My Facebook Friends

Pictures and Story : Kavita Singh Kale 
Publisher: Tulika
 
I am a person who is relatively new to Facebook. My husband would be among the few without any presence on any social networking forums. We have a lot of friends who we prefer to meet up in person.We certainly do not want our children  to be on FB till they are mature and understand the problems it may bring with it.


So when I heard of a children's book with the name "My Facebook friends", I was a bit hesitant, skeptical even.

However, given Kavita's wonderful style of illustration and this being a graphic novel kind of book, I anyway bought it.

And when I read it, I realized that my concern was unfounded.

Here is a book that holds good in today's multi cultural environ. It is about friendships and interaction, learning from differences and certainly not glorifying just online interaction.

My Facebook Friends, colourfully maps ten diverse stories from all over the world – India, US, Nepal, Korea, Kenya, Spain, and more. You meet a young monk who likes playing football, a professor who has been studying earthworms for 40 years, all with a friend in common- Kavita.

The four page comic strip format, for each friend, works well- it is precise without being inadequate and captures the location, the history, the daily routine and the connect back to Kavita and concludes with a keepsake which offers a closer glimpse into the local culture.

A good amount of research has gone into the city the friend hails from and their culture and routine. Hence the stories ring very authentic.

The book won the Darsana National Award for Best Children's Book at the 29th Kottayam Darsana International Book Fair 2013