Weathering the Storm

IF THERE IS anything we have learnt from various climate change summits, it is that the time to act is now. We cannot shield our chil­dren from the reality of climate change, and we need to educate the young about the world they will be inheriting. Cli-fi or climate fiction is a genre that is fast gaining popularity. Three recent Indian children’s books approach the conversa­tion for climate change in an interesting manner that makes it engaging for young readers. These books highlight the urgency of the situation but do so without scaring young readers.

WHEN FAIRYLAND LOST ITS MAGIC by Bijal Vachharajani and Rajiv Eipe (HarperCollins Children’s; 120 pages ₹499)

Nothing says children’s story more than a fairytale and that’s why author and editor Bijal Vachharajani chooses well-known fairytales as the perfect medium to talk to children about the inevitable change in our environment. How does climate change affect our beloved fairy tale characters? Rapunzel can wash her hair only once a week, the Big Bad Wolf cannot stalk Red Riding Hood any­more because there are no trees to hide behind, there are no poisoned apples for Snow White because apples (and Cinderella’s pumpkins) are extinct, and unseasonal weather is marked by rising sea levels meaning everyone is bobbing in boats trying to get from one castle to another!

Enter plucky siblings Hansel and Gretel with a plan to mobil­ise everyone in Fairyland to find out why their world has taken such a dark and smoggy turn. Every resident in Fairyland journeys to the end of the world to find the origin of a strange hum that all fairyland animals can hear. There they notice a rip in the fabric of their world and realise pollut­ants and harmful gases from the human world are entering their realm. As the human world fills up with smoke and toxins, a little bit seeps into Fairyland ev­ery time someone opens a book. Now the residents of Fairyland need to find a way to restore their world to its former state.

The magic in this book is layered and manifold. Vachharajani gives her characters an Indian twist and steeps them in pop culture making it relatable and relevant to Indian children, all while inducing a chuckle (or two) from parents. She chooses characters based on how climate change affects them personally, for example, the Little Mermaid talks about rapidly heat­ing oceans and whitening coral reefs. Readers will enjoy the casual tone and plot twists connecting characters. Black-and-white illustrations by Rajiv Eipe force the reader to revisit pages to take in all the gorgeous little details like fairies flitting in between palm fronds, or the print on Fairy Nani’s sari as she placates Cinderella. The illustration showing all the residents of Fairyland holding hands to form a chain as they bestow ‘gifts’ exudes a silver lining of hope, leaving readers with the feeling that change can be brought about if everyone works together. As with Vachharajani’s previous books on the climate, in this one too she uses humour and hope to drive home an important message. By the end, it is clear that if sal­war kameez-clad Cinderella, Fairy Nani and No-White can come together to turn their Disenchanted Not a Forest into a Once Enchanted Forest, then we can too.

AMMINI AGAINST THE STORM by Vishaka George (Karadi Tales in partnership with PARI; 110 pages; ₹295)

How often do we read news stories about storms and inclement weather across the country? Floods and cyclones are words our children are now all too familiar with. But what does it mean to be caught in the eye of a storm and watch your entire life being washed away?

Ammini against the Storm by Vishaka George is set against the devas­tating floods in Kerala in 2018. Ammini is a coffee farmer’s daughter who is des­perately trying to fit in with friends at her new private school. Her family can barely afford the school but is convinced that’s where she will get a good educa­tion. Ammini is worried her friends do not understand her background but she is thrilled to have formed close friend­ships. She spends her days playing and fighting with her cousin Matthew, who is more practical and wonders why Ammini spends so much time studying when her future is tied to the farm.

The story also highlights the changing landscape of Wayanad through the point of view of the farmer who is now forced to replace traditional crops like paddy and coffee with more profitable ones like vanilla and pepper. Over the years, these modern cash crops have altered the balance of the soil and are responsible for worsening the destruction during the floods. These nuances lead children to understand that climate change isn’t just about melting glaciers and rising temperatures, and shows how it affects people closer to home.

For this book author Vishaka George has adapted an article that she wrote for People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI) into a fictional story highlighting the effects of climate change as seen and understood by children. Ammini against the Storm is one of the books in Stories of Rural India (StORI), a series published by Karadi Tales and veteran journalist P Sainath’s publishing house PARI. The books highlight stories of people living in rural India, disenfranchised communi­ties, and the challenges they face daily. Through the medium of storytelling, the books give statistics and news reports a name and a face.

WE HOPE: CHILDREN ON CLIMATE CHANGE edited by Radha Rangarajan (Pratham Books; 32 pages; ₹100)

What is the best way to understand how much our children know about climate change? We turn to them, of course. We Hope: Children on Climate Change asked children 10-16 about what climate change means to them. This bold experi­ment resulted in a picture book, which brings together varied voices that will spur meaningful conversations.

The book has additional text by Radha Rangarajan, which sets the con­text and background for drying lakes and dying forests. It is brilliantly illustrated by some of India’s leading picture book illustrators, such as Arati Kumar-Rao and Archana Sreenivasan, giving each spread its own unique identity. The illustrations give flesh and blood to a child’s observation. For example, a 13-year-old from Dhanora, Maharash­tra, writes, “There is no water in our vil­lage taps. I have to walk long distances with my mummy to fetch water.” This line comes to life with a black-and-white illustration of stick figures bent over walking to a distant well with the silhouette of build­ings, and chimneys spewing smoke in the distance.

We Hope has an easy-to-read qual­ity and brings us stories and voices from the Himalayas to Karnataka, from Haryana to the Chambal Valley, and from Nagaland to Maharashtra, allowing us to learn about issues that affect people living in the region. Using interesting anecdotes like how the shortage of rainfall affects the Malabar gliding frogs in Agumbe, Karnataka, or how the weather in Dahanu’s (Maharashtra) beaches determines the gender of the Olive Ridley turtle—this book drives home the message of climate change for curi­ous young minds.

The quotes from children are relat­able and will remain with you long after you are done reading the book. It is difficult to not empathise with 15-year-old Atharva Raut from Mumbai who simply proclaims that his “lungs are tired”—making this picture book a must-read for children and adults alike.

Bijal Vachharajanibookschildren’s literatureclimate changehumourRadha RangarajanRajiv EipeVishaka George