The Bubble Mystery by Murari Jha

-Hello-

Even though I rarely read literary works for children, somehow I could enjoy the story of The Bubble Mystery by Murari Jha. The description of the story at the beginning is very simple, using vocabulary that is easily understood by children, also accompanied by interesting pictures so that children who hear or read the story can enter and get involved in the situation described by the author.

The story begins with the depiction of a group of adult goats, but among the adult goats there is one goat named Toot-Toot.  At the beginning of this story, I thought that this kid named Toot-Toot was a male goat, but apparently he was described as a female goat as mentioned directly by the author,

“Toot-Toot was very happy. She was going to the pond for the first time. Bath time!” (2/16)

Then, the story continued with the group of goats who had arrived at the pond they used to take a bath in, but for Toot-Toot this  was her first shower. The description of the story in this section could make me confused. How can boys and girls bathe in the same pool without any boundaries? However, it seems that this does not apply to animals, one of them is a goat. Therefore, I consider that it does not need to be explored further, nor does it contain moral values ​​for children. Still in the same part of the story, Toot-Toot is told that she was afraid of water. But in the end she jumped into the water because she saw her herd was already in the water first. In this section, we can teach children to fight fear, because behind the fear, there might be something beautiful or fun.

“At first, Toot-Toot was scared of the water. But when she saw all the other goats splashing around, she jumped in!” (3/16)

In the next section, described by the author that goats, including Toot-Toot, enjoy the moment by playing in the water. This proves my previous statement that by fighting fear, there will be beauty or pleasure thereafter.

“Everyone laughed. Everyone splashed. Everyone played and played!” (4/16)

As a reader, I found something unique in sections 3 and 4, which in part 3 the author calls the herds of goats as "all the other goats.", whereas in section 4 the author calls the goat herd with "Everyone.". In my opinion, the author does not mean anything about it, maybe he just wants to use pronouns that are easy to say and hear by children.

“At first, Toot-Toot was scared of the water. But when she saw all the other goats splashing around, she jumped in!” (3/16)

“Everyone laughed. Everyone splashed. Everyone played and played!” (4/16)

In the next section, Toot-Toot again faces the fear of bubbles that surround her. In the end, she can still fight her fear of the bubble. The result is, it’s fun to play with the bubble.

“Toot-Toot soon found bubbles all around her. They were going blop blop blop! She was a little afraid.” (5/16)

“But she soon got over it. Toot-Toot began to jump, dance and twirl through the bubbles.” (6/16)

Young children are indeed filled with a very large curiosity. This was also told by the author through the story. After going through fear and excitement, Toot-Toot was curious about how the bubble appeared, and as a child in general she asked her parents about it. But they said they did not know. In my opinion, the reason why Toot-Toot's parents did not tell her was so that she could find out for herself how the bubble appeared, because by finding out for yourself the child would be easier to learn about it, also remember it. Even there is a moral message in this part, not all children's curiosity must be answered, but let the children find out for themselves, do not forget to keep watching and guiding the child so they won’t go to the wrong direction.

“After that fun day, Toot-Toot began to wonder, ”How are bubbles made?” She asked her Baba. Baba said he didn't know.” (7/16)

Toot-Toot asked her Ma. Ma said she didn't know, either.” (8/16)

“So Toot-Toot decided to solve the bubble mystery all by herself.” (9/16)

“She flapped her tail in the water... She blew into the water with all her might... But she didn't make a bubble!” (10/16)

After doing a variety of ways to find out how the bubble can appear, suddenly Toot-Toot felt extreme abdominal pain, and she also thought what she should do to eliminate the pain. Instead of relieving pain the way she should, she decided to take a bath in the cold water pool that her flock used to bathe in. After entering the water, she felt his stomach churn, then suddenly she emitted gas and bubbles appeared. From then on, Toot-Toot learned how to make her own bubbles.

“One day, Toot-Toot's tummy was hurting. She wondered what to do.” (11/16)

“She decided to bathe in the pond's cool water.” (12/16)

“There was a deep rumbling in her tummy. Suddenly, gas escaped from Toot-Toot! Pssshhhhhtttt! As the gas shot through the water, bubbles popped up to the water’s surface. Blop blop blop!” (13/16)

“Finally, Toot-Toot had solved the bubble mystery!” (14/16)

At the end of the story, Toot-Toot makes bathing a fun activity, because he has managed to find a way to make extraordinary bubbles by himself. However, at the end of this story, I feel a little sorry for Toot-Toot's sister, because she was reluctant to tell her sister how to make the bubble. However, despite my pity, I agree with Toot-Toot's decision not to tell her sister, because in my opinion she wants hier sister to be able to find out for herself about it, and maybe her younger sister can find a more awesome way than Toot-Toot’s way.

“Now, whenever it's bath day, Toot-Toot makes the most magnificent bubbles of all.” (15/16)

“After her first bath day, Toot-Toot's sister asked her how bubbles were made. And what did Toot-Toot say? Why, she told her sister she didn't know!” (16/16)

Overall, this story can be a bedtime fairy tale choice for children, or entertainment. The use of simple language, attractive pictures, and soft colors also add value to this children's literary work. Also  from the cover, and the pictures contained in the story, this book is universal, which is mean this book can be for boys and girls alike. The author's way of tucking in moral messages also deserves a thumbs up. Therefore, in my opinion this book is suitable for children, especially for 3 to 6 years old children.

-Thank You-

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