Spark conversations on empathy

Books do a great job in giving you a glimpse into the minds of people who aren’t like you.

Many of us look at events unfolding around us with only ourselves in mind. "How will it affect me?" is often the only question we ask. And that's natural. How can we possibly understand what others are going through, unless we stand for a moment in their shoes and try to think like them? And how will we know what they're thinking unless we've interacted closely with them? But whether or not we understand others' perspectives, it is essential to at least know that other perspectives exist!

Movies and books do a great job in creating empathy, in giving you a glimpse into the minds of people who aren't like you. Here are some children's books that gave me the feeling of "I hadn't thought of it that way at all!"

Anand by Rajiv Eipe: This happy picture book is about a man whose job it is to collect garbage. As you read this, suddenly, you're not the person handing over the garbage any more, but the one collecting it — and that's such a revealing perspective!

When Jiya Met Urmila by Shabnam Minwalla: Two very different girls view each other with their own biases. Not only is the story lovely, but it makes kids realise that there can be different kinds of outlook towards life.

Wonder and its sequel Auggie and Me by R J Palacio: These popular books are written with multiple points of view, through which you see people and situations from different eyes, including that of the bully — and you empathise with each one.

Simply Nanju by Zainab Sulaiman: This utterly lovely book gives you an insight into the thoughts that occupy the minds of Nanju and his friends in a school for the differently abled. It throws light on how they navigate their lives around their needs (much of which hadn't crossed my mind at all) even in the midst of their usual shenanigans.

In The Bridge Home by Padma Venkataraman: Reading this, I saw the world through the eyes of children who eke out a living on the streets. Though we theoretically know of the challenges that homeless children face, looking at it from the children's perspective made their struggles all the more real and gut-wrenching.

Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan: Set during WW2, it is the story of three different children with a mysterious connection. One of the children has a sister who joins Hitler Youth. It is rare to read a Nazi point of view in kidlit, especially one that is so revealing; it gave me a better picture of why, wrong though it was, so many people supported Hitler.

The Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage: These delve deep into the minds of negative characters. This helps children become comfortable with the idea that sometimes, a negative action has a specific trigger and doesn't necessarily mean that the person himself is bad.

The world certainly needs more understanding and empathy!

The author got a master’s degree in energy engineering and worked in the IT industry until her daughter dragged out the writer lurking inside her. She has written eight books for children and can be reached at www.shruthi-rao.com

GobbledyBook is a fortnightly column that gives a peek into the wondrous world of children’s books. Hop on! Or as Alice did, plunge into the rabbit hole.