As kids, most activities we indulged in were incomplete. We fell asleep even before the bedtime story narrated by our grandparents ended. We got bored of the drawing and coloured only the horn and half the body of a unicorn. We jumped off our seats to play with our neighbour without completing the meals. As kids, most of our beginnings had no ends. But we learnt a habit, a skill and sometimes, even built a bond in each of those unfinished moments.
Growing up, we understood that stories could be imagined and reimagined beyond their final words, and that art did not always have to be perfect and meaningful to be expressive. The bonds we made, included moments that seemed ordinary then, but feel sacred now — like grandparents guiding us through childhood and, in turn, grandchildren teaching them the art of seeing the world anew.
Cheryl Rao’s latest book, It Started With A Yawn (Daffodil Lane Books; `299) highlights this bond of a grandparent and a grandchild. Cheryl penned this picture book underlining the nuances of this relationship — the care, the worry and the solace in their presence.
While the story is inspired from your father’s sneezes, is there a personal connection, maybe you bond with your grandfather, to the story?
Yes, the Grandpa in our family was the kind who created adventures and stories out of nothing every day. It was a wonderful experience for his children and even more so for his grandchildren because they escaped the disciplinarian in him.
A yawn is such an ordinary gesture — what made you choose it as the focal point, and how did it evolve into a story?
I wanted the story to start calmly, quietly — and then build momentum until the earth-shattering finale, and I felt a yawn was slow enough and sleepy enough — and common enough — to get the ball rolling.
Do you have a favourite line from the book?
I think I like these lines best:
I tried my best to make him stop:
Poured salt into his tea,
Massaged his head with olive oil, Put butter on his knee.
The reason I like these lines is because they show the special relationship between a grandparent and a grandchild, where there is so much leeway for the child, so many liberties that are enjoyed, so many chances to behave a bit absurd and get away with it!
If the book had a soundtrack, what kind of music would it include?
At the beginning, something slow, maybe a bit staccato, but not morose; then light and happy when the child is trying to make his grandfather laugh; finally the banging of drums, the clashing of cymbals — and tinkling laughter to end it all!
The story moves from the waking, noisy world into the quiet of sleep, almost like a lullaby. Did you envision this book to be read during bedtime?
Everyone has different bedtime routines and this book was envisioned for waking time, break time, bedtime, fun time, anytime. So, it may work for some at bedtime but more importantly, I would like it to be a story that is picked up often and enjoyed thoroughly every time it is read.
Moreover, Daffodil Lane Books commissioned the illustrations, which were done by Shubhshree Mathur. Shubhshree’s illustrations give a fun dimension to the story and were her vision of what happens. I think readers will relate to that and enjoy the experience as it unfolds.
What emotions did you want to evoke in young readers by the final page?
The story is a little everyday adventure that could happen in any home and hopefully it will evoke a feeling of familiarity in young readers and the thought, ‘This could happen to me with my Grandpa.’ Because, even if exactly the same thing does not happen, something very similar could — and probably does on a more or less daily basis. Everyday life can be full of adventures and wonder amid the problems and search for solutions, isn’t it?
Through this story, did you want intergenerational love or beyond?
This book is about the bond between a child and a grandparent and hopefully, it will help grandchildren to cherish their grandparents as much as grandparents cherish them — and also understand and value how important and central grandparents are to the family structure.
For me, the central message for all readers is just love, concern, care — not only for a grandparent who forms an important part of the family and is so special for a grandchild, but for everyone.