The Wednesday Bazaar
by Neha Singh and illustrated by Sonal Gupta
“The Wednesday Bazaar” by Neha Singh and illustrated by Sonal Gupta. Published by Karadi Tales. An endearing story of little Bela who gets separated from her Ma at the Wednesday Bazaar.
Bela goes on her weekly trip to the vegetable bazaar with her Ma on a hot Wednesday afternoon. Her mother promises to buy her an iced lolly on the way back. The market is bright and vibrant. The vegetable sellers appear like kings seated in their high thrones to little Bela. The market isn’t so crowded that day.
Bela loves looking at the vegetables she likes eating such as tomatoes, lemons and ladies fingers. The sight of brinjals and bitter gourds puts her off as she doesn’t like those. How to ensure that Ma doesn’t buy those?! Well, Bela knows exactly what to do. Distract Ma on the pretext of tying her shoelaces :) Just when she thinks that their shopping is done, Bela realises that she had got separated from Ma. She was lost!
What does she do next? How is she going to find her Ma? Where could Ma be? Will Bela panic? Who comes to help her? Will the two of them find each other? Can Bela get that iced lolly after all? Join Bela as she goes around the market looking for her Ma in this vibrantly illustrated book to find out.
My 7.5 year old has enjoyed reading this book for over a year now. The illustrations are a visual treat and capture the essence of a bustling vegetable market. The book brought back memories of my childhood when I would go to the market with my parents. Something that most of us don’t do these days. And the iced lolly brought back lovely memories of childhood. The book has a sequel called “Bela Misses Her Train” which we haven’t read yet. Thank you Vidya Mani of Funky Rainbow for recommending this charming book!
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 5+.
Where to buy from?
The publishers Karadi Tales here.
An independent indie bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.