Sneaker Paati by Anita Nair (author) and Habib Ali (illustrator)
My take on the book:
Eight-year-old Madhav a.k.a. Kittu and family shifted recently from Pune to Bengaluru. Since his parents were busy with their professional commitments and though they had a full time house help Janaki, owing to Kittu’s naughty behavior in recent time, his father requested his aunt Shobha attai to come over during Kittu’s Dasara holidays — to take care of Kittu while his parents travelled out-of-station for work.
Kittu knew six words and two sentences of Japanese and when he heard Shobha attai aka Sneaker Paati also knew Japanese, he was excited to welcome her. Sneaker Paati can do headstands and cartwheels effortlessly and Kittu instantly wanted to learn all her skills. While Kittu relished the new recipes Sneaker Paati cooked, a welcome change from Janaki’s noodles and toasts, Paati wondered why Kittu had only one friend Bunty and would stay home all day without playing with kids his age.
After Paati learns the reason for Kittu not playing with other kids in the apartment, how will she solve the issue forms the rest of the story.
The story begins with Sneaker Paati coming over to Kittu’s house and how Kittu finds her to be the super hero he always wished he could have in his life — a cool elder whom he could flaunt to his classmates, who doled out yummy recipes effortlessly and someone who listened to him unlike his parents. However, Paati also solved the biggest problem in Kittu’s life — B. B. Abby (Big Bad Abby) who bullied Kittu and Bunty.
Young kids being bullied by older kids has become a very common and dangerous practice and though Abby never harmed Kittu or the other kids physically, this story shows a fun and sensible way of resolving it. The author narrates the back story of Abby, why he turned from a sweet boy to a bully and how parents might never be aware of what is happening with their kids — both Abby and Kittu’s parents.
The story also subtly hints at the ageism debate — how elders are expected to indulge only in certain activities like Abby’s grandmother did knitting and why Shobha Paati got the Sneaker Paati tag and is referred to as the cool grandmother. The author handles these important issues with a good dose of fun and humor, making it interesting for the reader.
The author, through Shikha’s character shows how friendships can be built at that tender age and through Sockie’s character the trust and loyalty of animals. The small and cute illustrations accompanying the story are heartwarming, hence making the book a fun ride along with delivering a good message.
My rating:
4/5.