Patua Pinocchio

Patua Pinocchio  

by Carlo Collodi
illustrated by Swarna Chitrakar
publisher: Tara Books


By now, The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi has become a household tale that manages to amuse and captivate the young readers. The story has been translated into many languages, endearing the wooden marionette to readers the around the world. His yearning to become a human boy and his adventures along the way is both absurd and heart-tugging.

Well known for their stylized books that showcase indigenous art forms and local artists, Tara Books has taken this classic story, abridged from Carol Della Chiesa's translations from the Italian original, and paired it with Swarna Chitrakar's Patua Scroll Painting of Bengal to present a uniquely amalgamated book that opens with this short and crisp introduction:

How it happened that
Mastro Cherry, the carpenter
Found a piece of wood
That wept and laughed
Like a child!
He gives it to his friend
Geppetto, who fashions a
Marionette and calls it
Pinocchio.

An engaging telling in just about 180 pages, the story pops out and grabs the reader via starkly stylized original illustrations.

Image Source: Tara Books

For readers used to the Westernized image of Pinocchio in rompers and a hat, it can be a jolt to see this new take on the puppet who wanted it all.

In loincloth and delicate jewelry, with dark-hued (wood-like?) complexion, Patua Pinocchio certainly challenges the readers to take the leap and test if the story is truly universal in its appeal.

The bold lines and rich earthen colors in plain white background adds a deceptive simplicity to the presentation while showcasing the strengths of this traditional art form practiced by the community of Chitrakars centered around Naya in West Bengal.

One of the perks for Indian readers is the parallel between Pinocchio's antics and that of Lord Krishna as a young mischievous cowherd. The idea that children are innately bestowed with godliness that they lose gradually as they grow up is pulled into this tale to present a vibrant interpretation of an ageless story.

The ideas for exploring Patua Pinicchio at Tara Books' site alludes to the fact that a fable that is considered a classic is open to multiple interpretations, one of which is presented in this book.

"Re-Drawing A Classic" section at the back explains how this book emerged from a workshop with artists from the Patua tradition of painting.

[Read an excerpt at DNA]

[Look Inside the book at Tara]

[Disclosure: This book was sent to me by the publisher. The decision to review it, and share my opinions here, is entirely my own.]

Nonsense!

Nonsense!
poems by Edward Lear
pictures by Valorie Fisher

Publisher: Atheneum/Anne Schwartz Books

There was an old man, who when little
Fell casually into a kettle;
But, growing too stout, he could never get out,
So he passed all his life in that kettle.

Edward Lear needs no introduction. Twentieth child in a family of twenty-one, raised and educated by his eldest sister, Lear's talent as an artist was natural and well appreciated in his times, so much so that Queen Victoria asked for drawing lessons from him. When at Knowsley Hall, commissioned by Earl of Derby to draw the birds and animals in that estate, Lear started writing limericks to entertain the kids there. Under the pseudonym Derry Down Derry, he published these wonderfully silly and funny poems in A Book of Nonsense.

Nonsense! is a collection fifteen of his inventive nonsensical limericks illustrated in a brilliantly whimsical fashion by Valorie Fisher. Everything about this book is completely charming. The resident six year old thinks this book is 'goofy' and 'weird' and 'funny' and 'silly' (which, btw, are all good, raving responses) and chooses to read it many times over, on and off, just for fun.

What makes this book remarkable and memorable for me, besides Lear's fun with words, is Valorie Fisher's illustrations.

Each poem is presented in a double page spread. Left side has a bold patterned vintage wallpaper-like background upon which is set the stark black text in an old-fashioned curvaceous frame. Right side has a full-page illustration which showcases Ms.Fisher's ingenuity: a comical combination of real life objects and scenes with cartoons and cut-outs that create a surreal world. (A glimpse into her style is available here).

There was an Old Person whose habits,
Induced him to feed upon Rabbits;
When he'd eaten eighteen, he turned perfectly green,
Upon which he relinquished those habits.

The illustration accompanying this poem combines small rabbit figurines in the foreground corner, cut-out collage of rabbits and trees for the background, with old-fashioned cartoon-like rendering of a typical old man with glasses, hat and an agonized expression, green all over, holding his tummy desperately. As if this is not enough, Ms.Fisher, keeping the young ones in mind, has added two little message labels - one on the watering can and another on a shovel-like tool - defining two of the words in the poem: Induced - Caused, Relinquished - Given up. And, the wallpaper-like background for the poem on the left side is bright green with blue spots all over it.

The illustration for the poem about the Young Lady of Welling shows her fishing with her foot while playing the harp, and has a little ribbon which explains one particular word in the poem that might challenge the little ones: Accomplished - very skilled.

When Ana read, There was an old person of Nice, Whose associates were usually Geese, she paused a bit as she read Nice as the usual word nice (like mice), and caught herself not rhyming right. And one look at the accompanying illustration with signs for La Patisserie de Nice and La Plage de Nice she guessed it must be French and rhymed Nice with Geese. Plus, of course, one sign read associate: a friend or partner which eliminated any need for me to go into tedious explanation of the new word for her.

Ana studied the pictures in great detail, especially the Old Man of Berlin who got baked in a cake, the Young Lady of Ryde, the Old Person of Rheims... however, the Old Man with a nose looked a bit scary she admitted. Not that the picture is gory, just that he has such a long nose it made her wonder how he would do the everyday functions.

A gem of a book to have on the bookshelf (hint, hint, Nana).

[image source: paperbackswap.com]