A04 Selection - Book Report/Review Example

Running Head: A04 Book Selection A04 Book Selection A04 Book Selection Introduction This paper is aimed at providing a detailed summary of a selected book from the International Children’s Digital Library (ICDL) at http://en.childrenslibrary.org. The book has been selected keeping in mind its educational value. The text is both entertaining and informative from not only the children’s but also the adults’ viewpoints.Summary of the Book The title of the book is Adventures of a Nepali Frog.

The story has originated from a small landlocked Himalayan country called Nepal located in South Asia bordered by People’s Republic of Chine and Indian Union. The country is strategically defined as a buffer state between the two rivaling nuclear powers. Maoist uprising has caused considerable turmoil in the country in recent past. In such an environment, the author of the book Mr. K.M. Dixit (2003) has done a wonderful job of writing for the innocent children. According to him, this piece of literary work “took shape in successive nights back in 1989 at my (Dixit’s) children’s bedside.

” (Dixit, 2003) The book has an interesting structure. It has been written in the form of a novelette. Basically it can be categorized for the children who are in the age group of 6 to 9 years (this categorization has been done by the ICDL). The language has simple grammar with use of lots of verbs and uncomplicated syntax. The sentences are generally short. Use of a rich vocabulary is copious at times, but the pleasure of smooth reading is yet not spoiled. Besides the structural features, the content of the book is also immensely attractive.

The hero of the novelette is a Nepalese frog whom the writer calls the Nepali Frog. The name of this frog is Bhaktaprasad Bhyaguto (note the use of proper noun); he is young and “barely out of his tadpole teens” (Dixit, 2003, p. 1). The frog is very curious and he feels extremely interested in his surroundings. Not only that, he wants to see the world beyond his normal physical and intellectual reach. So he starts traveling from Kathmandu to see the country. He meets the mango porter, arrives in the Tarai, and then moves ahead along the East-West Highway.

He visits the rivers and mountains and is filled with excitement. He has strange experiences at Kali Gandaki, Kagbeni, La-Toh, etc. He meets the pilgrim frog at Muktinath and enjoys the myyaaah in the hillside valleys (myyaaah is the sound produced by cattle, especially mountainous goats). The most fabulous part of the story is come across when the frog is brought “back to Kathmandu in an airplane.” (Dixit, 2003) At the end of the novelette, Sanomaiya (Bhaktaprasad’s mother) sends him to hibernate saying, “You will tell us all about your travels in spring, when we will all be awake and alert.

” (Dixit, 2003, p. 97) Apart from the story, content quality is another mind-blowing feature of this book. Refined magic realism is applied as we find a frog talking and thinking like humans and even communicating with them; alongside lots of details of even the most trivial elements of Nepalese life are patiently furnished. Lots of attention has been given to these intricacies and the prose form remains impressively descriptive, formal, and technically correct. The book is an encouragement to tourism studies for the youngsters as it describes Nepal vividly; so vividly that even children in the western countries are able to visualize the Himalayan tracts and vegetation.

Conclusion The book is highly informative and hence has immense educational value. It is also very entertaining for the children. It has been translated in several languages till now including Dutch, German, Japanese, Korean, etc. The book features not only a Nepali Frog but also Nepal as a whole. It can be regarded as an admirable piece of literature meant for the children worldwide.ReferenceDixit, K.M. 2003. Adventures of a Nepali Frog. Lalitpur: Rato Bangala Kitab.