Sudipta Sengupta - The Rock Reader
by Veena Prasad and illustrated by Manjari Chakravarti
“Sudipta Sengupta - The Rock Reader” by Veena Prasad and illustrated by Manjari Chakravarti. Published by Pratham Books. A biography of geologist Sudipta Sengupta who can find out what stories the rocks have to to tell.
The book starts off with Sudipta as a little girl. Though she was doing maths with her father, her mind wasn’t in it. She kept thinking about mountains. Her dream was to become a mountaineer and climb up rocks and boulders while scaling the mountains. After finishing school, she applied for a physics course in college. A professor she met there suggested her to choose geology instead.
The book then talks about how the study of rocks became her passion and helped her to realise her dream of climbing mountains. She gained so much expertise in her studies of rocks that she could soon read one like a book. She was given advanced training in mountaineering by none other than Tenzing Norgay of Mt Everest fame. She went all over the world on many wild adventures. She got chosen for an expedition to Antarctica along with Aditi Pant who was a marine biologist. They became the first Indian women scientists to set foot in the icy continent. Read about her marvellous work in the book.
My 7.5 year old loved reading the book with me recently. He was amused to know about geology and the work of a geologist. Nothing better than knowing about a profession and a branch of science through the journey of someone who has excelled at it. He was excited to read about the Tenzing connection as well as Aditi Pant. He had heard about these two in the books “First to the Top” and “How to Weigh an Elephant?” respectively that we had read before. Thank you Vidya Mani of Funky Rainbow for recommending this amazing book!
Recommended Age
The book is level 4 and apt for children aged 7/8+.
Reasons to Read
For awareness about geology and the work of a geologist, not one of the typical professions that you see every other day.
Make children aware of Antarctica and get them to realise about the research being done there.
Where to buy from?
The publishers Pratham Books here.
An independent indie bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.
P.S - The book can be read online on storyweaver here.