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Sorry,
Best Friend!, a collection of stories for children, is an attempt to get
children to recognise, live with and enjoy that fundamental principle of
life: diversity ... The unstated viewpoint of the writers and editors of the
stories, that privileged children – those who can read and have access This
is a book to be welcomed for its relevance to the world of today,
directness, simplicity and, most of all, its effort to hold us to what
nature intended us to be – thinking, caring human beings whose ego is best
kept within bounds. These stories are mirrors in which our children view us
us, often in shock and disbelief, but in which we do not stop to look any
more. It is high time we did and recognised that regardless of name, species
and gods, 'each one of us has a place in this strange, funny world of ours.'
... Children will readily relate to the contents. Adults please take a look
too.
The collection is poignant and persuasive as it establishes by means of
parable, metaphor and allegory the essential connectedness and mutual
dependence of seemingly disparate parts that make up India ... What emerges
from this collection of stories as a whole is the sincerity underlying the
effort. It is a book that every Indian child deserves to read ... No child
could fail to be moved by it.
Tulika has done it again, friends. The latest title Sorry, Best Friend!
is head and shoulders above most books published in India for young readers.
While the intended reader seems to be age twelve and above, adults will
equally enjoy and perhaps even benefit by reading and remembering these
stories. If read aloud to younger ears, their impact could go even further
... This is a book with a purpose, grown out of a workshop
...The effort represents a positive step in reaction to the repeated riots
in our country. The stories speak for themselves, however, aside from their
worthy mission. Good quality always shines, and every one of the stories
sparkles. For
the first time, a group of writers and illustrators sat together to discuss
the question of how to communicate the issues and concerns of contemporary
India in writings for children. During the course of a workshop ... they
focused on the growing presence of communalism and ethnic tensions in
India and developed a series of original works, ten of which appear in this
collection ... (Tulika's) effort is to reflect in its books, the
multicultural, multilingual, many-sided nature of the world in which
children are growing up today. Sorry,
Best Friend! achieves Tulika's aim which is to publish books that
reflect, sensitively and creatively, the dynamics of Indian society - a
society that is multi-cultural, multi-lingual and A
must read for every child aspiring to be a worthy citizen of secular India
... A
set of 10 short stories for children, all with a common theme: the ugliness
of communal riots and human discord. It is an attempt to let children know
how meaningless all such struggles These
stories which give our children a much needed lesson in living with harmony
in our All
the pieces are well-written ... At no stage do any of them talk down to
their target audience of not-so-young children. The tone is conversational
and thought-provoking, encouraging readers to respond to issues that
beleaguer the earth, so that they can make responsible decisions and choices
to create a more harmonious tomorrow. The questions included in the 'Afterword'
further the desire to discuss and probe.
Young
readers continuously shuttle between their immediate world and the world of
books to make sense of both ... With the objective of communicating to
children the issues and concerns they face in the real world around them
Tulika has brought out an anthology entitled One World ... The
publishers have suggested that the book can be used as supplementary readers
in schools. 'Afterword' gives some useful hints and directions in which the
young reader may proceed ... books such as these will aid in widening
horizons for children. |
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