Book: The Hoopoe On The Lawn
Author: Ruskin Bond
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Publisher: Aleph Book Company
Pages: 60
In this latest novel – The Hoopoe On The Lawn, Ruskin Bond narrates the story of himself when he was eleven, and visits his grandmother’s home in Dehra during his winter vacation. In this short novel, Mr. Bond takes the readers on the journey of his nostalgia – making the readers see nature, neighbours and narratives through his lens through six different experiences. The tale of a ghost hiding in a peepul tree, some delicious baked treats in a magic box, some tonga rides, his surprising run-ins with Quit India protestors, the company of sweetest neighbours Kellner, and the Hoopoe who comes daily at 3 pm in granny’s garden! Read this book to go on a ride full of friendships, love, nature, simple pleasures of life, comfort and nostalgia.
Mr. Bond’s memory sometimes surprises me and makes me long for my childhood memories, with which I play Alzheimer’s regularly, where on particular days and instances I remember some tiniest of details and while mostly, I am just blank and have a deep desire of childhood and it’s memories, and it would be a lie if I say that I’m not jealous!
Mr. Bond astonish me every single time through his stories and every time I wonder how he does it. This collection is not an exception. The wonderful description of Mr. Bond’s relationship with her granny and how she allows him to only have two delights from the magical box of cookies and bakeries, and how on some special occasions, there’s a treat, and how on normal days Miss Kellner gives him the company and the delights, his conversations with the Dhuki, granny’s gardener, especially the one in the end shows the innocence of the childhood.
The book has some beautiful illustrations by Priya Kuriyan, which can easily be comprehended from the cover. I have been waiting for a long time to have a book with her illustrations because I have seen my friends having that and this one just delivers it perfectly. They beautifully accompany the story of Mr. Bond, and perfectly captures the picture he portrays with the words. And it’s a delight to see this magic of materialising the imagination.
This novella, though quite short in length, is full of moments that can make one long for childhood, again, and for children to live it to the fullest. And with this one, I’m not shocked that Mr. Bond delivers another favourite, a book that I’ll revisit again and again, and something that I’ll highly recommend.
Rating: 6/5 (I’m sure you are not surprised with this after this review)
I was provided a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
You can buy the book from Amazon or any bookstore near you!
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I’m participating in #BlogchatterA2Z
This post is dedicated to the letter R for the word “Ruskin” in the title and for #TbrChallenge by Blogchatter for a novella you love for the month of April.
Jainand Gurjar 
Ruskin Bond never disappoints, does he?
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