What If?

Author: Hari Kumar Nair

Illustrator: Hari Kumar Nair

My name is Shyam, I am ten years old.

I am a little skinny, but very bold!

Waking up for school is no fun at all

I am so sleepy as I get up, I think I will fall.

My eyes close as I begin to brush,

I hear Amma making dosas in a rush.

My mind slowly begins to wander away,

And many, many ideas come into play.

What if my neck was ten times as long?

Half in school, half at home, where would I belong?

What if my legs were as tall as trees?

My school building would only come up to my knees!

What if my arms were strong enough?

Then, lifting Amma would not be tough!

What if there was nothing too hard for my teeth?

Think of all the things I could eat!

What if my belly was as round as could be?

All my friends could jump and bounce off me!

What if I had big and floppy ears?

I could hear everything, far and near!

What if — I begin, but Amma shouts,

“Shyam, you’ll be late, what are you thinking about?”

I find myself still standing with my brush in my hand,

And I smile and think of my secret little land.

This book was made possible by Pratham Books' StoryWeaver platform. Content under Creative Commons licenses can be downloaded, translated and can even be used to create new stories provided you give appropriate credit, and indicate if changes were made. To know more about this, and the full terms of use and attribution, please visit the following link .

Story Attribution:

This story: What If? is written by Hari Kumar Nair . © Pratham Books , 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.

Other Credits:

This book has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books. The development of this book has been supported by HDFC Asset Management Company Limited (A joint venture with Standard Life Investments).This book was part of the Pratham Books lab conducted in collaboration with Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore. www.prathambooks.org

Illustration Attributions:

Cover page: Boy's face looking upside down, long legs, pair of hands holding a toothbrush , by Hari Kumar Nair © Pratham Books, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 2: Sleepy boy sitting on bed , by Hari Kumar Nair © Pratham Books, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 3: Boy brushing his teeth at washbasin , by Hari Kumar Nair © Pratham Books, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 4: Boy with long neck peeping into classroom , by Hari Kumar Nair © Pratham Books, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 5: Tall boy with long legs stepping over electric wires , by Hari Kumar Nair © Pratham Books, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 6: Boy carrying lady in one hand in kitchen , by Hari Kumar Nair © Pratham Books, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 7: Man reading torn newspaper and boy sitting on the floor , by Hari Kumar Nair © Pratham Books, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 8: Little boy jumping, Boy with big round belly , by Hari Kumar Nair © Pratham Books, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 9: Boy with big round ears in the outdoors , by Hari Kumar Nair © Pratham Books, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 10: Lady with ladle in the hand with mouth wide open, boy brushing his teeth , by Hari Kumar Nair © Pratham Books, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 11: Boy brushing his teeth , by Hari Kumar Nair © Pratham Books, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Disclaimer: https://www.storyweaver.org.in/terms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved. This book is CC-BY-4.0 licensed. You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. For full terms of use and attribution, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

What If? (English)

When Shyam is sleepy he has trouble brushing his teeth. But dreaming big is no trouble at all.

This is a Level 1 book for children who are eager to begin reading.

Pratham Books goes digital to weave a whole new chapter in the realm of multilingual children's stories. Knitting together children, authors, illustrators and publishers. Folding in teachers, and translators. To create a rich fabric of openly licensed multilingual stories for the children of India and the world. Our unique online platform, StoryWeaver, is a playground where children, parents, teachers and librarians can get creative. Come, start weaving today, and help us get a book in every child's hand!