she learn about them? Will she meet more dragonflies like her. Take off with her and follow her adventures while learning more about tiny creatures like her. The illustrations are stunning and bring the creatures to life. The author is a naturalist and educator whose work revolves around bringing nature education to children. In his mind, this story is set in their farm school in Kanchipuram.
I enjoyed reading this engrossing read with my 7.5 year old. Both of us learnt quite a bit about the dragonflies. These incredible creatures which are not even 5 cms long are the greatest travellers of the insect world. They migrate across generations covering a whopping distance of 18,000 km with each individual flying 6,000 km!! They have been spotted crossing even the Himalayas and are found in all continents except Antarctica. My son was amused by this fact and mentioned that Mt. Everest must be something that they must be crossing quite easily. He was excited to see the bee-eater in action in the story. He had recently seen one doing exactly the same during a bird watching trip (pic below). The last page has more information on dragonflies.
Thank you Vidya Mani of Funky Rainbow for recommending this lovely book! We loved this book like all other books from the stables of Kalpavriksh. The book was announced as one of the Honour Books at the Green Literature Festival 2021.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 6+.
Reasons to Read
Dragonflies are insects that every kid watches with awe. This book gives an awesome view into the world of these wandering gliders.
Where to buy from?
The publishers Kalpavriksh here.
An independent indie bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.