The Day the Vegetables Came to School

 The Day the Vegetables Came to School is a book written by Venkatramana Gowda and illustrated by Padmanabh. It was published in 2004. This book would be ideal for young readers, since it is a short story recounted in very simple language.

The protagonist of the story is a young boy named Raju. One morning, as Raju is heading to school as usual, he is confronted with a very peculiar sight: a group of vegetables, of all colors, shapes and sizes are marching towards school like little soldiers.
Raju tries to catch up with them in order to take a closer look. Eventually, Raju joins the vegetable parade and he is very proud
to be the first student who has gone to school followed by a procession of vegetables. When the teacher sees them, she also congratulates Raju on this feat, patting him on the back. As the teacher leaves, Raju continues to feel a pat on the back. Raju opens his eyes and sees his mother, who is shaking him awake. His vegetable parade was just a dream.

 

 

Gowda's book is a fantasy picture book, since the story mainly focuses on the fantastical events that take place within Raju's dream. The book contains characters, that could not exist in the real world, i.e vegetables which move and communicate like human beings. The fantasy is believable within the context of the story.Gowda initially sets his story in a fantasy world and ends it in a fictional real world, after Raju's dream comes to an end.

 I would not say that the characters in this story are multidimensional. Everything in Gowda's story from the characters, to the plot, to the writing style, are rather uncomplicated, since this is a book for very young readers.

The illustrations are cartoonish and comical and would definitely appeal to young children. Padmanabh uses strong lines, vivid colors and somewhat abstract, irregular shapes which reflect Raju's childish imagination. All the vegetables are depicted as having smiling faces, and I believe children would love that.



 

 

After having my students read this book, I would ask them to draw a picture of their favorite vegetable. Another motivational activity would be to ask the student to write their own short story which would begin in a similar way to Raju's story:" One morning, as I was on my way to school, I was amazed to see..."

I would also pose the following questions:

1)What happened in this story, that could not happen in real life?

2)Do you recognize the vegetables depicted in the book?What are their names?

3)Do you think there might be a reason that Raju had this particular dream? What might that be?



This would be a good book to use for teaching young readers. It does not really explore any profound themes, but it could inspire a discussion about vegetables and plants, the natural environment, as well as a discussion about dreams.
I found it entertaining and I think that children would find the idea of vegetables going to school very amusing.



Venkatramana Gowda is an Indian author. Other works include:


Grandpa Fish and the Radio(2004)

The Generous Crow(2005)


Padmanabh is an Indian illustrator. Other works include:


The Sparrow and the Fruit (2004)

The Generous Crow (2005)

References:

Galda, C. &. (2011). Literature and the Child Seventh Edition
Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing .

Gowda, Venkatramana.(2004). The Day the Vegetables Came to School.  New Delhi:Pratham Books.