Kids’ corner
A big book for the little ones
Kamaldeep

The Red Giant and the Little Girl
by G. S. Dutt. Macmillan, Bangalore. Pages 124

THE book belongs to the genre of children’s literature. Its setting, descriptions, characters, dialogues and theme place it in that category. In India, however, "children’s literature" is an anomaly because since times immemorial, children have shared spoken tales with adults. Only when England established colonies were the stories written down and divided into "children" and "adults" categories. Thus, exclusive children’s literature is a legacy of the Empire.

The basic plot of this book is an adventure yarn revolving around the eponymous Red Giant and a little girl, Nikki. Both embark on a journey to meet the Red Giant’s brother, the White Giant. Their heroic adventures on the journey is what the story is about.

The book fulfils all the parameters of children’s literature, as it is peopled by characters like giants, witches, talking animals etc. in a fantastic setting. The setting shifts from the Himalayas to the sea and finally to a desolate island where the brothers meet. The setting has been described vividly and is both real and imaginary. This is because children do not always understand where real life ends and fantasy begins. The fantasy can be set in a world that looks like ours or in a totally different world.

This book combines the real and the imaginary by using anachronisms. Though the story is set "Long, long ago in the Himalayas," the author makes free use of things like airplanes, megaphones, radio transistors and even extra-terrestrial beings. While such anachronistic details help in bringing together two distinct worlds, the reader might find it difficult to identify with either.

Maintaining the tradition of children’s literature, the characters are cardboard figures with no shade to their personalities, embodying some single trait like pure innocence or complete wickedness. The actions of the two main characters illustrate a single dominant theme: "`85fear is only in the mind. With courage and fortitude every danger can be met." This is what Nikki realises in a particularly desperate situation. The incidents are far-fetched, but the plot is intelligible. The language is simple, devoid of any irony, sarcasm or even humour.

Though an Indian author has written the book, the distinctive Indian flavour is missing. It cannot, thus, be categorised as children’s book from India. Perhaps, the author has deliberately avoided such a labelling to give it a wider appeal.

Overall, the book is recommended for children, but some children may find its length daunting. Besides, though there are no boring patches in the middle, the end seems laboured. It is because of this reason that this book cannot be placed in the same league as children’s classics like The Wind in the Willows and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

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