Geeta Dharmarajan, illustrated by Ludmilla Chakrabarty,
On the Tip of a Pin was...
Katha, 2009.

Ages: 4 - 8

On the Tip of a Pin was... is a bright and colorful story about a little town, Pintipur, on the tip of a pin. In Pintipur there are twenty children and Lion, Pig, Cow, Goat, and Worm.  For some reason, Worm, the best underground dancer in the world, gives everyone a lot of trouble.  No one likes her wormholes that create crazy mazes underground until the day when one of the children looks all the way through a well to a town on the other side, and discovers the magic of wormholes!

The understanding of wormholes changes life for the children of Pintipur, who are now free to explore and go in any direction they choose… even to explore outer space! The book ends with a brief explanation of the physics definition of wormhole, “a shortcut through space and time,” which helps readers grasp both scientific and fantasy versions of the term. Ludmilla Chakrabarty's magical illustrations, especially the one of children floating through space at the end, will help children enter the world of Pintipur and beyond.

The story of Worm and the children of Pintipur can be seen as a metaphor for the work that Katha, a non-profit working in the area of literacy and education, does in India. Founded in 1988 by Geeta Dharmarajan, author of On the Tip of a Pin was..., Katha’s work is driven by the idea that children can bring change to their communities that is sustainable and real, just as the children do in this particular story.

Through the creation of appealing and approachable reading material such as this book and their other educational endeavors, Katha is effecting its mission across India and helping young people find the “wormholes,” or shortcuts, to create lasting change for generations to come.

Abigail Sawyer
October 2010