Brachio Book Review - A Towering Tale

Brachio is a sweet story of a tall boy trying to come to terms with being a standout in his village due to his towering height. The author Venkataraghavan draws upon his own experience, opening his story on the inane query he himself may have often faced - How come he's so tall? Brachio’s responses are a delight to read.

Just as Brachio is begun to enjoy standing out, literally because it makes him useful around his village, he finds himself displaced by a household item that villagers buy due to a sales lady's slick pitch. His height taken out of the useful index, Brachio feels unwanted. However, Brachio's height becomes a talking point, and he soon finds himself in demand in a new calling. But it doesn’t pan out in quite the way he expected, and it all ends rather badly for him. How he manages to escape and find his way back to the village to a happy ending forms the rest of this short story in a "tall" book.

The prose is simple and I quite loved the quirky turn of the sales lady queering the pitch for Brachio. I had hoped the same tone of whimsy had continued but the second part takes a somewhat prosaic route and a dark turn before steadying its ship so to speak. There is a bit of the hero's journey in the story arc. But I do wonder if the story would have been served better without necessarily asserting a sense of the heroic in its end. I say this because at its heart the author is questioning the tendency of society to treat anyone with an unusual physical feature, in this case Brachio’s height, as something to be gawked at and questioned. Be that as it may, it was very satisfying to read how Brachio makes waves in his village and renders it proud by literally acting like a beacon.

What I really liked in this story was the unexpected depth it contains, especially in the scenes of Brachio and Yoyo as they travel together. Unexpected because the prose retains its simple cadence and yet manages to encompass in a few lines a lot about friendship and what having a companion means. It's the best part of the book and worth repeat readings just for that.

The artwork, especially the image of Brachio, is brilliantly rendered by Ananya Broker Parekh. The palette of colours used is pleasing and not cluttered. At the same time, it's interesting to see how, matching the story, Brachio and the general populace are depicted without making them specific to any locus. 

I do feel though that while the book, in resonance with Brachio’s height, takes the form of a "tall", slim book with a pullout, much more could have been played around with in its design. For instance, a multi-fold pullout where Brachio is in a confined space to show how restrictive it would have been for him.

Brachio is a must-read book. Do get a copy. You can find it at Kahani Tree in Mumbai. And if you're lucky, you can get an author-signed one! And if you want to see how Venkatraghavan can bring joy to classrooms, look at his session at Kahani Tree in this reel. 

Schools and educators wanting to discuss how to colour outside the lines and open up conversations on themes of acceptance and self-worth, please invite Venkataraghavan and Parekh to talks and art sessions. It’s height time!

Cost: INR 599

Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books India