Review by Erin Wilson
Bokul, a young boy living in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, dreamed of being a photographer like Shanto, a regular customer who visited the tea stall he worked at. Then, his dream came true, Shanto let Bokul borrow his camera. Bokul dreamed of the extra cash he might make by taking tourists’ photos on the beach, but instead his photography took him on an eye opening journey.
Through his wanderings, he saw and heard how the Rohingya refugees have caused changes to his neighborhood. He heard complaints by locals about the Rohingyas getting resources that they felt were more deserving of Bangladeshis. He saw trees cut down for more shelters.
On his next day out taking photographs, he saw some boys, Rohingya refugees, hurting a sea turtle. Upon closer look, Bokul found reassuringly they were rescuing the turtle.
Bokul shared his many adventures and frustrations with his grandmother who reminded him that during the Liberation War, “Overnight, we became refugees. Those were terrible days. But we survived, thanks to the help of strangers.”
Bokul, took action, inspired by her words and instead of looking for money with the photos, printed them and gifted them to his new friends.
I am Bokul is an inspiring picture book that is an example that if one carefully observes and listens, one can do beautiful acts of kindness.
Original Book Info:
Title: I am Bokul
Author: Asma Ul Husna Sanchita
Illustrator: Sayan Mukherjee
ISBN: 978-1-946747-28-0
Publisher: Guba Books
Language: English
Date: 2022
Translation Info
Title: Ami bokul
Author: Asma Ul Husna Sanchita
Illustrator: Sayan Mukherjee
ISBN: 978-1-946747-29-7
Publisher: Guba Books
Language: Bengali
Date: 2022
Author Bio:
Sanchita is a creative writer, a cartoonist and a teacher from Dhaka, Bangladesh. As a cartoonist, a few of her cartoons have been exhibited in competitions held by ‘Unmad’ and ‘Bangladesh Cartoon Association’. She is also the author of two illustrated children’s stories in Let’s Read Asia of The Asia Foundation. Sanchita’s purpose in life is to make this world a little bit better for the next generation through her stories.
www.facebook.com/asma.husnasanchita
Illustrator Bio:
Sayan Mukherjee is a story illustrator, character designer, lifestyle and mural artist born and raised in India. After spending several years working within the advertising world, Sayan went into his solo career pursuing his passion for illustration and storytelling. Sayan likes to preserve all the good memories in his sketchbooks. He always carries his sketchbook when he travels and captures moments with his brush strokes.
https://www.sayanart.net/about
Reviewer Bio:
Erin Wilson currently works as a Teacher Librarian in Dhaka, Bangladesh and has worked internationally for 10 years in the following countries; China, India, and now Bangladesh. She has vast experience working in diverse cultures from Native American students to inner-city students and the international community. Her other passion lies in studying Asian dances. Currently she is focused on Odissi classical dance, and uses this dance vocabulary for storytelling in the library to actively engage children. It’s never boring in the library. Follow the International School Dhaka Instagram @ isd_library
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