All the book reviews that I have done so far have always been either fiction stories or series. Today however, I am going to review a book of poems - Tickle Me, Don’t Tickle Me by Jerry Pinto. This is the first time I’m reading and reviewing a book of poems.
Some of the poems are based on questions asked by little children or habits that children have. What happens to children who dig their noses? What is inside a dark room? What happens if you don’t wash your hands? This is the kind of questions that are asked by little children and elders normally answer them back by giving words of warning. If you eat seeds of apples, you will grow an apple tree inside your stomach. This is what my mother told me. Younger children take these very seriously and hence lose the funny part.
Jerry Pinto answers the question in a light and funny way, which will make people laugh and smile.
There are also some poems that talk about food. There is a poem called Breakfast Rhymes where a speaker decides what he wants for breakfast and in the process, different types of Indian food like Idli, Dosa and Uttapams are mentioned. Even milk and Jilebi for breakfast..(I would love to Jilebi for breakfast)! Finally he settles on kanji to drink, so that he doesn’t feel grungy. Now I know why my mom always gives me kanji in the morning (not that I like it, I’d anyway prefer Jilebi)
My favourite poem is ‘There’s a monster in my Garden’. You would probably expect a monster in a garden, but there isn’t. In the end, it’s about mothers who are the monsters. This is exactly how my mother is at times – a monster. Everyone’s mother is a monster at times, aren’t they?
I can’t imagine my grandmother to be a monster though. She is one of the few.
Short stories are always nice to read but sometimes it gets too long and people want a change. This book of poems has short stories written in the form of poems. Sometimes the author’s words don’t rhyme and sometimes they do. If you keep on adding rhymes on every sentence, it gets too overpowering. He even gives us a formula poem to make your own poem! Isn’t that nice?
Here’s what I made with Jerry Pinto’s formula:
About this wonderful poems book,
It has stories and poems about cook (ing),
The mischievous habits of little kids,
Digging noses and scratching themselves to bits.
Tickle me, don’t tickle me and other poems,
Is a book that has me thinking outside the dome.
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