Who’s There?
by Hansa Sowvendra Shekhar and illustrated by Anupama Ajinkya Apte
“Who’s There?” by Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar and illustrated by Anupama Ajinkya Apte. Published by Duckbill. A totally rustic Indian take at a spooky story of some mysterious voices calling out from the attic of a farmer’s home.
A farmer lived with his wife, two sons and a daughter in a little hut near a village. They had goats, cattle, poultry and a cat with three newborn kittens. The cat lived in the attic. One night, something strange happened. The cats started mewing causing the farmer and his wife to panic. After all, the cats don’t mew without any reason. What was causing them to mew?
Strange things started occurring from the next day onwards. The cat moved down from the attic along with her kittens to a safe corner in the kitchen. What was wrong in the attic? Strange voices started coming from there. What were the farmer and his wife going to do? Did they dare to go and check what had happened in the attic? Would the mystery be solved? Read the gripping tale to solve the mystery of who is there in the attic and what are the strange sounds coming from up there.
My 8.5 year old has enjoyed reading the book for over a year now. We read it again this Hallowe’en. The suspense and ominous atmosphere builds as the story progresses keeping one on the edge of their seats. There is a curiosity to flip the page and know what the mystery is all about and a fair amount of humour too. And the illustrations make the story come alive as we read. We had a hearty laugh at the end :) The book is part of the “hook book” series by Duckbill and well suited for children who are beginning to read on their own. The fairly large sized text along with pictures are very helpful in making the gradual transition to chapter books with lesser pictures.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 5/6 and above.
Reasons to Read
For a refreshing read about a completely Indian take at spookiness given that children are not as exposed to them as much as we were :)
Where to buy from?
An independent bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.
On the gram now
HFOB is now on Instagram @housefull.of.books :)