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Akanksha Sharma’s Don’t Let the Kitten Drive the Car! – A Tiny Girl’s Terrific Tale beautifully combines a cat’s funny outset and a differently-abled girl’s musings and troubles in this children’s book. Simba, the kitten, did not have an easy life. When he was only six weeks old, a feral dog killed his mother and sister. His life was very tough after that until a man named Dhruv took him in. After only a few days, Dhruv had to take the decision of giving up Simba to another family. This family consisted of a mom, a dad, a grandfather, and a little girl named Akriti. She was a visually impaired girl with a heart of gold and a determination to be recognized for her talents.

Although Don’t Let the Kitten Drive the Car! – A Tiny Girl’s Terrific Tale is a children’s book, the author, Akanksha Sharma, has given it a lot of depth. Instead of picking up a safe genre of fantasy, she has introduced a very real and extremely important issue of a need for acceptance.Akriti is a headstrong girl, yet the insensitive comments of her classmates get under her skin. They shatter her heart, and she dreads going to school. Simba’s arrival brings her the love & acceptance that she seeks from the world around her. It is crucial that kids learn to be sensitive of others needs right from the beginning; therefore, writing Akriti’s story in a children’s book is a stroke of genius.

The knowledge of the author on useful apps for visually-impaired people is impeccable. I was intrigued and delighted to read about the utility of these mobile apps. They have made the lives of people like Akriti a lot more comfortable. Akriti’s tendency to look at her capabilities instead of disabilities would prove to be very fruitful and inspiring for kids. I applaud the author for her amazing talent.

Since the book’s title implies that the main character would be a kitten, Simba leads the show. For the people, who are not proficient in “cat language and behavior,”
Don’t Let the Kitten Drive the Car! – A Tiny Girl’s Terrific Tale would turn out to be a beginner’s course. They would learn about various movements of cats and their meanings. Please forgive me for going off the book review for a bit to share my personal experience with a kitten just to demonstrate how I understand the cat’s behavior more after reading this book. For instance, these lines are packed with information that I never knew,

Simba would rather have liked to give him a long lecture, which would go something like this: Cats, as a rule, don’t like to be picked up by strangers on the first meeting with them. The first meeting is just for cats to observe the strangers from afar and to judge whether they are a threat or not.

Simba’s musings are quite cute and funny. Kids would definitely get a kick out of reading his thoughts. By mentioning Simba’s difficulties, the author has indirectly asked the readers to develop an empathetic attitude towards stray animals. There is a lot of information on how one can help such animals. One such step is getting these animals neutered. Hooked, yet? The author has shared a deep insight on this topic as well. This book would definitely be a conversation starter if nothing else.

The author has managed to include all the right elements with all the right words to make Don’t Let the Kitten Drive the Car! – A Tiny Girl’s Terrific Tale a delightful read. It is filled with a lot of crucial lessons for everyone. I would recommend it to the parents, who wish to instill sensitivity in their kids right from an early age.

Grab your copy on Amazon.