In BAKAASUR – The Ice Cream Maker Monster, an enchanting and elegantly illustrated story, author and artist Deven Jatkar takes inspiration from the Hindu epic the Mahabharata–a classic mythological character–and turns the legend of a man-eating demon into an amusing tale about ice cream.
It’s a swelteringly hot day and it’s also Baba’s birthday. And Baba wants ice cream. This is a request that fills the seven cousins who have been relaxing in the Indian sunshine with horror. Ice cream means dragging out Bakaasur, the name they have given to Baba’s ancient manual ice cream making device. Making ice cream with Bakaasur is like fighting a monster. After heading into town to buy the ingredients, the cousins set about their task. But things don’t quite go to plan. Eventually they surprise Baba with a new all electric ice cream machine which should simplify things no end. But Baba has other ideas.
Jatkar’s exquisitely designed characters, most especially the titular monster, succeed in bringing this fairly simple story to life. The illustrations are witty and beautifully colored with numerous hidden surprises in the background, which warrant revisiting the pages again and again. Set in India, the street scenes are full of wonderful detail showing a rich culture of small, neighborhood shops and street vendors. The pages where the children are piled onto a rickshaw being driven by a bemused, and sweating, bald man are particularly fun. Even the recipe for ice cream, which includes saffron, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg, reveals a vibrant multiculturalism. This is not your standard carton of ready made ice cream that Baba is hankering after.
BAKAASUR – The Ice Cream Maker Monster is a fun picture book that could be read to younger children or simply enjoyed by older readers. Author and artist Deven Jatkar uses a classic character from Hindu mythology as a basis for a contemporary story, introducing elements of Indian culture and family life to all readers.
~Kent Lane for IndieReader
