The Lizard of Oz and Other Stories [Paperback] Khyrunnisa A.

‘Chicko Chacko, Chicko Chacko, the sky is going to fall on us!’ Little Chicken-Gallus cried, running aimlessly around in circles.No one spared her a second glance, except for Duck, Drake’s missus, who looked up and managed to swerve and save her head from a falling dry frond of the coconut tree in the yard.‘It’s a sign! I’m sure of it,’ she told Drake. Something is going to happen, sooner or later.’‘Something bad?’‘Of course! What do you think, the best is yet to come?’She hailed Chicken Little, ‘Hey, Chicky! What do you know about it? Who told you?’‘Chicko Chacko, Chicko Chacko! The sky will fall on our heads!’‘Who told you? How do you know?’‘Chicko Chacko, Chicko Chacko! The sky will fall on our heads!’ Chicken Little shrieked, still running around in circles.‘Who told you? How do you know? What should we do?’‘Chicko Chacko, Chicko Chacko! The sky is going to fall on our heads!’‘It’s no use asking her. That’s all she knows,’ Drake said. ‘I have a little friend, who can go anywhere she wants, and picks up news from here and there. She tells me things, painful things. Let’s ask her.’‘You mean Culic, the mosquito? She is a real pain, herself. But, all right, let’s ask her. I can’t bear this suspense.’Drake asked Culic, ‘Do you know what Chicky Little means by saying the sky will fall on our heads?’‘Well,’ said Culic, as if considering how to phrase her reply. ‘I do, but it’s going to hurt. You’ll have to be prepared.’‘We are prepared,’ said Duck and Drake together. ‘We really want to know.’‘Anyway, I’ll give you my local anaesthetic first, just in case,’ said Culic as she pricked them both, and licked her lips as was her way. ‘So, now you’re ready. Chicken Little is right, and wrong. The sky will fall, but not on our heads. It will fall on top of all the big ones, the humans, and the apes, and the tigers, the hippos, the rhinos, the giraffes, the camels and so on.’‘In that case, why did you prick us with your local anaesthetic?’ Duck asked. ‘If nothing is going to happen to us, why did we need your precious anaesthetic?’‘I didn’t say nothing would happen to us. The sky won’t fall on us, that’s all. It will fall on all the others, the big ones. And, they’ll fall on us!’‘So, we’ll have to bear the weight of the sky, and the weight of the big ones too! So unfair!’ Duck complained.‘No, no! You’re wrong! The big ones are our cushion. The sky will fall on them, not on us.’‘Culic! You silly thing! I won’t survive if a hippo falls on me, cushion or not!’‘Well, I don’t know, but the eggheads in the science institute say that it’s us little ones who will survive, and none of the biggies. To me, you’re biggies too. You may not survive, but we mosquitos will, I’m sure. Anyway, let’s all keep away from hippos, or any of the real biggies. Let’s begin a Littles Club.’‘Quack, quack, that’s quick thinking! Wonderful idea! Who can join?’‘All the little ones. And the biggies who think they’re little, too,’ said Culic. As the birds quacked in protest, she explained, ‘I told you, to me you’re biggies too. It’s the attitude that matters.’‘Oh, all right. Anyway which biggie would want to join a Littles Club?’‘I don’t know. The scientists say that we are all equally important. And that, if everyone understands that, the sky will not fall!’‘So we can save the world?’‘I don’t know,’ said Culic. ‘But none of the biggies could. Even the scientists have given up hope. And who wants to save the world for those biggies anyway?’‘If we are all equally important, they must be useful too?’ Drake wondered.‘All right, save everyone you want. I don’t mind. I’ll just have to keep on making more anaesthetic, I suppose.’News spread of the Littles Club, dedicated to saving the sky from falling on the world. Fireflies were the first to join, then came centipedes and their thousand-footed cousins, house-lizards, snails, and bees. A white peacock begged to join, as it was unwelcome elsewhere, ants followed, and mice too, bringing with them an AI relation, the computer mouse, termites, bookworms, and even a snake. A toothless lion said he had finally become aware of his utter insignificance and brought with him his wife who didn’t have the heart to abandon her poor husband. It was quite a cosmopolitan club, and what’s more, two humans were inducted as Honorary Vet and Honourable Dentist.Chicky Little had quietened down, but Duck and Drake were uneasy because they had really done nothing to stop the sky falling. And that was why they had begun the Club. At the next meeting, they reminded the other members of their forgotten duty. Culic said, ‘Yes, the scientists are still down in the dumps. They say there’s no hope for the world. They have written it down in formulae and equations and graphs, but no one has the patience to read and understand. They say the news has to spread to those who are not scientists too. And they don’t know how to speak to them.’The bookworm said, ‘I’ve seen and read a lot of books, tasted and chewed them too, but I tell you the taste that lingers is that of a good story. We need someone to tell the world the story of us little ones. Everyone knows the story of the biggies. We need a storyteller who can make us come alive, and show the world how we are important too, how we can help to save the world.’Bookworm had never spoken so much before, and all the Club looked up in surprise. ‘Oh!’ said Kosy the Lion with the Manmade Teeth, ‘We need an Honourable Writer too, you mean?’‘Exactly,’ said Bookworm. ‘That’s just what we need. Someone who can tell our tales, and show how, all of us, biggies and little ones can stand together and stop the sky from falling.’‘Waltzing Matilda!’ exclaimed Laz the Aussie lizard. (That must have been the Australian for 'What an excellent idea!')‘But do you know anyone who will deign to write about us, rather than lions (no offence, Kosy sir and madam) or tigers or apes or humans? Who will write about lizards and fireflies and mosquitos, and friendly snakes?’ wondered White Peacock.‘Leave it to me,’ Culic said. ‘I know a lot of writers, and I think I know just the right one for us. She writes about a lovable little boy named Butterfingers, but she’s also written about rats and cats and fish and termites and snakes and coconuts and interesting stuff like that. I’ll just give her a really biggish dose of anaesthetic and tell her all the tales of us little ones. And sure, she will write about us, wait and see!’And that, really and truly, did happen. A Khyrunnisa took the anaesthetic womanfully, with hardly a twinge, and transformed it into aesthetic beauty in almost no time at all. And thus did she become the Bard of Little Things with this her first book on the creatures we sometimes forget to remember, or remember only to forget, The Lizard of Oz and Other Stories.

The author slips easily into the mind of a child and writes her children's stories to please, amuse, teach and entertain them.

Amazing book for kids....stories are filled with good vocabulary,humour and facts.

I bought this book for my niece (11 yo) for whom the language was comfortable, but found my nephew (7 yo) was equally intrigued with it, albeit with a bit of help with some words. At that age group it introduces some words gently, in the backdrop of a story, that makes it self explanatory.What I also liked was that while this is a children's fantasy story (animals and their daily lives), it is interspersed with human life as well.P.S: My nephew actually checks inside his shoe before putting on, saying "I'm checking for lizards" !

Yet another delightful book by the author! Her sense of humour, keen observation and insight to human and animal world shines through the stories. Her stories have this amazing ability to linger on even after the last page is done and dusted. Now i look at the lizard outside my window with a different perspective.Bought her latest book, and my daughter grabbed it to read before i had the chance to look at it. That's the magic of her books-- you simply cannot stop at one. Looking forward to more from her!

The lizard of Oz by prize-winning author Khyrunnisa makes a wonderful read for both children and adults. She has written animal stories which are not only cute and delightful but informative too.

The media could not be loaded. The binding of this book is not correct. After page number 96 again starts 76 and it finishes on 96 where as the Last story starts on page 102.pkease change my book