Taking you back to the days of ‘ Kalandoowe Muthu Kollaya’ and ‘Thun Yahalu Wickramaya’ by Kulasena Foenseka, ‘ Little Heroes of Randeniya’ written by Thalatha Wijerathna and published by Queen of Sea Publishers arrives at a time when Sri Lankan young adult literature needs a super hero of our own.
Based on an adventure of Wasantha, Sarath and Samantha it revolves around how the lives of the children shapes up the legacy of a village called Randeniya. A beautiful village surrounded by mountains is brought into life through this adventure. In a time where children are lost among the technological infrastructure of a nation our heroes from Radeniya brings forth the importance of identifying the forces of nature, beauty and the co-existence of it.
Characters of the novel is shaped beautifully by the writer keeping the reader at pace with the lives of the children. It brings back memories of our own childhood as we moved towards the life of a teenager. The same curiosity, love for adventure and the justice we always sought as children is emphasized throughout the novel. In a time where fast food chains are taking over the culture of our Sri Lankan heritage, writer brings in the tasty Sri Lankan foods, wild fruits making us curious enough to go searching for them in the remaining wildlife of our villages.
Giving an introduction in to the lives of our heroes through the first phase ‘New Residence’ novel moves in to the second phase of ‘Fun times’. This technique of craftsmanship by the writer keeps the reader within curiosity continuously. Life like illustrations by the artist PrabathWijayantha enhances the imagination of the reader.
All throughout the phases, ‘A time to play and celebrate’, ‘Yummy cashew nuts’, ‘Back to school’, ‘Wesak festival’, the values of a human are brought forth through the lives of the children in ‘Little Heroes of Randeniya’. Peak of the novel starts at the phase ‘An adventurous day’ where our little heroes travels to the heart of a jungle in seek of truth and they meet adventure face to face. Resilience, intelligence and team spirit is brought forth in this last phase of their adventure to its peak level. Going along the same line with ‘Famous Five’, ‘Secret Seven’ by Enid Blyton at the international level and going along the line with Kulasena Fonseka in Sri Lankan literature ‘Little Heroes of Randeniya’ marks a milestone in Sri Lankan young adult genre of fiction.
In a time, youth of this nation is falling behind ethics and values writer highlights the importance of these throughout the rituals observed by the people of this nation. Empathy and kindness towards fellow humans and all living and none living things alike is crafted throughout the novel making ‘Little Heroes of Randeniya’ a landmark of young adult literature in Sri Lanka. (Nisansala Dharmasena Bertholameuze)
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