WAY TO GO, ROVER
written and illustrated by Sakuntala Sachithanandan – 2023.…
Book review by Chandrika Gadiewasam
Rover arrives at Gamini's house unexpectedly, bundled out of a bag – much to innocent Gamini's delight but to the intense annoyance of granny Siriyawathie. He is a very small puppy ,found on the street by an uncle.
He is very small, lonely and terrified and he pees uncontrollably when he gets scared which is quite often…Many things scare him including the huge angry broom-wielding Siriyawathie. Sriyawathie thinks Rover is a filthy cur because - simply because he is a dog and she did not wish to spend her valuable time on looking after dogs. True enough, somehow, her grandson has brought him to stay, but she mistreats him, screams continuously at him and generally starves him.
Quoting Zelda, the clever lizard watching it all from next door and creeping over to Gamini's garden now and then, "she absolutely hates anything that walks on four legs or more, or flies. Most of all, a doggy who wags his tail, rolls on his back and grins".
Though he has been rescued from certain starvation and/or being crushed under a vehicle in the cruel world, sometimes Rover's home life seems worse than death. Rover is a baby after all and only wants some love and freedom to run and play and may be an old shoe to chew on because he is teething. But he's left locked up all day in a small wooden prison in his own pee.
In the next door garden, Zelda the lizard , a kingfisher, Pilihudda and the next door pets, four doggies and plump pampered feline Chickadee, discuss his existence sadly and hope that things will improve for him.
When I got my hands on this book the first thing that impressed me was the collection of attractive watercolor sketches by the author, then the simple refreshing writing style which was a delight for the adult reader too. But this book isn't just a story or cartoon, it has a much, much deeper message and I for one do hope that this will find its way to being translated into SInhala to reach as many children as possible!
Life isn't a bed of roses, as even children have to understand. In Way to Go, Rover, author and animal welfare activist Sakuntala Sachithanandan is speaking with great sensitivity of the common fate of thousands of innocent puppies in Sri Lanka, where people often do not spay their animals due to religious reasons but are happy to abandon the litters on the road to die starving, be eaten by predators or be mangled by speeding vehicles. The book is released in an era where animal cruelty has reached hitherto unheard of heights. With her detailed, sensitive and occasionally humorous commentary on Rover's life through the eyes of two garden creatures, Zelda and the king fisher Pilihudda, Sakuntala hopes to instil love and concern for animals among the younger generation, and unlikely though it is in the real world, show how at least Rover can escape his sad destiny.
Based on a hundred and one true stories, Way to Go Rover is a children's book, but it should definitely be read by adults too. Not just to take you back to easy going narrative and attractive illustrations - but because it gives a very human and empathetic look into the life of a living, breathing little being, man's Best Friend, who would otherwise have been overlooked. Though Sakuntala has targeted children and therefore tried to keep the narrative light and humorous in the dialogue among the other garden animals, if one reads between the lines, the suffering of Rover is quite difficult to bear. The reader hopes desperately that something will change, and Rover will somehow find safety and love. Will he prevail and will he be able to run free at last? Children and adults will want to read this story to the end to find out!
A lawyer by profession, Sakuntala is also a poet and artist and WAY TO GO, ROVER includes her delightful watercolour illustrations which are a treat to the eye.
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