Upside Down !

Have you ever tried hanging upside down ? Ever been in that position long enough to observe how the world would look upside down ? The answer may be "No" unless you are a Yoga specialist :). or some other such expert!

Kids love to do that, hang upside down! At least for a very short duration going by my minimal observation of the youth on monkey bars at the park and play grounds!

T.R Rajesh tries to do just that in the unique book - "Upside Down". He portrays the world  upside down in a very clear and colorful manner. He brings to life the common, every day scenes from rural Kerala excellently. The illustrations are superb! Elephants, cows, boat, young girls/boys and many more are easily recognizable from an upside down position even to a toddler ! 

Edited to Add : At the outset, as you turn the pages, you get the impression that the book is all about images turned upside down ! But then, the twist in the tale is revealed in the last page turning it into a mini story book :)

This (twist in the tale, revealed in the last page) makes the book an interesting read along with the value addition to the kid's general knowledge! 

A bilingual book from Tulika! Originally in Malayalam

Author (Story and Pics) : T.R Rajesh

Suitable for Age : 3+

Image Courtesy :  Tulika 

 

I received this book for participating in Tulika's first blogathon. My choice of language was Tamizh and hence I received the English- Tamizh combination of this bilingual book. The original version was in Malayalam. 

The bilingual text needs a special mention here. The choice of words are so simple and concise yet completely adequate to describe the scene ! And this applies for both the languages! The translation is complete and simple yet again without compromising the meaning! Kids could learn one language through the other, however they choose to.

My experience of the book with my daughter :

I was excited when I received this book as I could try reading to my daughter immediately even though she is just 2+.  She could easily identify some of the upside down pics quickly on her own, while others needed my intervention and help. She was fascinated when I explained to her about the upside-down concept :). However, she is yet to understand the final twist in the tale and the ultimate learning from the story. But that doesn't prevent her from wanting to read the book again :)

I am sure this book will be in use for more than a couple of years in our house hold as this book has a lot of offer :)  - be it the ambience and culture of Kerala, the colorful world seen upside down and not to forget the so simple,yet powerful bi-lingual text.

Thank you Tulika :)

P.S:

This is my first book review. Would really appreciate if you could kindly take time to let me know your comments/feedback (+ve and -ve) about my review.