“Prerna Bindra’s book attempts to show young children that a tiger is a child like themselves and plays in the wild under the watchful eye of its loving mother.”
NO MAJOR SPOILERS
It sounds like a child speaking but the ‘child’ on the glossy cover is a tiger cub. Prerna Bindra’s book attempts to show young children that a tiger is a child like themselves and plays in the wild under the watchful eye of its loving mother – though its playmates do seem to be restricted to langurs and butterflies.
In a world where most children are separated from nature by concrete buildings and the urban sprawl, books like these lavishly supplied with illustrations are very necessary to make children understand that there is a wider world outside.
The story of the tiger cub is just part of the book. Bindra goes on to talk about tigers and how they need to be protected. She talks briefly about tiger cubs and their growth in the jungle and goes on to provide handy tips on what children can do to help the environment in general and tigers in particular. Of course some of her advice does relate to Mumbai where she is based and a lot of it requires the help of supportive parents, since the children she is talking to seem to be aged around seven or eight.
The tiger population has grown but much remains to be done to stop poaching and ensure that these magnificent big cats have ample space to roam in safety without lethal brushes with humans.
Reviewed by:
Anjana Basu
Added 25th March 2017
