When Robi Dobi, an Indian Elephant, rescues a strange orange creature from a fast-flowing river, he finds himself at the beginning of a most extraordinary adventure. The creature, who is in fact a little mouse, has been sprayed bright orange by the cunning snake witch, Slimey Kimey, so that she can spot her victim easily. Robi Dobi knows just how to help his new friend regain his rightful color, and together they embark on an eventful journey in search of the Great Painter in the Sky. Madhur Jaffrey has skillfully embellished great Indian folklore with modern touches for contemporary readers, while Amanda Hall's jewel-bright illustrations are a sheer visual delight.
Madhur Jaffrey is renowned for both her children's books and her cookbooks; born in India, she now lives in New York.
Madhur Jaffrey CBE is an Indian-born actress, food and travel writer, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing Indian cuisine to the western hemisphere with her debut cookbook, An Invitation to Indian Cooking, which was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook Hall of Fame in 2006.
Robi Dobi the indian elephant is on his way home to his family. His adventure begins when he rescues a strange orange creature from a fast-flowing river, a mouse called Kabbi Wahabbi. He has been sprayed painted bright orange by an evil witch, Slimey Kimey, who wants to be able to spot her victims. She has already taken the rest of his family.
Robi agrees to take Kabbi to someone who can help remove the paint and on the journey they meet more friends who need their help: Maya the Butterfly with her injured wing and the beautiful Princess Tara, the parrrot who has been kidnapped by the Wicked Purple Panthers.
The book has wonderful, colourful illustrations to show the main events and characters. It is written in simple language. Children will enjoy the characters rhyming names. I enjoyed how the story is split into 8 chapters. Each chapter tells a new story within the story and explains how each of the characters has got into trouble before moving on to fix each of their problems.