My Daddy and the Well

When a father visits Moira a little village in Goa with his little son, memories come flooding back and with it a sense of loss, loss on account of the sea change that has taken place with the passage of time. Gone are the Moira bananas and there neglected lies the well that used to irrigate them. Narrated fluidly by the son, ‘My Daddy and the Well’ captures the beauty and thrill of village life of the time before the eighties in a captivating manner. Those like me who have lived/ experienced life in semi-urban and rural areas of India during those times can easily relate to each and every incident narrated in this short yet sweet and complete story. While the author weaves a beautiful narrative of life in Moira in a time long gone by, the illustrator in Ms. Lavanya Naidu does full justice to the story he weaves. The illustrations by themselves have the ability to hook young children, tickle their imagination, and prod them to weave a narrative of their own.

The single- page section on interjections at the end of the book is a bonus.

VERDICT

A hook book in the true sense ‘My Daddy and the Well’ is bound to excite young minds and see their curious side come the fore.
As a child in Goa, Daddy used to jump in a well, to water the bananas. Years later, the bananas are gone. But the pump is there, the well is there, Daddy is there... Splash!