Kempi The Cow
MY THOUGHTS
One sight every Indian is familiar with is a traffic jam caused by a cow in the middle of the road. It doesn’t matter if you are Gen Z, Millennial, Boomer, or Gen Alpha– we are all familiar with cows taking up space on a road, while cars, bikes, and buses honk incessantly. Have we ever looked at the situation from the cow’s perspective?
This book, Kempi The Cow, does exactly that!
Kempi, an adorable red cow with two budding horns, wants to take a break from roaming around the market and the temple to go someplace new. She ambles onto a busy street and takes in all the sights and sounds. There are shops and lots of people moving from one place to another in vehicles. Suddenly, it gets very loud. Kempi can hear horns honking and people shouting, and she has no idea why! She begins to get flustered when she realises they are looking at her and screaming. She can see the traffic police whistling at her to move, but she remains rooted in fear. People she recognises are also moving close to her to shoo her away. The situation gets too overwhelming for her until Puttu, a young boy, lures her away with a banana and her favourite green chickpeas.
This is an adorable picture book that shows how overwhelmed animals can get by all the noises humans make. Kempi was innocently exploring a new street and had no idea she would cause a traffic jam. She wants to move, but the situation causes her to freeze until a kind, familiar face leads her out of the crowd. This is an incredible way to talk to children about empathy and kindness for animals. It is also a relatable book because it shows children exactly what we witness out on the streets of India. Illustrator Poorti Bapat covers the pages in Kempi reds and blues, recreating the colourful chaos that is a busy Indian street! I loved Kempi’s smile on the last page as she swishes her tail to thank Puttu for helping her, in that adorable way animals do. Author Anupama Benachinamaradi has written a book rooted in India and a book that will resonate with parents as well as their children.
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