Beenoo The Ball of Fluff
MARIAM AKBAR
Beenoo The Ball of Fluff MARIAM AKBAR
Copyright: Mariam Akbar/ Al Qamar Academy Written & Illustrated By: Mariam Akbar Produced By:
Al Qamar Academy
Contact: Al Qamar Academy 14, Kalyani Nagar, Opposite Journalists’ Colony Kottivakkam, Chennai 600041 Ph: 044 24511226/ 9677019226 info@alqamaracademy.in www.alqamaracademy.in All Rights Reserved. An Al Qamar Trust publication
Al Qamar Academy is a micro school in Chennai, India. As an alternative school, Al Qamar focusses on inculcating curiosity, enabling real learning and
developing a social conscience in children. The school constantly innovates in its pedagogical delivery. The school was founded by IIT’ian Hauroon Jamal and Aneesa Jamal.
This book is an outcome of a bookmaking workshop at Al Qamar Academy followed by three one-to-one mentoring sessions for the young authors
conducted by renowned conservation educator and nature photographer K. Ramnath Chandrasekhar. The storytelling module used by him during the sessions were designed for Karthavyam, an initiative on public-problem solving.
Beenoo was a small white ball of fluff. He lived in a pillow in a small house in Chennai. One day he fell out of the pillow. He floated out of the room and the house and out on to the street.
Once Beenoo got out of the house, a cloud appeared out of nowhere in front of him. Beenoo hopped onto the cloud which lifted him up‌.
Soon, he was so high the cars looked like tiny ants in a line.
Beenoo was enjoying himself until he saw lots of trash on the street. Old bottles, clothes, packets, and loads more waste. Beenoo was sad because there was so much trash everywhere.
The cloud began to float away. It took Beenoo to the beach where there were lots of families enjoying themselves. There were some stalls with light up toys and games too. To Beenoo, it looked like fun.
There too, Beenoo saw trash. Old clothes, shoes, wrappers, cans and more. Now Beenoo felt really sad. He wondered why so many people were throwing trash while he watched a boy throwing an apple core on the ground.
Beenoo didn’t have much time to think because the cloud started moving again. This time it took him to a crowded market place. It was very colourful and sold every thing you could think of - clothes, food, sweets and lots of other things.
Like all the other places, it had lots of trash, chip packets, plastic bags, banana peels and more. Beenoo wished he could do something about it but then he remembered that he was just a ball of fluff.
The cloud began to move again. This time it went to a dump yard. On the other side was a beautiful marsh where lots of migratory birds came. The dump yard was just piles and piles of dirty grey trash. Beenoo didn’t even want to look!
The marsh was very clean and had very little trash. Beenoo wished all places were clean. Beenoo wanted to do something about it but then he remembered that he was just a fluff ball.
Beenoo was feeling super sad so he began his way back home because he knew he couldn’t do any thing about it. On the way the cloud stopped and started raining.
Beenoo went down and down and down with the rain. Once he hit the ground, he met an old man called Ramu who was picking up the trash on the road. Beenoo felt happy to see someone picking up the trash. He became friends with Ramu.
Message to the reader There are many people like Ramu - you just have to find them. We need to learn more about recycling and reducing waste in our cities.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you my Mom, and Aneesa Aunty and Nazreen Aunty. And a special thanks to Ramnath Uncle.
NOTES Public problems are everywhere. Observe them and make a note here. Find out how you will solve them.
About the author Mariam Akbar is nine years old and studies at Al Qamar Academy. She is in 4th grade. She adores reading books for all kinds, and absolutely detests illustrating her own books! She chose to write this story because issues around littering and garbage dumping really bother her. She wishes that people would keep cities clean and recycle their waste.
Beenoo the ball of fluff falls out of the pillow and sees how the world actually looks. But it’s not how he expected it to be…