Mina Vs the Monsoon is a picturebook written by Rukhsanna Guidroz , and illustrated by Debasmita Dasgupta. Mina loves to play soccer all year round. Nothing comes close to it. But when the monsoon arrives, Mina is stuck indoors and she can’t help feeling restless and bored. Her ammi doesn’t understand. The doodhwalla doesn’t understand. Soccer-mad Mina tries just about any trick to stop the monsoon clouds from raining on her game. In doing so, she shows us glimpses of her life in a village in eastern India, highlighting the important role played by monsoon rains in this part of the world. The heart of the story, however, is the bond forged between a mother and her daughter on a gray, gloomy day. Soccer will never be the same again for Mina!
Mina Vs the Monsoon is a lovely book that works on a couple of levels. Every child has been unable to do something they want because of the weather. Be it monsoons, hurricanes, blizzards, scorching heat or arctic blasts. This is something we can all relate to and sympathize with Mina as she tries everything she can think of to play. I think the mom reacts like many moms, starting with explaining why, to redirecting, and commiserating. I loved seeing the pair connect, and really found the story lovely.
I also liked that I got to learn more about a part of the world, language, and culture I do not know nearly enough about. I know I want to take more time to explore the cultures around the world, but getting little glimpses like this inspires me to be more expansive and intensive with that goal. I love learning about places I have never seen, cultures, and folklore that is new to me. I need to infuse even more diverse books into my to be read pile, and get going on them. Hopefully, reading books like this will inspire others to do the same.
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