BUY MOONGPHALI | NEHA SINGH & MUKESH CHHABRA | BOOK REVIEW

STORIES: 4/5

ILLUSTRATIONS: 4/5

WRITING STYLE: 4/5

CHARACTERS: 4/5

ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 4/5

“Moongphali is just like the enriching peanuts we all love. Open it to savor heart-warming children’s stories – for one and all.” – Blurb

Having recently read Ambushed by Nayanika Mahtani, I decided that I will start reading more books in children’s fiction category. Soon to follow was The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling and now recently I got the opportunity to read Moongphali.

Moongphali is a collection of stories for children, some of which are written by Neha Singh and some by Mukesh Chhabra. What sets this book apart from the recent children’s books that I have read is that the characters and stories are based on India and hence will easily resonate with our young Indian readers.

The stories are set in different parts of India and have different themes also. They all have an underlying moral lesson to be learned but at the same time, they promise a good mix of fun and entertainment too. This rare combination is what made me like the book.

The book is illustrated beautifully and is quite colorful too – an ideal thing for a children’s book. Moongphali is a collection of 8 stories and at the end of each story, there is an activity listed for the kids to do and learn.

My favorite stories amongst the lot were The Mysterious Stones of Hanur and The Watermelon God. While there was an important lesson to be learned from The Mysterious Stones of Hanur, there was an undeniable essence of the characteristic childlike fun in The Watermelon God.

The book is all of 152 pages but since the font size is adequately adjusted to a child’s liking, reading the book will be a cakewalk. In terms of the language and the length of the stories too, the book is what we call “an easy read”.

Overall, Moongphali is a delightfully sweet read and is a perfect book for children between ages 7 to 10 years. I will hence recommend the book, Moongphali to all kids in given age bracket.

Can’t wait to read it? Buy your copy from the link below!