Moon Child

by Rushali Mukherjee

The book, 'Moon Child' consists of a collection of carefully handpicked poems from the poet's vast collection along with her own hand-drawn sketches.

100 pages, Paperback

Published October 22, 2020

About the author

Rushali, a poet, an artist and an editor at a young age of 18 is currently studying in class 12th at Welham Girls' School in Dehradun. A regular writer and illustrator of her school's literary publications, she is on the editorial board of her annual school magazine and is curently heading the Poetry Appreciation Society for her school. She won multiple international honour medal awards in Creative Writing, social studies, debating, arts and champion scholar at World Scholars' Cup held at Yale University, USA after competing with over 2000 students globally.
An avid reader and writer, she has been winning several accolades in her school for her essay writing, poetry and artistic skills. An all-rounder, she's not just been winning awards related to GK, technology, music, dance and sports among others but has continued to prove her mettle by being recognized for her outstanding performance academically.
In her free time, Rushali enjoys sketching and teaches underprivileged children.
The perspicacious Rushali writes descriptive poetry taking cues from her vivid imaginations and observant self. She is perceptive of people and the little things that they do or say. She respects the diversity of human beings and draws her learnings from their distinct characteristics which she moulds to express herself through her poetry. She uses her personal experiences and adept writing skills to express emotions, and hopes to inspire others to express how they feel and resonate with the words of her poems.

Reviews

[Alok Mishra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rushali writes with an urge. Her words try to become poetry. Her lines are too eager to communicate. For a young poet of her age, it's natural. However, the layers of emotions that are involved in her poetry are vivid, deep and colourful. She writes what pleases her. She writes what she feels. She writes about love and loss together. She writes about smiles and sorrows together. She writes about mixed emotions, contrary thoughts and, in simple words, she has been able to portray the rainbow that life is. Her words, style and rhythm will evolve with time and we must have an evolving poet as she continues writing more. This collection, Moon Child, is a very gentle, light and pleasant read for readers of poetry.

[Nidhi P · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like reading poetry. I like reading poetry by new poets. I love reading poems by young poets. However, this collection by Rushali has been different. It has come up as an earnest appeal by a youth, a teenager, a growing conscious, a developing artist... Rushali has been at her best in conveying teh messages with her sketches and words combined. This is because her communication is reinforced by the help of her sketches. Her verse is young and rather explicit in terms of emotions and messages that she wants to deliver to the readers and with an urge that is apparent. However, the youthful verse, at times, goes beyond the norms and becomes too apparent or prosaic or too unserious in terms of poetic beauty. But, to be honest, Rushali's candidness is something that many readers might praise as well. It strikes the consciousness of the readers instantly. It is difficult to shape them in a framework and therefore, every reader will have to develop his or her own views...

[Amit Mishra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The poems in the collection are varied in emotions. The themes travel from one end of emotions to another. However, the is a constancy that can be perceived by different readers in different terms. the sketches by Rushali are wonderful, no doubt. The poetry of this young poet, as a whole is in the phase of blooming. However, she does need to nourish her art and take it further, beyond emotionally reacting to expressing the emotions and thoughts with the most suited lexicon.

[Avdhesh Anand · Rating 5 out of 5]

I too started writing poems in my school days. Writing poems for me was to explore differently the world around me and colour every experience of life, irrespective of good or bad, through words. Rushali's Moon Child reminded me of my adolescent. Her poems have bloom innocence, questions, complaints and Joy. In addition to these, she has made an extra effort to express her emotions through sketches. Reading this book took me in the lanes of my teenage and I relived those days once again.

[Shivani Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poems are short, lucid and convenient to read... I liked the way Rushali has expressed her emotions without keeping any word filtered. I liked many of them. The sketches made by the poet herself are amazing and connect with the poets' writing so well. I can recall many poems even after getting at the end of the book a few days ago. Rushali is a talented poet and her poetry is majorly based on emotions of love and a sense of loss. I am sure that other readers who read this collection will like the book.

[Amisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never had I thought that within a few days into this new year, would a mere poetry book move me so much. For the last few years, I found solace in my web of complexities but in this saga that barely spans 100 pages, Miss Mukherjee pens down words that were so simple but were powerful enough to untie most of the knots in my heart. It indeed felt like the pieces of her heart on these little pages. Yes, I can say that I held a soul in my hands which was disguised in the form of a book.

As the title and the cover denotes, while reading the book I was appreciating the moon, the sun, and nature a little more. This book made me appreciate all the little things of life that I often take for granted. Every piece of poetry was unique yet connected with this frail thread of honesty and purity of heart. Many of the poems made me reminisce about a life that I once had which was slowly fading away but thanks to these soulful snippets, I rediscovered my lost self. Some poems made me smile mindlessly and then slowly drifting towards melancholy because I was thinking about the person whom I used to admire a lot and now we aren't even in touch, for so many years, so yes it was a rollercoaster ride where I ended up being a mess.

Some other poems made me look back into my happy childhood which seems so distant and unreal now. Also, some poems were there that I couldn't understand. Maybe my senses aren't mature enough to absorb them but in no way were they less beautiful than the rest. Therefore, this explains how I finished the book quickly but I was scrambling for words as to what should I even express about this book which is overflowing with musings and stardust.

And finally, how can I not talk about those fantastic illustrations that breathe life into this seemingly inanimate object. The sketches are so mesmerizing that I couldn't keep my eyes off them. Truly pictures speak a thousand words and here these sketches were drawn by the author herself, beautifully complemented her poems. Ultimately this is not a perfect book, but it was a really good attempt at expression through poetry. I would say it is a very simple book meant to be felt and thought about, to be appreciated for all the beauty that it exhibits and leave you feeling peaceful and calm.

[Naman Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughts and emotions are the running force and personal experiences give this force impetus.
Rushali's poems are the outcome of this never ending impetus. I won't judge any of her poems on the scale of good-bad, basic-advanced, deep-shallow. However, certainly, most of her poems have freshness of a blooming bud which poetry admirers would like to experience.

[Muskan | The Quirky Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moon Child is a collection of such quotes and pieces of poetry that work like melody for the ears and soothes the soul. The poems are about self-reflection, introspection, love, distance, realisations and changes. It all blends together into this mesmerizing, soft, relaxing poetry.
As a reader, I could very easily specify what I did and didn’t like about the book. But I won’t, because something like this can only be written by baring one’s heart and soul on a piece of paper. That’s when the magic happens. And that is what you need to enjoy it. I appreciate that about this book.

[Deepika · Rating 4 out of 5]

In one of her poems, Rushali imagines one's entire body as a story to be passed on to others. In one of the poems, attachment somehow leads to detachment... so, there are many things once you begin reading the poems and learning the depths. I liked most of them. Interesting thing about the collection by Rushali are not only her poems but also her sketches which, in a way, complement the poems in the book. Moon Child is a beautiful journey of thoughts, emotions and art... an enjoyable experience.

[Love Among the Bookshelves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moon Child- a collection of evocative and poignant short poems by Rushali Mukherjee is bound to elicit an abstract and inexplicable response from its readers. Brilliantly vivid in spite of being laconic, the poems can readily be deemed as “quotes” that can be printed on walls, frames, books and bags. Wherever you look often, so that a glimpse of it fills you with the attachment and comfort that the poet tries to incorporate in her poems with her prowess and sapience.

Mukherjee harnesses her ability to express a lot by penning very little in the form of Moon Child. There are incredible nuances, tacit undertones and silent themes in her poems. As though her poems weren’t already stirring, every single poem is accompanied by Rushali’s stunning illustrations. The illustrations commingle and coalesce seamlessly with the messages of the poems to induce a breathtaking experience!

She discusses love, she discusses friendship, she discusses Nature, parenthood, distance, hope, grief and heartbreak. The poems carry forward a prose, the entire poem gives a descriptive insight into the thought in the personal mind space of Rushali, which enkindled the process of creation of the piece.

Impassioned and soul stirring, Moon Child is not worth just one read. With multiple rereads, you will come across multiple messages which were cleverly and passionately layered by Mukherjee in her brainchild called Moon Child!

My favourite poem from the book goes like:

“Keep the hope alive in your heart,
It is the softest form of rebellion”

This is too good to skip! I guarantee.

[Shashikala Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before commenting on the book, I must say when adolescents are busy consuming social media, websites, and playing online games, less bothered about chasing their interest or dreams, Rushali gave her dreams colours of reality at such a tender age. More than a poetry collection, I felt Moon Child is a depiction of emotions which probably the author may have experienced in person or have heard about them. To your amazement, the book has beautiful sketches accompanying the poems, rather every emotion.

[Abhishek Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a hardcore novel lover, Moon Child, a poetry collection, was a forced break for me. It was as if I have been told by my mother to get out from my blanket in a foggy winter morning and go for a walk and get some milk. However, it was altogether a different experience for me, especially from those thick novels where you have to be really patient to resolve the mystery or to know what would happen in the end. I really enjoyed almost all the poems as they are overwhelmed with freshness of emotions of a young poet.

[Rahul Anand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rushali's poetry is very attractive because it comes with sketches that visually summarise the poem, most of the times. Also, any young reader can associate with Rushali's search for peace and happiness in anything that she writes about – whether it's a friend's shoulder or fathers palm or mother's patience. The collection has poems on random subjects and equally compelling graphics. Written in simple language, anyone would like reading Rushali's book.

[Amarkant Shiva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rushali's poetry is quick, at times deep, easily understood and very communicative. One cannot remain unimpressed by the vividity of her themes and also her wonderful sketches that accompany the poems. Moon Child will be a very wonderful experience for the readers who like reading modern poetry by Indian English writers. And, as Rushali is young, her approach to poetry is interesting – communicate as much as you can... in simple and short length. Do read her!

[Chetana Thakur Chakraborty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of a hundred short poems - Rushali Mukherjee's 'Moon Child' is a simple, yet wonderful read. Poignant and powerful, each one of the poems is soul-stirring.

The author has brilliantly described a host of feelings and emotions through her poems. The poems reflect a myriad of themes - ranging from love, loss, yearning, to nature and so much more. In her book, not only has the author given words to the diverse emotions, she has wonderfully portrayed them through her sketches as well. The hand-drawn sketches that accompany each of the poems are aesthetic and exceptionally beautiful.

'Moon Child' is the first book that I've completed reading in 2021. And I am so glad that I picked this beautiful book as the first read of this year. Written in simple and lucid language, this book is a very easy read. It took me just a few hours to complete reading this book. And I thoroughly loved reading it.

Overall, 'Moon Child' by Rushali Mukherjee is a lovely read, that I absolutely enjoyed reading. I definitely recommend this book!

[Anandarupa Chakrabarti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moon Child is a book that has selected collection of poems and musings written by the author in the due course of time. The author shares her poem which are unique in itself that touch the reader’s chord and melt our hearts as if we’re realizing the poetry live in our hearts and mind. Each poem, open a new perspective about love, longing, self adoration, friendship and so on.

All these poems are speaking out of life and lighten ourselves from the stress and hustle-bustle of everyday life. These poems are etched with such purity that the poetess’s words complete the human thinking.  The book is a potpourri of thoughts and emotions and perhaps the best way of showcasing them are in the form of poetries.

Some poems are like your dose of escape to mend a rough day. On other hand, any poem could eginite fire of hope and we keep seeking at the end of the dark tunnel. These poems would teach you patience of life and the truth that bad times would surely surpass, whereas another would feel like if tormented hersrt had a tongue then it would narrate such poems.


I really love poetries being a poet myself. Poems help us overcome our bewildered thought process and self doubts and all negativities. Expressing your heart in the form of poems are like painting with words. Miss Rushali, the author, makes this book more realistic and artistic with her flawless hand-painted illustration. These illustrations are just a cherry on the cake for each and every poem. These illustrations balance the charm of every poem. This shows how creative this young artist author can be.

Language of the book is as artsy as the book in itself. Its language just the right blend of smooth and heartfelt words drapped around the humane emotions.
These poems by the poetess would fill the voids of your heart and understand the underlined effects of loneliness, nature’s musing, the tenderness of love and importance of others in your life.
The best poetry book I have had read lately. Like literally.

[Ravi Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

The shorter as well as the mid-length poems in this collection by Rushali are instant-read and quickly-comprehended poems. However, a second look or even a closer look in the very first attempt can, sometimes and for some readers, bring out many stories that might have transpired to compel those lines out of poet's thoughts and imaginations... Rushali is a young poet and she has done well keeping her youth in mind. Her sketches, on many occasions, surpass her age... fantastic!

[Abhishek Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of almost 100 short and sweet poems, Moon Child has three unique things which may hold your attention like it held mine - 1. It is written by a poet who still is in her teenage. 2. Instead of only love, poems in the book are filled with gamut of emotions of a person's life. 3. The visual representation of emotions through sketches by the poet.

[Vishal Vivek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moon Child is a quick emotional read by Rushali Mukherjee. I won't say I enjoyed her poems, but I observed them and found many unsaid things in them. At times her pomes amused me, at times they compelled me to ponder and on some occasions I felt sea-depth in her words. What more you can expect from a poet who is just 18 and still has various shades of life to unfold. For me, it was a nice read!

[Rishi Arya · Rating 5 out of 5]

The poems are simple and short... easy to read and too easy to understand if we talk about the apparent sense. However, to understand the poet's conscious, one has to stare at the sketches and extract the meanings out of these images. With a combination of sketches and random lines forming poetry, the collection becomes truly a pleasant one to spend an evening with... enjoy it!

[Devanshu Panwar · Rating 4 out of 5]

"We were like pressed flowers

between the pages of a hardcover,

trapped between stories

that weren't ours."

~ Rushali Mukherjee, Moon Child


This book is an anthology of poems with beautiful illustrations surrounding the enigma of so and gives us all the more reason to appreciate the creativity of a young author. The book cover is well-designed and the title of the book seems appropriate to refer to the present themes emphasized in the book. Moreover, calligraphy gives us better imagery to go by. 


The content of the book, the poems touch various facets of life. Some of the broad themes being; Friendship, Family, Love, 

Endearment, Longing, Time, Melancholy, and Hope. The author writes in free/blank verse and has given a simple approach to the writing which makes it easy to understand and does not require the reader to refer to a dictionary. The inclusion of elements of nature is another highlight of the book, she touches upon elements such as; nights and darkness, collation of universe, variety of flowers, earth, etc, and confer a rejuvenating feel to the meaning of poems, and each verse stay true to the title. 


The poems are not divided into sections thematically but are miscellaneously put together; which sets the readers into a rollercoaster ride wherein one can encounter a variety of emotions. Every poem comes with a dedicated illustration and it just adds more meaning to the literary work the book reflects. The illustrations give us a considerable reason to pause and something to think about the poems. A poem along with an illustration acts as an icing on the cake and it doesn't disappoint the readers. Some illustrations hit deeper than the poems themselves. Providing readers to hover around with two perspectives; which is a hard nut to crack.


The author has elegantly used various figures of speech and we may find art intertwined and represented in metaphors, anaphora, anadiplosis, personification, etc. As Shakespeare once said, "Brevity is the soul of wit", the poems are short and crisp. The poems along with the illustrations create magic all along. Although there are a few typing errors that are not worked up-on well, it doesn't ruin the experience of the book as a whole. There are days when all we need is a cup of tea and something to read, something short but impactful enough to set us down towards a memory lane. If you are looking for something like that, Moon Child is a book that you'd like to have in your hands whilst you sip that cup of tea in different verses of Peace. 

[Nilesh Ranjan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poems are fine... fresh and rather hurried because the poet seems to have too much to say and, as if, the sands of time are falling too fast. I liked that earnest appeal to tell things in Rushali. However, her sketches strike me more, at times... coupled with her poetry, these sketches become too much if you look at them carefully for sometime. This is a good poetry collection for the young readers of poetry who look for vividity in verse rather than form and class.

[Saloni · Rating 5 out of 5]

The poems in the collection feel very connected and relatable to real life. The sketches make the poem more lively and true that can hold the readers till the last.
It was a joyful read for me and I can not hold myself travelling back to the old memories. It is a wonderful attempt by a young author and we will surely listen more about her in the future.

[Read.Dream.Repeat.Blogger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moon Child has simple words with a simpler thought that guides them. While its simplicity might feel too linear for a person like me who has found comfort in complexity, it can be an advantage for those who wish to begin, also because of their relevance. The writer has picked commonly felt emotions and commonly contemplated dilemmas, personal or universal. Apart from the intricacy that was absent, I also wish the collection was more defined, for example, adding titles could have helped the reader as compared to the poems left loose and unplugged and the reader left unguided. I also wish it had more fluidity of a poem and lesser crispness of a prose.

[Subhadrika Sen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moon Child is vividly symbolic, pictorially illustrative and perceptually metaphorical. Written by young author, Rushali Mukherjee, Moon Child, spans across various themes like hope, love, grief, negligence, freedom and inspiration, to name a few. This collection of poems depict the maturity of thoughts in the author with which lines of hope and courage are penned during a generally difficult time in the world. Two concepts that particularly struck me are hope and inspiration. Mukherjee’s lines – ‘Keep hope alive in your heart/ it is the softest form of rebellion’ is philosophically liberating and resonates with the passive inner fighter within every individual. Further, the lines ‘But eventually I did realize/ They forced me to draw inspiration from my own self/ Because I had been my own muse all along’; makes the readers contemplate on the idea of inspiration and the rationale behind it. With many more interesting insights about life, emotions and the world, Moon Child is definitely a great read. Also, the illustrations in the book give an intense visual description of the author’s observation and provides a word-break while reading the book.

[Contemporary_literary_threads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I simply adore it when something derived and written directly from the first thought of it touches your heart. This poetry/collection of musings is one such I started reading last night and finished this morning.

Dolloped with themes of love, loneliness, nature, growing up, friendship this book took me down the memory lane to my school days where everything seemed dream like, adventurous and 'always' possible. Even love too.

The perspective from which these poems are written are fresh. One can easily feel this book's seed was sown long ago, and finally it germinated to full to put in front of its readers.

I feel the poetess has tried to balance between mourning and healing through her poems/musings/thoughts in this book. I, although, felt a wave of nostalgia while reading it. Not that I didn't enjoy it. Some poems did clicked to me. It was because I don't like poems which are way too complicated to understand and I am glad this book doesn't fall into that category.

Also, the hand-drawn sketches adds more clear imagination when you read this book. It's the speciality of this anthology, and I liked how raw drawings were like our thoughts.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. And I feel it will do well among its readers.
The only wish I have is to read more of long form poems by the poet in the near future.

[Shivangi Mehta · Rating 5 out of 5]

One has to acknowledge and praise the things that come from a child... Rushali is no child in general but her age is young. Only 18 and she has been capable of creating a work of fiction comprised with work of paintings or sketches. Her poetry is refreshing, vivid and very simple for the readers to understand. However, the emotions that decorate her poetry are not very singular. She things of many things and she feels about many things as well. Her poetry is the reflection of a mind that wanders from here to there. Generally depicting someone to console and hold your hands, the poems make you feel of a person who might have gone through too much in a short period of time... short poems, mostly, quickly jump from this to that emotion but a sense of unity is there... something that runs throughout the collection. Do enjoy it!

[Monika Satote ( Monikareads_ on Instagram ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

“Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquillity.” — William Wordsworth

I am not someone who would stare at the moon every night, but I acknowledge the signs. Moonchild made me look at the moon for a while. The moon was beautiful that day. And a little flawed, of course.

Moon Child by Rushali Mukherjee is fresh, emotional & nostalgic. It took me back to my teenage years when I was naive and carefree. It made me feel homesick about the juvenile self when everything was raw, without any filter - my words, my feelings, even my battles. Honestly, everything seemed like a battle in those years. Now I choose things wisely, at the cost of losing people and sometimes some precious moments. But those were the days of being a rebel, of wanting things my way. Those were the days of not letting things go. Parallelly, those were the days of learning out of experiences. Moonchild follows that phase of my life. Inexperienced. I was so unprepared for the world that was to come.

Moonchild is a courageous take on love & longings of all the kinds and some consequences of living a life. The book has poems on different themes accompanied by gorgeous illustrations. The free verses follow the simple flow. Read word by word, and you will understand, maybe in your way, but you will understand. Some lines have multiple meanings, and I loved it because it gives my grey cells a little stimulation.

My reading experience would have been even better if some poems were a little crisp and with an added depth. Also, some lines were repetitious in negligible amounts. I wouldn't call this book a masterpiece but a great attempt to bring emotions to life. The message is delivered. The book speaks to the reader in many ways. It's beautiful and somewhat flawed, just like the moon I saw that day.

Overall, my reading experience was good. It’s a short and quick book, but I take time to absorb poetry and draw different meanings of the same poems so it took me a while to read it.

[Apurba Ganguly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moon Child is a collection of poems that brim with emotions, and sketches that personify simplicity. If I were to give an overall picture of the anthology, it would be something like this – a very good attempt by the budding poet, but the verses lack rhythm and consistency.
Of the many beautiful things in this book, the one aspect which I loved most from Moon Child is its subtlety and simplicity. The contents do not require any heavy words to state what the poet wants to convey through her writing. The verses themselves express the ideas and emotions naturally. Secondly, the themes chosen for Moon Child contribute significantly to the general mood of the anthology, which is a perfect equilibrium of happiness and sorrow, mirroring the meandering path of life. The wonderful sketches that accompany the writings in each of the pages are no doubt splendid and beautiful.
While Moon Child is no doubt a wonderful anthology that encompasses life experiences pertaining to “love, longing and loss”, it falls flat when it comes to the style of writing. The richness of the content seems to get lost in the absence of rhythm and rhyme. No, I do not question the reason why there is no rhyme at all; it is poetic license, after all. However, to me, the impact that was supposed to be made by the poems seemed hollow by the lack of melody in it.
Poetry is not a craft that requires tools and instruments to carve out and give shape to our vortex of emotions. It is art which is in turn shaped by our ideas and feelings. I convey my best wishes to the writer for her future endeavours.