Reviews: (by author)

Laxman, Kamala. The Thama Stories. Illus. R.K. Laxman. India : Penguin Books, 2005. 0-14-333514-6. Indian Rupees 150. 124 pp. Ages 8+

Thama is a baby Indian elephant whose pranks involve the entire jungle in rescuing him, catering to his needs, keeping him company, and helping him learn-a little. Thama is, in fact, the quintessential baby-emotional, naïve, self-centered, and utterly charming. The local tiger, monkey, and snake are his friends, though he tries their patience mightily with his mischief; he simply MUST have a drum, or he MUST all at once eat the food his mommy left for him...or he MUST disobey his mother by not napping with her but rather exploring on his own. Surely without his special friend Gumchikki, a little bird, he wouldn't survive his own curiosity. Thama's adventures are told in a series of short stories young readers will love, for Thama's high jinks will make them feel much more knowledgeable than the little pachyderm, and much, much better behaved.

The stories are illustrated by R.K. Thama, a renown political cartoonist in India . Thus the illustrations are outstanding, full of expression and complementing the main points of the tales.

Unfortunately, this book is not available in the States, though it is constantly reprinted in India . The stories remind one of Winnie the Pooh and are well worth tracking down (try Amazon's used book site--).

A. Allison, March 2006

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