Honk Honk, Beep Beep, Putter Putt! by Rukhsana Khan illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat
This adorable 32 page book is noisy and colorful and forces you to smile. Granted I had dreams as a child of being a rickshaw driver, and even as a teen my father tried to arrange for me to take one for a spin early one hot Karachi morning, but alas, my dreams never came to fruition. Cue the power of books, to take you right back to those busy streets, boisterous noises, colorful vehicles, and happy memories. Even if you have never ridden in a rickshaw, or heard of one, this book is a fun adventure for toddlers and up as they catch a ride with Ibraheem, his Baba, his cat Mitu, and learn the language of the road and how to make room for everyone. “Big and small, short and tall, everyone shares the road.” The book is by a Muslim author, and their are visible Muslim women with their heads covered in the illustrations. There is nothing religion, country, or city specific in the text.
The book starts with Ibraheem and Mitu joining Baba on an important mission. Baba is a rickshaw driver and he reminds Ibraheem that everyone has to share the road. With his little rickshaw going “putter put,” the trio are off. With a “beep, beep” Baba tries to turn, but a little car responds, “honk, honk,” and in a hurry speeds ahead.
Up hills and down, a big colorful bus joins the road with a “toot, toot” as they go over the bridge, under the bridge, through a cricket game, all sharing the road. A big truck joins the fun with a “rumble, rumble” and it isn’t long before they all come to a screeching halt.
“Big and small, short and tall, everyone shares the road,” really means everyone as the mission is completed.
The backmatter is an author’s note about her experiences of vehicles “talking” to each other. The book comes out in September and is available for preorder/order, here,
