What makes a cartoon different from a regular drawing? What is easier to draw? What do you think is important when you are drawing a cartoon?We had such an enjoyable workshop on cartooning with Vineet Nair, comic book illustrator and Art Director of Tinkle! The first rule, which I loved, but which the participants struggled with was Don't mute yourself! Speak! The entire session was interactive, with everyone eager to show what they were drawing.For me, what made the session stand out was the focus on how simple cartooning can be! Identify the major shape and then modify it. Exaggerate the details to bring in the emotion and the humour!We began with humans, went on to animals and finally looked at cartoonifying objects. I enjoyed the whole session! The image above is just a collage of all the cartoons Vineet drew during the session. The children drew so many more!A few … [Read more...]
Roop and the River Crossing
What was the Partition? What ripples do we see today, and how do people in power continue to exploit communal politics? These are difficult questions that one often wonders about whether to discuss with children. In some ways, books that talk about our history help, books like Roop and the River Crossing.Roop and the River Crossing written by Samina Mishra and illustrated by Shivam Choudhary uses the metaphor of a kaleidoscope beautifully to look at the Partition from the eyes of a child. In the beginning, the kaleidoscope is fascinating. The ways in which broken bangles create patterns is exciting and fun. But as Roop sees the same fractured reality in the world around her, the toy loses its thrill.Gently and powerfully, the book leads us through the turmoil of Partition. What I find most important since it is a children’s book is that she focuses more on kindness and caring … [Read more...]
Wrestling Day
When I went for the White Owl Literature Festival in Nagaland a few months ago, I attended part of an event that the author Theyiesinuo Keditsu conducted on her book, Wrestling Day. She spoke about how traffic piles up on Wrestling Day. People park everywhere, and that’s something that’s perfectly acceptable on that one day because that’s just the way things are. Wrestling is huge; everyone wrestles.Before I could ask, someone else did, ‘Do women wrestle too?’ The answer was ‘yes’; she used to wrestle too!A couple of days later I watched two young boys wrestling in Khonoma. It was such a simple, fascinating affair! They engaged in three bouts, and what I especially loved was the way they dusted each other off after their match was over.All this made me all the more curious to read Wrestling Day, and it didn’t disappoint.Aneingu should be all set to wrestle, but he … [Read more...]
A Demon in Dandi
We all know about the infamous salt tax and the march to Dandi. What would the people of Dandi have felt at the time? Were people even aware of this huge political upheaval brewing in various parts of the country?A Demon in Dandi by Lavanya Karthik is part of Duckbill's Songs of Freedom series, and it reimagines a few days in this tumultuous period from the point of view of a Sherlock Holmes fan, Dinu. Dinu is slow to find motivation when it comes to Bapu's call to action. He can't spin and he can barely concentrate while he's praying. What role could he possibly have in Bapu's march to Dandi?As the story unfolds, Dinu finds that he does after all have the motivation it takes. Against the backdrop of the Dandi march, Dinu finds himself plunged in a murder mystery, one that he must solve, if only for his friend Alif. In true Sherlock Holmes style, he begins his investigation, … [Read more...]
Kadbanwadi Grasslands
Ever since grassland safaris were launched several months (years?) ago, we've been meaning to go. Although we've been on countless safaris in the forest, the grasslands were new to us, and the idea of seeing a whole range of birds, in addition to the possibility of hyenas, foxes and wolves was exciting! Finally, last week, we went to Kumbhargaon, which is where we usually go birdwatching (I blogged about it in 2015 and in 2018), and from there, on to Kadbanwadi.The grass, as you can see, is dry, and the weather was hot. Not ideal for a safari, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. The vast expanse of dry, brown grass stretches for as far as you can see. Yet, the number of birds we saw was incredible. I saw birds I've never seen before, and I'm sure I won't identify unless I get to see them many more times!I don't carry a camera, so I don't have pictures other than the ones that Karan … [Read more...]
With the Fire on High
With the Fire on High is my third book by Elizabeth Acevedo, and the first in prose. I loved it! Just like The Poet X and Clap When You Land, it meets difficult, controversial situations head-on, with courage and optimism.Emoni Santiago's life is not easy. Her mother died in childbirth, and her father, whom she calls Julio, is an escapist. He fled to Puerto Rico at the first available opportunity, leaving Emoni to be raised by his mother, Emoni's 'Buela. When Emoni finds herself pregnant in her freshman year, she knows she must decide what to do, and live with the decision she makes every day. And she decides to keep her baby.Yet, courage and love are only one part of the story; another significant part is the magic of food, the kind you may find in a book like Chocolat. Emoni's fingers are magical and the food she makes, guided by instinct, makes people cry, warms them up, or … [Read more...]
Some Places More than Others
Finding your roots can be such a complicated thing. Amara has never visited New York City, where her father grew up, and there's nothing she wants more than to go meet her father's family and get to know them. What's even more intriguing is that even before she goes, she learns tiny things like the fact that her Grandma Grace died on the day Amara was born. Or the fact that her father hasn't spoken to his father for twelve years. Could she have had something to do with that?Amara manages to convince her mother to let her embark on a journey to New York City with her father, and she has more than one project to do while she's there. For one, she must find out about her family both because she really wants to and because of a school project. For another, she must ensure that her father and her Grandpa Earl spend some time with each other and work through their differences.Some … [Read more...]
Agassi and the Great Cycle Race
Agassi and the Great Cycle Race by Khyrunnisa A. and illustrated by Saumya Oberoi is another fun Silly Billy book! The cover image encapsulates the madness of the book perfectly: a parakeet sitting on an inverted saucepan worn by a boy riding a cycle!Agassi hates his name. Just because his parents are tennis fans, they didn't have to name him Agassi! He refuses to play tennis, and he much prefers to be called by his middle name, Joel.When he decides to take part in a cycle race, however, his quest for a cycle is a mixed blessing. A cycle loaned to him comes along with a parakeet that he must care for. But what should the parakeet be called but Steffi?With Joel, his neighbour Zeba, and the parakeet Steffi, we go hurtling on a hilarious adventure. Joel seems to attract accidents and drama, and the book takes us through a race, film-making, accidents, an antique cycle and a … [Read more...]
Jumble Sale
Shabnam Minwalla's Jumble Sale is another delightful Silly Billy Book, a lighthearted mystery, which begins with a missing bottlebrush. Who could have stolen it? An evil crow? A ghost? Or a thin woman with a beaky nose?Jumble Sale takes us through a hilarious whodunnit featuring mischievous children Dina and Dorab Sethna, hapless parents, and a vengeful teacher, Tinaz Toddywala. Of course, we know who stole the blackboard, the Aadhaar card and the 'No Parking' sign. The question is, how will the whole story unravel?With Tinaz Toddywala, I found myself singing, Justchoo wait, Dorab-Dina, Justchoo wait! with a thrill of pleasure. With the children, I found myself chuckling and hoping they get away with mischief. And with their parents, particular Mrs Sethna, I had every sympathy!The pictures by Isha Mangalmurti make Jumble Sale all the more delightful--my favourite character … [Read more...]
The Double Life of Danny Day
The Double Life of Danny Day by Mike Thayer is such an unusual book! I haven't read anything quite like it ever before, and I loved it!Danny Day is unique. He lives every day twice. As a very young child, he doesn't understand what's happening to him. He remembers conversations that never happened, and he can freakily predict what is going to happen. His parents consult one doctor after another because Danny himself has no idea why the world is so confusing. An unusual therapist, open-minded and observant, finally helps him figure out what is happening and how to deal with it.The story opens several years later, when Danny has grown used to his 'Discard Days' and his 'Sticky Days' as he calls them. Discard Days are days he experiences alone, which prepare him for the day ahead. Sticky Days are the days everyone remembers.When Danny befriends Zak, he begins to realise that … [Read more...]