Taniya by Arupa Patangia Kalita(Author), Meenaxi Barkotoki(Translator)
My take on the book:
After their dog Tom passed away, Arnab Khura brought home two puppies for his daughter Jilmil from his visit to Bhutan. Jigma and Taniya are siblings of Bhutanese Cocker Spaniel breed from the hills. The book is filled with the fun stories of Taniya’s stay first at Jilmil’s house and later at Arunabh’s house.
While Jigma is the calmer one of the two, Taniya was notorious for her naughty antics. From being frisked away once by a monkey and later by a military guy, Taniya always kept Jilmil’s parents on their toes. Finally Jilmil had to keep Jigma and give away Taniya to Arunabh’s family.
Taniya’s stay at Arunabh’s house was even more exciting — their visitors thought she was a toy with all that fluffy hair, Taniya got slapped by their cat Miao for irritating it during lunch time, chasing a thief — Taniya was not just naughty but was an adorable cute puppy that filled Arunabh’s family with joy.
The book has beautiful illustrations, the translator has done a perfect job by including the local Assamese words along with their relevant English words, so that the original flavour of the story is not lost. The book is fun to read along with emotional connect to Taniya’s character, which makes it a perfect read for kids. There are not many books set in Assam, so reading this book also helps knowing about Assamese local culture and geography.
However, be warned, the kids who will read this book will definitely want to have a puppy for themselves, so do not complain about it if you are not ready to bring home one for your kids. Highly recommended for kids as well as adults, as the story narrates the heartwarming story of Taniya and how pets can be wholesome companions.
My rating:
5/5.