BALU SAVES THE DAY

The child of an Indian vegetable seller rallies community support when his mother gets sick in this picture book.

Dee introduces readers to big-eyed Balu, who, at age 5, is too young for school and instead visits the market with his mother, Amma, to sell cabbages, eggplants, and beans at her stall. Balu soaks in the smells of turmeric and cumin from other booths. Amma uses the money from her business to buy groceries for dinner. When one day she is too sick to get out of bed, Balu fetches a doctor, who sends the boy to the pharmacy to get a prescription. With no money, Balu pays the pharmacist and physician in vegetables. Then the child goes to the market to sell vegetables alone. Sympathetic vendors gather presents from their stalls so Balu can bring dinner home to his mother—who luckily feels better. In the wake of Covid-19 and its impact on India, this story of health care for working poor people has grim undertones. The cost of the medicine for Amma might have been a steeper barrier if her condition had been worse. But this enjoyable, upbeat tale instead depicts an independent boy whose hard work and concern for his family are rewarded by an understanding community. Kim’s soft watercolors in warm tones render the vivid shades of market vegetables bright and shiny; large, cartoonish heads on the characters lend themselves to vibrant emotional expressions.

An engaging tale about community response that highlights the necessity of global health care.