"Gugulu" by Srividhya Lakshmanan & illustrated by Akansha Krishnan--Fiction Review

We’re doing a new first today, Obscurists. Today I’m reviewing a Children’s book by Srividhya Lakshmanan and illustrated by Akansha Krishnan.

What I love about this book:

So for this review, I’m eschewing my longer format with its likes and dislikes, analysis, and so on and so forth.

I’m only going to talk about what I liked about this kid’s book marketed for ages 4 through 8. Clearly not my typical demographic, and I don’t have any children, but if I did, I like to think it’s precisely the sort of book I’d read to them before bed.

“Gugulu” appeals to my love of animals because it’s a story about a naughty little sloth bear named Gugulu who really ought to listen to his parents. There is an explicit moral being taught here. Of course, he doesn’t and then finds out that the wild is no place for a baby—anything—to be out in alone.

I watch a lot of nature shows and documentaries, but I didn’t even know what a sloth bear was until I read this little book. Also, I should mention they’re primarily found in India, where I’ve never been. Sloth bears are shaggily cute animals that seem like a virtual no-brainer to be featured as protagonists of a fable. It’s hard to think of an animal more tailored to be a picture book protagonist—if you will excuse the anthropocentric bent of that statement.

But sloth bears aren’t the only animals we’re introduced to in this picture book. We get to see a pleasing number of animals that live in that habitat throughout the story. There is even a key at the end that gives some basic information about each animal.

A minimalist at heart, I found the illustrations to be of a simple and beautiful style which I enjoyed a lot. They’re bright and colorful. They also clearly convey what everything is and pair nicely with the cadence of the story.

Overall, “Gugulu” is a wonderful, albeit brief, experience. 

Author’s Website: https://www.andbooks.in/

Micro Mention "The Jungle Book"

Since I was a wee insufferable lad, I've seen Disney's interpretation of "The Jungle Book" probably over a hundred times. So when I finally got around to reading the source material by Rudyard Kipling, imagine my surprise when I discovered that they really aren't all that similar—at all.

I'm not sure why that surprised me. After all, that's sort of Disney's thing when you consider their interpretations of the Brothers Grimm. The book is a series of short stories revolving around Mowgli and isn't one long continuous narrative. Sure they all fit together, but they each have independent arcs separate from the overarching plot.

The setting and characters are a curious choice for a man like Kipling, other than the fact he was an English man, and they all had strong opinions about India, especially back then. But as charming as these stories are, and surprising as it is that our protagonist is an Indian boy named Mowgli, take it with a grain of salt that this was for any sort of early progressive reason. Kipling would soon go on to write something called "The White Man's Burden," which is precisely what it sounds like. 

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Micro Mention "The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood"

Everyone knows Robin Hood—steals from the rich gives to the poor. But I've never read Howard Pyle's "The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood" before now. It's foundational to many modern incarnations of the character. I also never realized how many times Robin gets the stuffing beat out of him.

Unlike many more modern approaches to telling Robin Hood's story, this book is firmly meant for children. There is some violence here and there, and a couple characters don't survive, but most of the short stories that make up this book ends with everyone surviving and having a bit of a laugh. It is aptly called The MERRY adventures of Robin Hood, after all.

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Micro Mention "Anne of Green Gables"

"Anne of Green Gables" is like a Canadian version of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," but with a female protagonist in this coming-of-age story. There is something in the way that Anne talks that is mesmerizing even today.

A story about an orphan girl, Anne, is easy to love because of her relentless optimism despite numerous episodes of heartbreak, big and small, throughout her life. Honestly, this sort of story is normally outside of my wheelhouse in terms of interest, I'm more a science fiction/fantasy/horror person, but despite that, I found myself totally engrossed in this story by about the middle.

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as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.