“The Girl Who Was A Forest : Janaki Ammal” by Lavanya Karthik. Published by Duckbill. A delightfully illustrated short biography of little Janaki who went on to become one of India’s foremost path breaking women botanists.
Janaki lived in the seaside town of Thalassery in Kerala. Her town had simple comforts but lots of rigid rules for girls. Girls were not supposed to be studying. They were expected to marry early and have a family. As per rules, her family was not good enough and their caste was low. She was treated as different due to her tallness and plain looks. But none of it deterred her from dreaming on about a world where she could follow her interests without any kind of barriers.
Janaki had a pillar of support behind her back in the form of her kind father. He recognised her dreams and paved the way for her to fly away like a seed rather than a bird. He explained to her the power of a single seed which can make an entire forest to grow. She had that capability like a seed. Initially she did not like being called a seed. Read the book to know how she got motivated by her father and found her way into the dream world of hers.
My eight year old and I loved reading the book. He appreciated the role played by Janaki’s father in making her realise her potential and breaking free of the rules around her. He had already heard mention of Janaki Amal’s pioneering research in the facts section of “How To Weigh An Elephant”, a picture book from Katha, which we had read before. We also read about her work in one of the books from the “Women in Science” series after reading this book.
We loved the gorgeous illustrations which have been inspired by the botanical and landscape art of the early nineteenth century. The birdwatcher in me was thrilled to see beautiful illustrations of birds such as the Malabar Trogon, Malabar Pied Hornbill and the Common Kingfisher. The book is part of the “Dreamers Series” from Duckbill. We have enjoyed reading some of the other books from this series such as the ones on Teejan Bai, Satyajit Ray, Salim Ali and R.K.Narayan & R.K.Laxman.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 6 and above.
Reasons to Read
The book serves as a perfect means to introduce an incredible pioneer from India in the field of botanical research.
Where to buy from?
An independent bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.