It was exam time in Spring Woods. Lucky, the donkey, Charlie, the rabbit, Duke, the mouse and Hank, the Hippo had got together to study. They had their heads buried in the books and were extremely stressed out about the exams.
After a while, the four friends decided to take a short break from studying.
“I hope I pass in Maths. The intersecting lines of geometry confuse me and solving equations gives me nightmares!” said Lucky sipping tea.
“I am terrified of the essay-writing section in English. Grammar, punctuation, antonyms and synonyms give me the jitters,” said Charlie munching biscuits.
“English is better than subjects like History, Geography and Civics. They are lengthy and boring!” said Duke making a face.
Suddenly, they heard someone sobbing. They all looked around to see who it was.
“Look! The Maths book is crying!” said Duke pointing to the study table.
They were all astonished.
“Quiet!” said Hank. “Looks like the books are having a discussion among themselves. Let’s listen,” he whispered.
Maths Book seemed sad. “All the children are scared of me. Don’t they know that I can be fun too?” it said wiping its tears.
“Actually everyone wants to excel in Maths. They are only scared because they don’t understand you well enough. In fact, they don’t understand that all subjects have their own merits,” said Science Book trying to console it.
All the other books nodded in agreement.
“Yes, the children just need to practice regularly to excel in the subject,” said Maths Book. “They need me to help them count, weigh and tender change correctly at the school canteen.”
“You are right. Children must prepare a study table and follow it. They must spend more time on subjects that they find difficult. This will make them less stressed before the exams,” suggested Hindi Book.
“And not everyone has to become doctors and engineers. Children can study me and become great writers, journalists and editors,” said English Book. “The same goes for you, Hindi Book.”
“What about me? Children always refer to me as boring,” said History Book sadly.
“Of course not! It’s by studying you that everyone gets an insight into the past and the old ways of life. You tell everyone about the kings, queens and warriors who ruled ancient kingdoms from which modern societies evolved. Studying the past is necessary to understand the present,” explained Geography Book.
“Thank you, dear Geography. Your importance cannot be ignored too. You teach us everything about Earth and its inhabitants. How else would we get to know about the various countries, its people, climates, vegetation and wildlife? You show us how beautiful the world is,” said History Book.
“Dear Civics Book, you help people understand the rules and laws of our country and how the government functions. You teach everyone about the importance of equality and freedom,” said Drawing Book.
“Thank you. You are also no less. The children have so much fun with you. You help them explore their creativity,” said Civics Book.
“Renowned painters like Leonardo da Vinci and M F Hussain earned global fame through their works of art. Even today, cartoonists and illustrators use me to poke fun and convey a message,” said Drawing Book with pride.
The four friends who had been overhearing the conversation were surprised by what they heard. They were happy to have learnt that these books were actually their friends.
“Thank you, dear books, for making us aware of your importance. We will be not be scared of you anymore,” said Charlie.
All the books were happy to hear it.
“But also make sure that you make time for playing and rest. They are equally important too,” said Science Book.
“Yes, we will,” they said.
The four friends were not worried about their exams. Instead, they had fun reading their books. When the result came, they realised that their books were right.