Bye, Bye Motabhai!

2013, Yali Books; 2014 South Asia Book Award Honor Book

"Pavan Putra Ram Kishen Oont was a large, lumpy, yellow-brown camel. He was born in the old city of Ahmedabad, a crowded, busy town in India. Even as a young calf, Pavan could run as fast as the dusty desert winds that blew across the city. Seeing this, his proud mama had named him Pavan Putra, son of the Wind."

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Kala Sambasivan & Ambika Sambasivan

The Sambasivans, a mother and daughter team, established Yali Books as an independent publisher to "reflect and validate the experiences of people of color, particularly those of South Asian descent, through relatable and inspiring stories based on their lives."  Bye, Bye, Motabhai! was Yali Books first book.

Kala Sambasivan, in addition to writing children's stories, teaches English and writes for the Young World, The Hindu and the school edition of Deccan Herald. Ambika Sambasivan is an "illustrator-by-accident" who works in cut-paper collage, pen and ink and throws in a dash of Copic coloring.

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Book Synopsis

A camel who dreams of racing in the far away city of Dubai argues with his master, causes a traffic jam, runs away with school children, makes a friend in Donkey, and joins a wedding procession -- all in a single day!

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Picture book, 42 pages. The story of an over-worked, irritable camel who dreams of racing in Dubai.

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Learning Options

Family Read Aloud Time
Pavan Putra is my new favorite storybook animal!  Children will laugh at his antics, all the while understanding his dreams and frustrations.

Classroom Resource
Yali Books offers some wonderful Educator Guides; unfortunately, there is not one for Bye, Bye, Motabhai! But the others will give you great ideas for how to use this book in the classroom.

Learning at Home
If you are learning about India or Hindu at home, Bye, Bye, Motabhai! is an excellent read aloud accompaniment. The Hindi and Gujarati vocabulary, as well as all the historical monuments Puvan Putra and Donkey race past will give relevant touch points to the lessons.

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