Rickshaw Girl is a fictional story written by Mitali Perkins. The story takes place in a village of Bangladesh. The main character is Naima, a young girl who is skilled in painting alpanas. She lives with her mother, father, and younger sister. Unluckily, their family does not have so much money and females aren't allowed to work outside. When Naima accidentally breaks her family's rickshaw by attempting to learn to drive it, she feels very guilty and becomes strong-minded to gather money to help her family at that moment. She costumes herself like a boy and goes to find a job painting rickshaws to help her family make a living. In a turn of actions the shop owner ends up also being a woman and she teachers Naima that the times are changing and girls can earn money too.
"Rickshaw Girl" is less a novel than a novella. This book teaches many lessons to the readers mind. It establishes Bengali culture, teaches gender equality and there is a morality message that says you should try to cover your mistakes like Naima.
Mitali Perkins tells her deep understanding as an Indian woman, and writes the story in a way where people from her culture represent "good" typescripts, and there are no negative stereotypes. I think she highlights the self-confidence and fulfill efforts of a young girl who leads her family later by overcoming her troubles and situation with diligence.
It does not just represent a fighting spirit of a young girl, but it also tells a tale of a nation's culture. The whole story features a charismatic plot, with an interesting resolution. The book is so pretty because of its unique black and white art. Furthermore, the illustrations are beautiful, and help to keep the child's attention.The book was chosen by New York Public Library as one of the 100 best children's books of the last 100 years. The good news is renowned filmmaker Amitabh Reza Chowdhury will adapt this story for his upcoming film 'Rickshaw Girl'.I think the book is a mirror of women empowerment that can create social awareness. I would fully recommend the book for children above 6 years old. The book is available in Amazon and Google Play.

Nasimul Islam is University Correspondent, Eduvista,
The Daily Observer

Less a novel than an inspiring novella