Book Reviews : Kaka and Munni, Gulli’s Box of Things

An age old folktale is always a joy to read. So here’s a refreshing look at a folktale from Punjab retold and illustrated by Natasha Sharma. 

The story is about a mean and hungry Kaka, a crow, who wants to eat up a sparrow’s eggs. He has to fulfil some tasks to get those eggs, well…and does he get them? That’s for you to find out! 

Natasha takes you through the book with her very casual and easy use of words. Her storytelling is straightforward and the language is simple. The sentences are not too long and the dialogues sound like day to day conversation. The story is depicted with some very interesting collage work. The intricate design on the paper which looks like folk art in places lends itself perfectly to the folktale, making it complete. 

The collage art for the illustrations are well composed and so are the stylized paper cuts of animals, birds and scenery. The colors are soothing, refreshing and stand out very nicely against the white paper. The designer has used some variations in the fonts to enhance the impact of the dialogues in some places which is interesting. The simplicity in the illustrations is something that a child will easily connect to. And the textured, patterned paper art will draw the interest of children and adults alike. 

It’s a well told tale with minimum use of difficult words and makes good reading for a seven-year-old. The dialogues lend themselves to some good drama and could be interesting when read aloud. Folktales will never lose their charm and can always find their way into the hearts of children even today when storytellers like Natasha add some uniqueness to them. So here is a visual treat for kids and parents alike who like folktales. This is a harmoniously written and designed book. 

Just for the sheer novelty of its simplistic design and the casual flow in the language, Kaka and Munni by Pratham Books is a clear favorite for kids seven years and above who have started to read. And for parents who would like to read aloud a story to tuck a child to bed.

This one came with the set of 8 which we had ordered from Pratham Books for R earlier during her birthday. 

I love this book. I love it for its simplicity, I love it for its lack of a actual story line and I love it for its illustrations. I love it for the simple techniques it teaches children,I love it for its pracicality and I love it because its talks about a box which could have anything in it. 

Gulli is a little boy who has a big brown box of things. What all can be inside that box is left to your imagination. I imagined a lot of things including shoe strings and iron nails. 

Gulli helps his grand father, the uncle who cooks in his house and his grandmother with the help of things in the box. 

Simple language, lovely illustrations and more importantly, the story line which teaches you that you dont need to look far for solutions and yet giving some titbits in science! 

Loved loved loved the book. and oh R and I love to pronounce the name of the author together – Anupama Ajinkya Apte..isnt that the sweetest name  

Definitely a hit in the R household. 

Go on and get it.