On the other hand when I see my little one reading stories today at the age of four, I see a clear preference for a particular character ... And that's "a princess" . She does like to read her three little pigs, or gingerbread man or mythological stories on ganesha/Shiva/Krishna, but her likeness is tilted towards the likes of all the stories that invariable have a princess in them.
Her favourites currently are Cinderella , the sleeping beauty and topping the chart is "the princess and the pea". Personally' I fail to understand the whole concept of this funny story. I remember watching an Indian version of this one on DD decades back. I was neither fascinated by it then, nor now. The whole concept of a princess feeling a pea underneath twenty mattresses and twenty featherbeds seemed too far-fetched too me. And it does so till date.
But for vrinda, ending her day, everyday, with this book is a ritual lately. It is her go-to book. It's as if, she won't be able to sleep unless this one is read to her at bedtime. Reading apart, Anuj and I have been experiencing live experiments based on this book in the house. The other day when anuj sat on a particular seat on the the sofa where vrinda usually sits, he felt a lump underneath. On investigation we found out, there was a plastic toy cabbage that was kept under the seating cusion, by none other than our princess, a make-pretend pea under the mattresses... I have also been finding all things green and round, under the mattress of our bed. And every time I have found them, my belief of its effect and importance in vrinda's life currently has strengthened.
It's as if she is the princess, sleeping on the mattress who will be able to feel the pea. Oh my Little girl, pea or no pea you are our princess!! For ever and ever!!!
The picture above is her first imaginary drawing based on the scene from this book, where the princess goes up the ladder and sleeps on the bed made of twenty mattresses and twenty featherbeds while the prince and the old queen look at her from below.
