When I Met the Mama Bear
by Prerna Singh Bindra and illustrated by Maya Ramaswamy
“When I Met the Mama Bear - A Forest Guard’s Story” by Prerna Singh Bindra and illustrated by Maya Ramaswamy. Published by Talking Cub (the children’s book imprint of Speaking Tiger). A powerful story based on a true incident portraying the life of the unsung forest guards who work tirelessly in the background with a passion to protect India’s forests and rich wildlife.
Priya is a forest guard in the lush Melghat Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. Her office and work lies in the forest. She patrols the forest with three other guards every day. It is not a typical 9 to 5 job. They have a huge responsibility on their shoulders. That of protecting animals and the forest from poachers, illegal miners and forest fires. They have to live away from their families in the forest where there is no form of entertainment like tv/bazaars/cinema etc. Even mobile network isn’t available until they walk quite a distance. So they only have the forest for company which they have acquired a love for now.
Priya is a single mother and her almost eight year old daughter Astha is growing up without her. She had to leave her with her parents in the town so that she could go to school. It is a tough decision but she has no other choice. She has to secure a job in order to earn a living for them. One night Priya and her colleagues find themselves in a strange situation. A mother bear is extremely agitated as her two tiny cubs are stranded on top of a tree. She is unable to climb the tree to help the cubs as the trunk is narrow. Every ticking minute is increasing her worry. Priya can feel kinship with the Mama bear. After all she is a mother too and loves her daughter. What do the Priya and her fellow guards do? Should they intervene and help the cubs? If so, how can they keep the Mama bear away from attacking them? Or should they just watch and hope for the best? Do they have the time to call rescue teams? Read the book to know what happens to the bears and also about forest guards.
My eight year old and I loved reading the book. The topic is quite unusual and it caught our attention immediately. Most of us when we go to forests, seldom pay attention to the guards who work there. They are the real unsung heroes due to whom our forests and wild animals are safe. Their love and passion drives them to take great risks in their line of duty. The author has done full justice in showcasing their tough lives and drawing analogies between human and animal mothers while bringing up their children. The illustrations are a delight and bring the forest alive as we read the narrative.
The book has sections on facts about types of bears found in India and about the Melghat Tiger Reserve. There is also the story of the real forest guard Darshana who is the inspiration for this book. Another topic discussed is whether we should intervene at all to save wild animals and how if so. We have read another book by the same author illustrator duo earlier called “When I Grow Up I Want to be a Tiger” and enjoyed it too. The book also reminded us of Zakhuma Don, a forest guard working in Dampa Tiger Reserve in Mizoram about whom we had already read before in the book “Walking in the Wild”.
Recommended Age
The book is recommended for children aged 10 and above. But can be read aloud to slightly younger children like we did.
Reasons to Read
The book showcases the life of forest guards and pays tribute to their selfless hard work.
The book talks about how both Mama bears and human mamas go to work leaving their children behind.
Where to buy from?
The publishers Speaking Tiger here.
Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Talking Cub, for review. Thank you to Tanu, from Talking Cub, for sending across the book!