Meet Moyna, a delightful 10-year-old with sparkling eyes, endless energy and insatiable curiosity. She is the protagonist of Mahashweta Devi’s lovely short story about the landless Shabar tribals. Little Moyna tends the goats of the village landlords and helps her mother with heavy housework.
But Moyna is not crushed by these circumstances. Instead, she constantly demands answers to her questions. “But why?” she asks, “Why shouldn’t I catch a cobra?” or “Why do we live in a leaf hut?” or “Why can’t fish speak?” or “Why shouldn’t I study too?”
Mahashweta Devi is one of India’s foremost writers and has worked with the tribals of Bengal, Jharkahand and Gujarat. Her affection for this why-why girl, who grew up to become the village teacher, is apparent in every line. And the story about this inquisitive child will touch a chord with—and open the eyes of—children who have grown up in a very different world.
Comments
A classic in tbe making!
This is a wonderful book -- stunning pictures, a unique and lovable heroine, and a story that goes straight to the heart. Its portrayal of tribal life will open new dimensions in the world of the average young reader.
Review of the book
Hello friends, my name is Radhika and I’m going to tell you why I liked a book called The Why-Why Girl.
So I like it because the why-why girl always asked questions just like me. Her name was Moyna. She was
10 years old.
I liked the fact that she asked questions like:
- Why can’t fish speak?
- Why do stars look so small if many of them are bigger than the sun?
- And, why do you read books before you go to sleep?
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and even the illustrations were very good and so was the
language.
By Radhika Jain
Age 7+
Review submitted for LRSI - '14
THIS BOOK IS ABOUT A SHABAR A GIRL NAMED MOYNA. MOYNA WHO LIVES IN VILLAGE WITH HER MOTHER AND SHE HELPES HER IN HER WORK.
MOYNA ALWAYS ASKS “WHY” BEFORE DOING ANY WORK , HER QUESTION IS ALWAYS ABOUT WHAT WILL SHE DO, WHY WILL SHE DO THAT WORK. BUT THE QUESTION SHE ASKS , THE ANSWERS WERE UNKNOWN TO HER . THAT IS WHY SHE ASKED HER DOUBTFUL QUESTIONS TO EVERYONE IN HER VILLAGE. SHE HAD A THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE , WHICH IMPRESSED ME A LOT. BUT WHEN SHE GOT CHANCE TO LEARN, SHE LEARNED AND ALSO CAME TO KNOW HER QUESTION’S ANSWERS. I
FOUND MOYNA AN EXTRAORDINARY GIRL , BECAUSE SHE IS NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS IN THE VILLAGE . MOYNA ASKS QUESTIONS REGARDING HER WORK WHEREAS OTHER GIRLS IN THE VILLAGE BLINDLY DO THE WORK THEY ARE ORDERED TO DO .
I LIKED THE BOOK ,BECAUSE IT TOOK ME IN A JOURNEY WITH A YOUNG GIRL AND HER THIRST OF KNOWLEDGE.
Debanjana
Class 7A
Arya Vidya Mandir (E)
Mumbai
Review submitted for LRSI - '14
This story is about a girl name Moina who asks a lot of question (WHY ?) . She is a 10 year old girl with pigtails who lives in the Samiti with her mother ( khiri ) and worked for Babus who was neither humble nor grateful to her employees. Moina was a Sabar , and the Sabars were poor and landless.
Esha Tushar Apahale
Std 6 C
Arya Vidya MAndir
Bandra (W)
Mumbai