Monkey Magic

This children's book is about a family of monkeys in India. The plot revolves around the crafty monkeys, who snatch the snacks that Akka had prepared for her nieces and nephews. Akka fries Vadas (spicy donuts). When she makes a batch of the family's favorite snacks, she leaves the tray with the Vadas on the window sill for the oil to drain. In this story, the Vadas mysteriously disappeared. Akka was perplexed at the disappearance of snacks! Where did the Vadas go? There were no children in the house. There were no pets in the house. What happened to all of the Vadas I made, she wondered? Not deterred, she made another batch. Because she felt especially proud of her favourite snack, she took a few for her co-sister-in-law Vasanthageetha to taste for her approval. She asked her if there was enough salt and spice. When she returned home, once again, the pile of brown crispy Vadas had vanished. She says to herself, "something happened!" She decides to investigate the mystery. Being a clever woman, Akka makes the Vadas again, and leaves the pile at the window sill as she did before. But this time, after she places the plate of Vadas, she hides behind the kitchen door to watch. She was amazed to spot a family of monkeys that came down from a nearby mango tree. The mother monkey with her baby in one arm, came up to the window. She passed them onto the other family members. This family Vada assembly-line swiftly continued until all of the Vadas had disappeared.