October 2023 sees us reading another brand-new book, hot off the press! I read Kolam Kanna just about a month ago, and I loved it. What's not to love about a kolam-drawing child with friends who stand up for him? Here's what we'll do as we read this book. Kolam Have you read Susheela's Kolams? If we can, we will read the story together. But whether we can or not, we will try to make a kolam in class. I remember being fascinated by kolams because of the geometry and patterns. I was never good at drawing, but I loved the idea of creating a simple but quite fancy-looking kolam all based on a framework of dots.I've written about art integration before. It's an important part of learning! Themes All too often, book club discussions follow the … [Read more...]
Gathering Blue
Gathering Blue opens with an unknown character in an unknown world. Sure, it is a dystopian world, but I found myself wondering, isn't this the second book in The Giver quartet? I even went back to check that I hadn't started reading the wrong book by mistake. I hadn't. Yet, there were no overlapping characters that I could find.Soon enough, however, one similarity between the two books stood out: the utter isolation of the community in which Kira, the protagonist of Gathering Blue, lives. Like Jonas, Kira has no knowledge of the world outside. She has heard of beasts that will drag you away, and she has even heard them growl, but she has never seen a beast. She has never ventured off the beaten path, and has never dared to go beyond the Field.Where Jonas's world is too perfect, Kira's is cutthroat. When her mother dies, the other women, led by the scarred Vandara, want to take … [Read more...]
The Giver
Teaching creative writing is always eye-opening. Over time, we've worked with mythopoeia, dystopia, fantasy, adventure, and mystery, requiring us to come up with all kinds of mentor texts and examples. During the April to June 2023 edition of the programme, somehow, we kept coming back to The Giver by Lois Lowry, a book I had not read. I finally remedied that!The Giver is a powerful dystopian story, one that fills the reader with yearning. Jonas lives in the perfect community. Every morning, each family unit discusses dreams. Every night, family units discuss feelings. There is no loss, there's no needless pain, and there's no suffering. The community functions like a well-oiled machine. Each individual has a clear role to play, and when it is time, they are released from the community.Even as we read about this perfect, comfortable life, we have a niggling sense of … [Read more...]
The Wild Robot
Reading The Wild Robot with one of my book clubbers was quite the experience.'Do you think a robot can experience emotions?' I asked.'Yes,' came the confident reply, which took me by surprise.'Why would you say that?''Because it's artificial intelligence, which learns. If it can learn other things, why can't it learn to experience emotion?'And with this conversation, we started reading The Wild Robot, the story of Roz the robot, who hatches out of a crate that is washed up on the shore of a wild island. A group of curious otters turns her on with a click, and Roz springs to life--artificial life.Through Roz, author Peter Brown forces us to be curious and ask questions that have no single correct answer. For instance, how does a robot with Survival Instincts differ from an animal? Can robots experience guilt? As a student of philosophy, I remember studying several theories … [Read more...]
Dum Dum to the Rescue & Yet More Adventures of Little Shambu
I just finished reading book 3 of the Little Shambu series, and it's just as enjoyable as the others! We meet all the familiar characters--Little Shambu and family, the dog Dum Dum, Little Shambu's neighbour Shanti, the class bully JJ--as well as several new characters with names that made me chuckle. The drama teacher, for instance, is called Miss Mithi Sharbat, but more fun are the biology teacher Professor Y. Russ and the P.E. teacher, Stan D'tease!Just like the other collections of stories, Dum Dum to the Rescue & Yet More Adventures of Little Shambu comprises believable tales of an urban boy's encounters with animals. A monkey enters Little Shambu's house, Mama Shambu keeps a fox and chickens, and JJ plays a prank that involves four tame mice. Of course, Dum Dum is part of several adventures too. At the very end of the book is a lovely little backstory showing us how … [Read more...]
Five Fictional Friendships I Loved Writing
Three years ago, to celebrate Friendship Day, I wrote about five times fictional friendships won my heart. For Friendship Day 2023, here's a post about five fictional friendships I enjoyed writing. And because I can't choose which one to write about first, I've put them down in the reverse order of publication. Dhara's Revolution "I wish for you a best friend as special as Carol. Equally, I wish that each of you can be like Carol for someone in your life"That's from the acknowledgments page of Dhara's Revolution, a book that's hot off the press and will be released at the end of this month. Carol and Dhara have a very special kind of friendship. They make charts together, even if they're competing. They learn each other's speeches.Until one day, the don't.A book about friendship and rivalry, I loved writing about Carol and Dhara and what makes them the friends they … [Read more...]
Kolam Kanna
I've read two books by Vibha Batra in less than a month, and I've loved them both! So many things about Kolam Kanna were utterly delightful that this review deserves to be in bullet points, highlighting everything I loved about it.The name Bharathi! The moment I learned that Bharathi is a boy's name in the story, I could not help thinking of a little boy I met in Perani (near Puducherry) ten years ago. He won't be so little anymore, but I remember his bright eyes and his curiosity. His name? Tamilbarathi.( I liked him so much that he features in my story "Dragonflies and Tablets" in Dragonflies, Jigsaws and Seashells.) Vibha's descriptions and Jemma Jose's illustrations made me imagine Bharathi, the kolam kanna of the story, in the same way.Breaking Stereotypes A boy who likes drawing kolams? Yes, please. A girl who likes to play cricket? Yes, please. And ideas brought together in … [Read more...]
In the Bear’s Den & More Adventures of Little Shambu
Life is never humdrum with Little Shambu around, and I loved this next set of adventures too! I remember reading about how the non-violence policy of Shikari Shambu ensured that he never fired a single shot. In fact, he is more a forest ranger than a hunter, and these stories about Little Shambu set the stage for a Shikari Shambu who loves animals. From saving the life of a harmless snake to meeting an officer who rescues bears, these tales featuring Little Shambu are a lovely way to introduce environment activism in young children.At the same time, the stories don’t shy away from mirroring reality, whether it is in the context of an elephant at a temple in Kerala or a rattlesnake that needs to be returned to its natural habitat. I enjoyed also how gently the idea of livelihood versus animal rights was expressed through stories like “Shooting with a Bear”. But as with Strangus … [Read more...]
Postcard from the Lushai Brigade
What a beautiful addition to the Songs of Freedom series! Reminiscent of Private Peaceful although for a younger audience, Postcard from the Lushai Brigade is the story of a pair of brothers. And just like Michael Morpurgo's Private Peaceful, it is told from the point of view of a younger brother who idolises the elder, and the elder seems worthy of his adulation. Young Bawiha's brother Kima is everything that is perfect--generous, caring and brave. He seems larger than life, someone whom everyone loves. Yet, Kima always has time for his younger brother, and together, the boys watch stars, play make-believe, and listen to Api's enchanting stories.But perhaps Api is right. Perhaps the sap--the white Britishers--are nothing but trouble. Maybe they need to go. Maybe their battles are not the battles of the people of India. But when Mrs McCall who lives in the big bungalow is nothing … [Read more...]
Strangus Derangus and Other Adventures of Little Shambu
Much of my childhood was spent surrounded by Enid Blytons and Roald Dahls, Dick King-Smiths and Allen Frewin Joneses. But Tinkle stayed a favourite. I never got drawn to Chandamama or even Amar Chitra Katha mythology the way I was drawn to Tinkle. My grandfather subscribed to the magazine, and every so often, he would find a sheet of white card paper and bind several issues together to make a nice fat Tinkle volume, which we treasured.The problem with returning to beloved childhood tales, however, is that so often, they're nowhere near as lovely as you remember them to be. Enid Blyton is preachy. The Animal Ark books I loved so much have very little story. I haven't gone back to Suppandi, Shikari Shambu, Tantri the Mantri or Naseeruddin Hodja because I am afraid I will find them silly. That's the reason I postponed reading Little Shambu too. But I just did, and all the stories in … [Read more...]