Toka Explorer Book Pick

The Clever Tailor

Written By Srividhya Venkat and Illustrated by Nayantara Surendranath

The author Srividhya Venkat has adapted this book from a European folktale.
Rupa Ram is a clever tailor but has one unfulfilled dream! He wants to sew beautiful things for his family too!
When he receives a gift of a beautiful saafa, he is so excited that he wears it everywhere and wears it off. When the saafa is completely worn out, he realizes he still has some cloth left from the saafa to make his wife a odhni! Out of the Odhni comes a Kurta for his boy and out of the Kurta comes a Gudiya for his girl and what comes out of the Gudiya?
A lovely cumulative story that will work fabulously for read-aloud! We loved learning new Hindi words with the story!
The illustrator Nayantara Surendranath brings in the colors of Rajasthan from colorful bandhinis in yellows, pinks, and blues! I loved how Rupa Ram's wife goes to chai with friends and school and sometimes helps Rupa Ram instead of being depicted as cooking in the kitchen!
Sometimes a little can go a long way is a great message to take away from this book!