The Why-Why Girl by Mahasweta Devi, Illustrated by Kanyika Kini
The Why-Why Girl is a story of a 10-year-old girl Moyna, who is very inquisitive about everything around her. Moyna lives in a little tribal village. She cannot go to school because she must tend the goats, collect the firewood, fetch the water… But she is always asking questions about everything, that everyone calls her Why-Why Girl. In this story the author has shared her personal experience with the protagonist, and she tells her how reading books may have the answers to all her Whys! The fact that the why-why girl goes on to become a teacher at the local school in her tribal village speaks volumes about the positive impact and the power of curiosity!
This book touches on gender issues and women empowerment and has also been translated into many languages like Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, etc.
Tags: gender issues, inquirer, curiosity, empowerment, tribe, personal experience, read aloud story book
Reviewed by Deepti Arora
