The Magic Powder
by Greystroke and illustrated by P G Dinesh
“The Magic Powder” by Greystroke and illustrated by P G Dinesh. Published by Pratham Books. A delightful retelling of a folk tale from the exotic country of Myanmar.
Once upon a time, there lived a young woman called Thuza in a village on the banks of Irawaddy river. She was happily married to handsome young Theingi. However there was one thing that nagged her. Theingi believed that he was an alchemist and kept dreaming that he would be able to turn dirt into gold one day! He would spend all his time in experiments to try and do the same.
All his efforts were going nowhere. Thuza had to bear the brunt of fending for the two of them. She was worried. She tried persuading Theingi to give up his experiments and find a job. But Theingi always put her off saying that he was on the verge of that breakthrough which never came. Thuza approached her father, wise old Thet, for a solution.
What happened next? Did Thet manage to persuade Theingi to give up on his experiments? Or did he have an idea for Theingi to make his dream come true? Did Thuza’s problems go away? What is the magic powder in the title of the story? Who has it? Will it help Theingi and Thuza? Read the book to find out all of this.
Overall a witty story which will make the children chuckle. Enjoyed reading this with my seven year old. It was a means for me to talk to him about Myanmar which is so exotic and we don’t know much about it though it is one of our neighbours. Thank you Vidya Mani of Funky Rainbow for recommending this lovely book! The book is level 3 and apt for children aged 7+. The story can be read online on storyweaver here.
Where to buy from?
The publishers Pratham Books here.
An independent indie bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.