A Roof For Norbu
MY THOUGHTS
A Roof For Norbu takes readers into the heart of Ladakh to explore the life of the elusive Pallas’ cats. These small, private, grey-white cats are found in and around meadows in Ladakh and have been the subject of many studies. They have beautiful, lush fur, a grumpy face, and short, stocky legs. Not much is known about them, and that’s what makes this book so interesting!
On a trip to fetch some atta from the family storeroom, little Otsal, a young Ladakhi boy, discovers three kittens, sleeping, snuggled together on an empty sack. As he peers through the door, he sees the mother, a Pallas’ cat, walking in. He shuts the door and runs back home to tell his family. His brother, Lobzang, a wildlife enthusiast, is intrigued and brings out a telescope to observe them. After days of observation, they take their parents to see the Pallas’ cat, and enlist their help in keeping curious tourists at bay until the kittens are ready to move out.
The book is a fascinating read about the Pallas’ cat, and we learnt so much while reading it. It helped my son go down a rabbit hole trying to find out more about it, and we were excited to read about the recent sighting of the Pallas’ cat in Arunachal Pradesh. The format of the book is interesting because it intersperses the fictional story of Otsal and his family with facts about the Pallas’ cat written to mimic the cat as the narrator. We learn about their habitat, their food habits, their predators and their special facial features. The book helped start some interesting conversations about the intrusion of tourists and how curiosity can be controlled without invading the space of the species.
I would love to know more about the author’s work in this field and read some of her other books set in Ladakh. Labonie Roy brings the Pallas’ Cat alive and paints a picture of Ladakh that is as stark as it is breathtaking. For someone who has never visited those parts, this book was a real eye-opener.
Highly recommend this book for kids interested in wildlife and nature.
