As a writer, receiving (nice) reader reviews is always delightful. This week has been special!
One child read How I Feel as part of his weekly library activity and enjoyed it thoroughly. When he found out that I was the author, he was thrilled because he’s read Dragonflies, Jigsaws and Seashells too!
And that was just one of the many responses I got from readers – young and not so young – this week!
Handwritten notes are lovely, aren’t they? The girl in the picture, I’m told, is little Shraavya, not me. I love the story “Treasure Hunt” too, so much so that that’s the story I chose to read on World Read Aloud Day 2018. Take a look at the video here.
And yes, do tell me if you like it! I don’t mind if you don’t include a picture of yourself. Not everyone can do self-portraits like Shraavya!
Another review of the same book, published by Scholastic Asia (2018) and Scholastic India (2020), came from a fellow children’s writer. But before that, a quick note about the book, since you’re here. Dragonflies, Jigsaws and Seashells is a collection of short stories, which was shortlisted for the Scholastic Asian Book Award 2016 and the Singapore Book Award 2019. Go take a look at the book by clicking the ‘Explore’ link above!
Arundhati Nath is a freelance journalist and fellow children’s writer. I can’t stop smiling at the fact that Aniket is one of her favourite characters, for he is the one who is closest to who I am, or was as a child!
I’m hoping for a longer review soon, but more about that if and when it materializes! Until then, I’m delighted with these.
The next one came as a joyous surprise out of the blue! Bholu and the Smart Card is part of a series of railway adventures I wrote four years ago. For a while, these books were available online, but for quite some time now, they have been impossible to buy, except at the National Railway Museum in Delhi. Imagine my surprise, then, to see this picture along with this delightful note on Facebook!
Finally, the last review of the week came from a short conversation on Instagram.
A school friend wrote to me to ask if I had any books for five-year-olds. She also told me her daughter was a level 2 reader, which was much more helpful than knowing the child’s age! I have two Level 2 books – What Will Happen? and How I Feel, both of which are free to read on StoryWeaver, but aren’t available as physical books. I do know that many parents are working towards reducing their children’s screentime, so I was more than a little diffident when I told her about them. A few hours later, however, look what she shared!
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