CRAZY CUCKOO – Story , in the previous post and elsewhere on the blog .
This book, targeted for four- to seven-year-olds, is filled with a number of moral messages, including these:
It is not your skin color that counts, but your skills.
Never, ever give up.
Everyone has a unique talent that needs to be developed.
If you do not practice your gifted talent, you will lose it.
Selfish people end up very lonely.
An adopted mother who loves and cares for you is more important than the mother who gives birth to you and then abandons you.
A cage is a cage, even if it is a golden one. Fly free!
Interview of the author SHIPRA SHUKLA by Brian Feinblum of MEDIA CONNECT
1. Shipra, what inspired you to write Crazy Cuckoo?
God inspired me to write ‘Crazy Cuckoo.’ Having said that some characters that inhabit Jungle Land did pop out when I used to tell my children bedtime stories. There was a particularly naughty 🐒 who would take them in a rocket 🚀 to different planets. And some sketchy plot lines were told to sundry people over the years.
2. What happens in the story?
A cuckoo bird with stars in her eyes abandons her baby in a single mom crows’ nest. The crow mom wants her four crow children to become singing stars and hires a frog to teach them. Their caw- caw and the ribbid- ribbid drive the jungle folks nuts and they, in turn, drive them out of the jungle.. But mother crow is not one to give up. The crows do become singing stars but not in the way you would expect ! The prima donna cuckoo is in for a shock too !
3. What’s the book’s message and why is it so important that we teach this to young children?
The message is that it’s not your skin but your skill that is important. The mother crow and her children were able to drive away the pesky rats which plagued the town. For that service they became heroes for the town folks. Later their raucous voices were taped to drive away the pests from the fields.
Children should realize that everyone has a talent that is unique to them . An earthworm only twists and turns but he makes the soil fertile. A tree only stands in one place but who can deny the usefulness of a tree. So, everyone is special. If they don’t believe this, they are welcome to ask their parents!
4. One of the book’s themes centres on adoption. What do we want children to understand in regards to this topic?
A mother who loves you and takes care of you is far more important than one who merely gives birth to you and leaves you.
5. There is a mother-child relationship in the story that is very strong. What really bonds a child and the one who raises him or her?
Love, love and love !
JUNGLE STORIES https://junglestories.blog 