Guthli Has Wings
MY THOUGHTS
My favourite thing about picture books is the vast age group they cater to. As a child you can look through the beautiful illustrations, an early reader can learn to read the easy text, a middle grader can understand the story, and an advanced reader or even an adult can understand the nuances and look beyond the story. Guthli has Wings is one such book.
Guthli is a playful child who loves her cycle, likes the swings, and spends hours in nature. She was loved by all and her mother would call her Sonchiriya or golden bird. On Diwali when her parents handed new clothes for everyone in the family, she looks longingly at her older sister’s outfit. She doesn’t like what her parents have got for her and wears her sister’s frilly frock. She is so excited but her family is aghast! That’s when, we as readers, realise that Guthli is a boy.
How do you talk to a child about gender nonconformity without all the jargon? This is a beautifully told story that introduces the reader to a child in the way that they see themselves. It is only through the second half of the story that we see who the child was born as and the confusion in the family that stems from an innocent act of the child. Kanak Shashi’s story is told with compassion and empathy that an adult reader is able to find language to discuss the story with a child. There are no solutions offered instead we see a family trying to understand and help their child as they struggle with gender nonconformity. We see a child trying to deal with a gender they are born with even as they identify with the opposite sex and feel the struggle and the pain as they grapple with the confusion.
“But I want to be a fairy! And why do you keep saying I’m a boy when I’m a girl?”
The story features Diwali and related rituals of wearing new clothes that is deeply rooted in the Indian context and relatable to Indian readers. Her style of flat, cut out illustrations doesn’t highlight the gender of the child and adds to the quiet confusion the family feels.
This is an example of a beautifully nuanced picture book that will help parents have seemingly difficult conversations with their children. I especially love the end of the book where Guthli is happy and celebrating her new dress satisfied with her small win and hopeful of change in the future.
If you think your child would enjoy this book, you can buy it here →
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