Book Review
Ph.D., Lecturer in Linguistics and Translation Studies Payame Noor University, Tabriz, Iran
manadana.mohamadi@gmail.com
ADVENTURES OF SIX LITTLE FISH
When as a linguist I decided to write a review about ADVENTURES OF SIX LITTLE FISH that is a story for children by Shyamal Bhattacharya and has been translated from Bengali by Jagriti Bhattacharya, the eye-catching cover page of book fascinated me.
According to our ancestors we should never judge a book by its cover but as this book is for children in addition to its cover page in each page you can find out paintings that are related to the content of that page. The cover page indicates the main characters of the story including six little fish by name, Kaalu, Chitra, Pingla, Rupali, Sonali, and Lalu that are living in a lake and a Dhanesh bird who helps them to overcome their fear.
Usually the stories that are for children speak about imaginary locations but in the case of Bhattacharya's story the environmental elements are traceable, for instance story starts with the description of Neermahal as an old palace, situated in the middle of a vast lake called Rudijola. Or Kaalbaishaki, pre-monsoon rain storm that is well-known in India.
In another part of story Bhattacharya describes The Kanchi Gaang which looks like a dream world in the full moonlight and he mentions about the Chhabimura which is a local name for Devtamura and is situated on the bank of Gomoti River.
Therefore, Bhattacharya's story not only tries to tell a story but also it narrates the history and historical background of a certain parts of India. In fact, this is a good technical method to teach children about the history of their country, as well.
Bhattacharya through this story tries to emphasize on some moral massages such as fighting against the hardship of life, facing problems and get stronger. Or not being too much greedy as greedy people don't learn from their mistakes and it was the same case for the mother of six fish who had bitten the trap in her third attempt as she was not able to identify or differentiate between a food piece and a trap. This book is very well written, as in another part of book the author attracts the attention of children to wildlife conservation when he says "no king has taken the initiative in trying to stop the mass murder of the fishes!"
I think children in the age groups between 9 and 15, would like this book because it teaches about having courage and listening to their parents as they are their first, most loving, teachers. On the other hand this book may help children to overcome their fears.
MONSTER OF THE JUNGLE
'Monster of the Jungle' is a story for children by Shyamal Bhattacharya. This book has been translated from Bengali by Subhrasankar Das, the attention-grabbing cover page of the book reminds us about the jungles of South Asia especially India, as it includes one elephant and two parrots. It also notifies us about preserving our nature through cycling as bicycles can contribute to nature conservation in a broader sense.
The story starts with introducing the main character, Abhiram, who was crossing the jungle when he notices the fire in Tripura, a hilly state in northeast India as there has been no sign of rain at all for the past twenty and odd days.
Story continues as Abhiram due to the sense of responsibility toward his sick father tries to pass the jungle and takes medicine for his father. During his journey Abhiram encounters many difficulties and even he knocks down and his knee has starts bleeding but as it was not a deep wound, he wraps the wound and resumes his trip.
On his way he helps his friend Kishan, as Abhiram had a good habit to pick and give a ride to any of his friends whenever he came across any of them. On their way to village Kishan and Abhiram realize that bridge has caught on fire but Abhiram does not lose his hope and rides the cycle towards the water and finally passes the bridge.
During this story the role of nature regarding self-perseverance is evident as the elephants start to splash water over the fire to extinguish it. Therefore once again Bhattacharya's story emphasizes on the wildlife conservation when Abhiram thinks "the fire service department personal should have their presence in the forest for the safety of the wildlife, forest, and for the sake of the neighboring inhabitants too. The rain may not be there as a savior every time to shower over a jungle on fire."
_______________________________________________________________________
M a n d a n a K o l a h d o u z M o h a m a d i
Ph.D., Lecturer in Linguistics and Translation Studies Payame Noor University, Tabriz, Iran
manadana.mohamadi@gmail.com
ADVENTURES OF SIX LITTLE FISH
When as a linguist I decided to write a review about ADVENTURES OF SIX LITTLE FISH that is a story for children by Shyamal Bhattacharya and has been translated from Bengali by Jagriti Bhattacharya, the eye-catching cover page of book fascinated me.
According to our ancestors we should never judge a book by its cover but as this book is for children in addition to its cover page in each page you can find out paintings that are related to the content of that page. The cover page indicates the main characters of the story including six little fish by name, Kaalu, Chitra, Pingla, Rupali, Sonali, and Lalu that are living in a lake and a Dhanesh bird who helps them to overcome their fear.
Usually the stories that are for children speak about imaginary locations but in the case of Bhattacharya's story the environmental elements are traceable, for instance story starts with the description of Neermahal as an old palace, situated in the middle of a vast lake called Rudijola. Or Kaalbaishaki, pre-monsoon rain storm that is well-known in India.
In another part of story Bhattacharya describes The Kanchi Gaang which looks like a dream world in the full moonlight and he mentions about the Chhabimura which is a local name for Devtamura and is situated on the bank of Gomoti River.
Therefore, Bhattacharya's story not only tries to tell a story but also it narrates the history and historical background of a certain parts of India. In fact, this is a good technical method to teach children about the history of their country, as well.
Bhattacharya through this story tries to emphasize on some moral massages such as fighting against the hardship of life, facing problems and get stronger. Or not being too much greedy as greedy people don't learn from their mistakes and it was the same case for the mother of six fish who had bitten the trap in her third attempt as she was not able to identify or differentiate between a food piece and a trap. This book is very well written, as in another part of book the author attracts the attention of children to wildlife conservation when he says "no king has taken the initiative in trying to stop the mass murder of the fishes!"
I think children in the age groups between 9 and 15, would like this book because it teaches about having courage and listening to their parents as they are their first, most loving, teachers. On the other hand this book may help children to overcome their fears.
MONSTER OF THE JUNGLE
'Monster of the Jungle' is a story for children by Shyamal Bhattacharya. This book has been translated from Bengali by Subhrasankar Das, the attention-grabbing cover page of the book reminds us about the jungles of South Asia especially India, as it includes one elephant and two parrots. It also notifies us about preserving our nature through cycling as bicycles can contribute to nature conservation in a broader sense.
The story starts with introducing the main character, Abhiram, who was crossing the jungle when he notices the fire in Tripura, a hilly state in northeast India as there has been no sign of rain at all for the past twenty and odd days.
Story continues as Abhiram due to the sense of responsibility toward his sick father tries to pass the jungle and takes medicine for his father. During his journey Abhiram encounters many difficulties and even he knocks down and his knee has starts bleeding but as it was not a deep wound, he wraps the wound and resumes his trip.
On his way he helps his friend Kishan, as Abhiram had a good habit to pick and give a ride to any of his friends whenever he came across any of them. On their way to village Kishan and Abhiram realize that bridge has caught on fire but Abhiram does not lose his hope and rides the cycle towards the water and finally passes the bridge.
During this story the role of nature regarding self-perseverance is evident as the elephants start to splash water over the fire to extinguish it. Therefore once again Bhattacharya's story emphasizes on the wildlife conservation when Abhiram thinks "the fire service department personal should have their presence in the forest for the safety of the wildlife, forest, and for the sake of the neighboring inhabitants too. The rain may not be there as a savior every time to shower over a jungle on fire."
_______________________________________________________________________
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