Young Rangers by Sunjoy Monga, has it going. The book has a story running through it, a class with its teachers going on project trips to discover the different facets of environment. A few parents are roped in alongwith experts. They begin with exploring the river Mithi, a journey from its source t
o its mouth. They discover the beauty of the river as well as the negative qualities, which are unfortunately man-made. This is followed by a forest walk where they discover not only jungle life but contribute in hauling the litter and junk left by trippers to the forest.
An informative glossary follows these stories, highlighting and explaining technical terms. So we get to know the meaning and etymology of “Ecology” what exactly is conservation, “Territory” “abiotic” and other words that had one flummoxed. What is unique about this is the explanations are not one-liners, but well defined.
Collector’s item
The “My Ranger Page” gives tips and instruction on what you can do, for example, how to reduce, recycle and reuse, how to differentiate between luxuries and necessities, are some of them. They also throw questions at you, so that you can think for yourself certain issues, some bringing out uncomfortable truths about your contribution to environment care, if you are honest with yourself.
More stories follow and the students become aware of urbanisation, soil and water. More glossaries, “A look at” pages and “My Ranger Pages” depict the complexities and intricacies of the topics. What makes it a fascinating read are the umpteen pictures, illustrations, paintings by children, charts, tables, cartoons and a centrefold that throws open the biodiversity of India. The book hosts 150 pages and 300 illustrations!
YOUNG RANGERS by Sunjoy Monga,
Rs. 350
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