Farmer Falgu Goes Kite Flying

The vibrant illustrations, full of colour and life, offer the reader a glimpse of the everyday life of those who live in India. The simple plots offer lots of opportunities for joining in and for adding musical accompaniments whilst showing us the best qualities of this gentle man... [I] really look forward to seeing where Farmer Falgu’s adventures will take him next! ~North Somerset Teachers' Book Award

"I love the simple story, told in simple declarative sentences, enhanced with onomatopoeia and typeface in different colors and designs. The deeply colored illustrations are bold and vivid, outlined in brown and evoke the warmth and color of India." ~Youth Services Book Review

"Soundar’s straightforward narrative and Nair’s bright, cheerful illustrations are accompanied by artful typography that conveys emotions and movement. A note about the International Kite Festival in Rajasthan, India, at the end of the book will provide readers with context for this story.

Captures the spirit and vibrancy of this fun North Indian festival." ~Kirkus Reviews

"Chitra Sounder’s narrative about a kite being carried away by the wind, delightfully complimented by Kanika Nair’s striking illustrations, make Farmer Falgu Goes Kite Flying quite an engaging read for young minds. The story is set in rural India, with Falgu, a farmer and his daughter Eila heading to the fair to fly the colorful kites. They are joined by Ahmed Chacha, Pushpa Didi and her parrot en route their journey. The plot is simple, with the raging wind playing antagonist, bringing tears to Eila’s eyes, blowing away her kites. The calm and composed Farmer Falgu comes to her rescue, figuring out a way to fly kites anyway.
Apart from the vibrant depictions capturing smiles, tears and fears alike, it is the attention to small detail that truly captivates the reader. Case in point, the usage of different colors to associate with different characters – orange for Ahmed, pink for Pushpa- facilitates the young reader to associate dialogues effortlessly. The artful formatting of words, be it font type, color or size proves highly successful in conveying sentiments of characters and the physical movement required for a situation."