By Erandathie Damunupola

The Postwoman and Other Stories by Priyadarshini is a collection of eight short tales for children. Like  most children’s books this is written in simple language and convey a message. The book also has many simple childlike illustrations. The Author sets the stage for each story with a quotation from a famous author, and each story conveys a message to the reader and tries to instill values in children.  

All the stories are based on simple everyday incidents and experiences. ‘The Postwoman’ is about a small girl- Poovi who impatiently waits for a letter, the reader can feel her anticipation and impatience as the postwoman gets delayed along the way.  In another story Priyadarshini tells us how the children overcome obstacles and decorate a Christmas tree with what they can find. 

Priyadarshini has tried to write from a child’s point of view, the narrative style is simple and straightforward. However I feel the stories focus mainly on plot, and should contained more tangible details, like conversations, descriptions etc. so that children can engage with it more. 

I would like to end with a quotation from her book, which I feel is one of her themes- make do with what you have.

“We stitch together quilts of meaning to keep us warm and safe, with whatever patches of beauty and utility we have on hand”-Anne Lamott.

(Please not that this is a short review as the book is not a literary fiction)