[Nesacat]

Wingless: A Fairly Wierd Fairy Tale by Paro Anand. With equally wierd illustrations by Atanu Roy.

So, Chutki isn't born perfect.

She's born wingless. So what ... you may ask. So are most of us. Well, she's a princess, the much-awaited baby of the King and Queen of the Heavens, so it's a BIG so what!.

Rejected by the un-angelic angels up there, her parents smuggle her out of Heaven. Now begins the journey to Earth and the many adventures to find her a new, loving home of not too much and not too little.

As Chutki grows up does she find out what het true origins are? Does she get rejected from where she belongs and accepted where she doesn't?

The illustrations are quirky and very whimsical. It's all in black and white and every living thing right down to the tiniest mouse has a pair of wings. Except this baby princess whose back is absolutely bare.

The tale also manages to look at several social issues. When the King and Queen set out they mean to find a rich lavish home for their daughter and then they see that the rich home are not necessarily loving homes. The find homes where daughters are a burden and unloved.

We see angels turn into demons wanting to kill the child; not listening to the voice of reason but allowing themselves to be goaded into anger by one with an ulterior motive. And you have people who manage to find a place for themselves in the world, quirky though they may be.

It's a simple yet complex book and it tells us that we can all fly without wings. I love the illustrations. They are complex and detailed and he never forgets the wings.