Peppa Pig's adventures!

It’s almost been six months since our move  back to India and of the three of us, Abhay is the one who least remembers Portland. Frankly, I don’t blame him as I guess he’s got the best deal of all three! :-) Being surrounded and cosseted by his doting paternal and maternal grandparents ……what more could a five year old want? Anyway, the only time he fondly recalls his Portland days is when he turns on the Television and can no longer watch his favorite shows on Nick Jr. or PBS kids! In fact, when we turned on the Television that we shipped from Portland for the first time, Abhay honestly expected to see “Wow Wow Wubbzy” and “Super Why” and instead had to make do with “Chota Bheem”! My apologies to Chota Bheem aficionados, but I find the storyline repetitive and devoid of any educative value. I’m not sure if many would agree but I feel that we lack good quality children’s programs that spark their imagination and promote social and thinking skills. I wish we had more programs that young kids can relate to, as opposed to the super hero stories that hardly seem relevant to their everyday lives.  So its not only Abhay, but Abhay’s mom too who misses Superwhy and Wow Wow Wubbzy! :-)

While in Portland, Abhay loved to watch the “Peppa Pig” series created by Neville Astley and Mark Baker about Peppa, a female pig who faces routine issues like sibling rivalry, reluctance to  share,   peer pressure and adjustment to school that any young girl or a boy may face in their day to day lives.  Since Peppa Pig is a British animated series,  I managed to find some of her stories in the British Council library in Bangalore and needless to say Abhay loves them. Today I read “Daddy Pig’s old chair”, a story revolving around Daddy Pig’s hoarding habit. Peppa’s school is holding a garage sale to raise funds for a new roof wherein everybody has to bring something to sell. Peppa and her family gather some of their old stuff to put up for sale. When mummy pig offers to put up Daddy Pig’s old squeaky chair for sale, Daddy pig is unsure and wants to retain the old junk. But when the school truck arrives, naughty mummy pig gives away the old chair and assures Peppa that Daddy will never notice. At the school jumble sale, when everyone is busy looking at each other’s donations, Daddy Pig is excited to show his family what he’s bought. No prizes for guessing what that might be – his old chair which he believes to be a perfect match to his chair at home! As always, it’s Daddy Pig’s silly little ways that bring a smile on your little one’s face…..and no wonder Abhay likes him so much….reminds him of his daddy who always makes him laugh! :-)