Did you know that March 20 is observed as World Sparrow Day every year? The bird that was once a permanent fixture on our window sills, roofs and balconies rarely shows up now.
This observance is an effort to acknowledge the diminishing population of sparrows in our cities. It was established by the Nature Forever Society, an organization based in Nashik. The house sparrow, that was once a ubiquitous presence, is spotted less frequently because its natural habitat has been affected by environmental degradation. While scientists study the reason behind this decline, storytellers weave stories around sparrows to celebrate them.
This year, on World Sparrow Day, allow yourself to soak in the magic of children's books that feature sparrows. While you are it, please share them with young ones too. All three books have been published by Pratham Books, a not-for-profit publisher that brings out inexpensive, well-produced books in multiple Indian languages and makes some freely available on its online StoryWeaver platform for children, parents, teachers and librarians.
Ammu and the Sparrows
Written by Vinitha R and illustrated by Jayesh Sivan, this book is about a boy named Ammu who lives with his grandmother. His parents are going through a bitter separation. It involves a court case, which has been dragging along for a long time. It seems that Ammu’s parents love him dearly, and want to spare him the agony of witnessing all the ugliness of a custody battle. Ammu has been left in his grandmother’s care. She introduces him to sparrows.
Ammu is captivated by these birds. He tries to figure out which one is the Amma (mother) sparrow, and which one is the Accha (father) sparrow. His grandmother teaches him how to make a sparrow feeder, and fill it with seeds. Ammu likes to watch the sparrows eat but he stays at a distance because he is worried that they might get frightened and fly away.
This is a heartwarming book about change, loss and grief, filled with words and silences.
The Sparrow and the Fruit
Originally written in Kannada by Venkatramana Gowda, and translated into English by Divaspathy Hegde, this book revolves around a sparrow named Gubbi who loves to eat guavas. One day, she buys herself a nice one from the market but it slips from her beak and falls into a clump of thorns. She is disappointed because she was looking forward to relishing the fruit. Not one to sit back and cry, Gubbi tries to strategize and retrieve the lost guava.
This is understandable because when we set our heart on something, it is difficult to let go. The problem with Gubbi is her sense of entitlement. She wants to get the guava at any cost, no matter who is harmed in the process. Instead of requesting for support, she goes about demanding that people drop everything else that is important to them and do her bidding.
This book, illustrated by Padmanabh, offers a lesson in humility and gratitude. It also points out that actions have consequences, so it is advisable to conduct ourselves with awareness.
Kaka and Munni: A Folktale from Punjab
This book has been written and illustrated by Natasha Sharma, who retells a Punjabi folktale about a sparrow called Munni and a crow named Kaka. Munni has just laid three eggs in her nest on a gulmohar tree. She is waiting under the canopy of bright red flowers for these eggs to hatch. At this time, Kaka shows up and orders Munni to move out of his way. He wants to make a satisfying meal of those eggs. Munni is petrified but she deals with Kaka tactfully.
Munni might be small in size but she is intelligent. She knows that bullies have to be outsmarted without antagonizing them. Munni tells Kaka, “Who can refuse you, Kaka? But I have one request. Before eating my eggs, could you please wash your beak, since it is looking very dirty?” She knows that vanity is one of Kaka’s weaknesses. He cares a lot about his physical appearance, so he flies over to the stream. He does not realize what Munni is up to.
The stream sends him to the potter, and the potter sends him to the deer, and this sequence continues because everyone wants to save Munni’s eggs from being gobbled up by Kaka. Read this book, which tends to evoke mixed feelings, to know about the price that Kaka has to pay for wanting to declare to the whole world that he is “the most handsome crow.”
The author is a writer, journalist, commentator and book reviewer. Views expressed are personal
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