Moin and the Monster by Anushka Ravishankar is a very well written and perfectly illustrated book. Hats off to Anushka and Anitha (the illustrator) for doing a wonderful job. My daughter gave me her book and asked me to read it. Once I started the book, I really enjoyed being a child again.
Moin Kaif, a student of Class IV, hears something shuffling and sniffling under his bed one night and when he asks who it is, a voice answers that it is a monster. Moin tells the monster that he cannot see him, to which the monster says that if he drew the monster as the monster would describe himself, Moin could see him. Moin, being a very bad artist, says he could not do so but when the monster says that a monster rule would change Moin into a suitcase, poor Moin has no choice but to draw a picture according to the instructions given by the voice of the monster and the monster comes to life.
The monster is upset with the picture, he says that he looks funny instead of fearsome; is pink instead of purple; has drumsticks instead of bamboos for legs and has autorickshaw horns instead of animal horns.
Moin is in a fix. He has to hide the monster from his parents, feed him and take care of him and the monster loves to sing, eat bananas and wants a new hairstyle. Thus begin the adventures of Moin and the Monster. He goes with Moin to a birthday party, makes friends with Parvathy and Tony, sings a song; goes to school with Moin and is pinned up on the notice board as a painting and as a result of the hair treatment for a new hairstyle, grows hair so long that it cannot be managed.
Tony wants to write a book on Monster rules and keeps noting them as the monster reveals them and also one book on the strange behaviour of monsters.
Moin wants the monster to go away but the monster tells him that the monster would stay with him forever- A monster rule.
Overall, a very nice book, a must read for adults in this stressful world.
Can you believe this, the monster sits on my desktop background too.
Book Source: Borrowed from my daughter
Publisher: Duckbill
Metro Reader 