Monday 4 August 2014

Review: Grandma's Bag of Stories by Sudha Murthy.




Book: Grandma's Bag of Stories

Author: Sudha Murthy

Pages: 176

Read On: Paperback

How Long It Took Me Read: 2 hours

Plot Summary: When Grandma opens her bag of stories, everyone gathers Around.

Who can resist a good story, especially when it’s being told by Grandma? From her bag emerges tales of kings and cheats, monkeys and mice, bears and gods. Here comes the bear who ate some really bad dessert and got very angry; a lazy man who would not put out a fire till it reached his beard; a princess who got turned into an onion; a queen who discovered silk, and many more weird and wonderful people and animals.

Grandma tells the stories over long summer days and nights, as seven children enjoy life in her little town. The stories entertain, educate and provide hours of enjoyment to them. So come, why don’t you too join in the fun?

General Thoughts: I've read quite a few Sudha Murthy books this year and really enjoyed them. I find them soothing, simple and quick reads. I also enjoy her story-telling style. 

I've wanted to read this book for a long, long time because I have a huge soft-spot for Grandmas and their stories. I am so glad I picked this book up as it was everything I hoped it would be. Sweet, heart-warming and full of nostalgia. It reminded me of my own childhood summers spent in Calcutta with my extended family, especially my lovely grandma who told us amazing stories. 

This was the first book I read in my Indian Books in August and it was a mighty good start! 

Review: This book was simply wonderful. Stories about kings-queens-princesses-bears and a ton of other things. Stories with morals, messages and teachings. But never preachy. Never heavy-handed. 

Apart from the stories themselves, there is an ongoing tale of cousins visiting their village during the summer and spending time with their grandparents and having a good summer holiday. It was just as nice reading about the cousins and their adventures as it was reading the stories. 

The book is also full of wonderful full-page illustrations that go with the stories and this was just an added bonus that I really enjoyed. 

You know there are some children's books that you like but know that you'd have liked a whole lot more if you read them as a child. Like some of their magic is lost on your because you are an adult. This was NOT the case with this book. It was just as great and in fact better because it was such a nostalgic experience. 

Rating: 5/5 


1 comment:

Unknown said...

It's very helpful for hhw.