Petu Pumpkin – Arundhati Venkatesh

The Petu Pumpkin series by Arundhati Venkatesh has two books, in which figure Pushkin Ramadoss aka “Petu Pumpkin” and his friends Jatin, Kiran, Nitin and Sachin.

1. Petu Pumpkin Tooth Troubles

The latest tale of Pushkin and his friends is centered around Pushkin’s tooth. Pushkin is a student of class three. The third graders want to contest the fourth graders in a football match and they badly need a football to practise. Pushkin’s friends form the Gap Club which consists of members who have lost atleast one tooth. Pushkin wants to join the club and eagerly awaits the fall of a dangling tooth.

After the tooth falls, he writes a detailed letter to the tooth fairy wanting a red football as a gift for the fallen tooth. The tooth fairy replies that a football requires two teeth in exchange. Meanwhile, Pushkin has an episode with Daniel sir’s fierce dogs Raja and Caesar, thanks to his missing tooth.

Eventually, does the second tooth fall? Do they get a football to practise? Are they able to practise in time for the match? What happens in the match?

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1. The idea of forming a club with a missing tooth as eligibility is interesting.
2. Memories came rushing into my mind on seeing the address that the children write – Salgaum City, India, Asia, Earth, Solar System, Milky Way, Universe. Haven’t we all done this? In fact, all the letters that they write to the tooth fairy make interesting reading, reflective of how children of that age think..
3. Shilpa Ranade’s enthralling illustrations complement the story perfectly well.

For a quick light read.
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2. Petu Pumpkin Tiffin Thief

Gluttonous in nature, and rounded in structure, Pushkin Ramadoss carries a variety of snacks and eats through his classes. His friends are Kiran (a studious boy), Jatin (who always gets his spellings wrong), Nitin and Sachin. Sarita Ma’m is their class teacher.This year, they have a baffling problem. Inspite of the numerous boxes of food that Pushkin carries, he gorges into his friends’ lunch boxes as well, leaving them starved. His friends form a secret society with passwords and badges to solve this problem.

They try different ideas like the magic potion and the superglue, all in vain. Eventually, they prepare a feast for Pushkin that solves their problem.

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1. Shilpa Ranade’s illustrations are alluring. I particularly like the clever caricature of Daniel, the Spaniel.

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1. Unbelievable plot, particularly the solution to the problem.

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1. Is it so easy for a food lover like Pushkin to mistake worms as noodles, slush as chocolate milk or the other items of the feast made out of inedible things? While my 2-year old won’t touch a slightly browned dosa, how does an eight-year old taste these items?

Unbelievable.

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1. I am appalled at the nickname of “Petu Pumpkin” for a boy who is gluttonous. This kind of a nickname referring to a child’s physical structure and eating habits, may have been funny a couple of decades back, but today, it is seen as verbal abuse of the child that can cause shame and emotional withdrawal. While children are known to tease each other with nicknames, it is a teacher who gives this name to Pushkin, which is a cause for concern. This could have been avoided.

I bought a copy of Petu Pumpkin Tiffin Thief for the purpose of this review.
A copy of Petu Pumpkin Tooth Troubles was given by the publishers Duckbill books in return for an honest review. Thanks Duckbill books!

You heard our opinion – take them or thrash them, now we’d like to hear yours.

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