I love books about books, so I knew I would enjoy Chitti’s Travelling Book Box. When Chitti comes back from her Madras Mama-Mami’s place with a surprise gift, her friends can’t wait to find out what she’s brought. Unfortunately for them, it’s a box of books. Who gets excited about books?
Chitti can’t believe how biased her friends are. They aren’t even willing to give the books a shot! And when push comes to shove, she has to choose between her friends and her books. And she does.
Set in a small village in Tamil Nadu, Chitti’s story has much to offer. I loved the satirical comment on the only stories in the school library – moral stories! And not just moral stories, animal moral stories. Written by the principal. Of course. A set of five stories for the well-behaved, homework-loving child.
Full of little details on reading, books, and falling in love with stories, I enjoyed Chitti’s tale. I wondered about two things, though. One, Chitti’s parents seem to give in to her plan rather too easily considering that they need money to mend the roof of the cowshed. And two, the title of the book – doesn’t it give give away the ending of the story?
Having said that, there was much to enjoy in the story – the characters (especially Maths-loving Muthu!), the setting, and of course the heartwarming theme of making books accessible, no matter where you live.
| Title | Chitti’s Travelling Book Box |
| Author | Kavitha Punniyamurthi |
| Tags | hOle book, chapter book, books about books |
| Rating (out of 5) | 4 |
| Age-group | 7+ |
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