I stare at my laptop screen, wondering how to write about Nida Finds a Way. It's such an important book. A book that makes me oh-so-curious about how a child would respond. What would children say that this story is about? Would they giggle and keep reading on and on to see how Nida balances her love for her anxious father and her need to climb trees, ride cycles and live? Children read what they want to read in stories, and I am always amazed by that. So, would children read Nida Finds a Way as a story about Shaheen Bagh? I somehow doubt it, and that's the reason why I think the book is so precious. As a child, I would have laughed at over-protective Abba, his NONONO, YESYESYES and his twitching beard. I would have been bothered to distraction about the illustration on page 24 where Abba's left arm is injured instead of his right. And I would have loved how Nida manages to sneak out … [Read more...]
Five Picture Books I Recently Loved
Once more, I've been so busy with so many things that I haven't had the time to read much or write. Each day, I spend such a large chunk of time planning what to do during my reading and writing sessions that I end up unwinding by doing something that rests my eyes, instead of taxing them some more! But picture books are an exception, aren't they? One Ted Falls Out of Bed One Ted Falls Out of Bed by Julia Donaldson and Anna Currey is a book about numbers written in a way that only Julia Donaldson can carry off. I am not usually a fan of books that also teach you something, but this one is such an imaginative adventure that I loved it! One teddy bear, two eyes, three mice ... This midnight escapade is lovely from start to end. Sadiq Wants to Stitch I've wanted to read Sadiq Wants to Stitch written by Mamta Nainy and illustrated by Niloufer Wadia for a while … [Read more...]
What I’ve Been Reading on StoryWeaver
Every so often, I write about books I've read on StoryWeaver that have left an impression on me in one way or another. Free books are precious! And over 30,000 free books? Priceless! Here are a few I read and loved recently. In the past, most of the books I've read have been Level 1 and Level 2 books, but somehow, in the last few months, I've been drawn to slightly longer books. Though I've divided them into broad themes, each story is more than just the theme I've chosen for it. Friendship Friendship takes various forms, and, in some ways, perhaps most of the books on my list this time are about friendship. Goplu's Train Ride written by Timira Gupta and illustrated by Parmita Mukherjee explores that glorious moment of friendship that is full of possibility and yet, complete in itself. I love it. Can you make a friend through the bars of a local train? … [Read more...]
The Tigers in the Tower
I've lost track of the number of times I've written about Julia Golding's books - the Cat Royal series, the Peril trilogy, the Dragonfly trilogy, the Darcie Lock series ... And now, The Tigers in the Tower. I would not say it is my favourite work by Julia Golding - not even close - but I did enjoy it! Sahira, the protagonist of the story, is a little spitfire. She might be an orphan, but she's not going to be a meek little lamb, giving everything up to the greedy Mr Pence. Other adults try to be peacemakers, paying Mr Pence to calm troubled waters, but Sahira is riled up with the injustice of it all. However, as time rolls by, one hope after another is stripped away. How long can her temper and spirit keep her going? The bullies aren't just children; they're adults. And these adults wield power over Sahira's life. Even as the young girl makes friends, she learns that her … [Read more...]
Mirror, Mirror
Fat shaming. It's so rooted in society and family that it often goes unnoticed. Sometimes, it wears the garb of concern - oh, you've put on so much weight; is everything okay? At other times, it's downright cruel. Ananya, the protagonist of Mirror, Mirror, faces the second kind. The words she hears echo through her head, making her recoil with disgust when she looks at herself in the mirror. Miss Piggy. Fat cow. How did she never notice how fat and ugly she was? How could she have thought it was okay? Mirror Mirror was pacy from start to end. That is something I love about Andaleeb Wajid's writing: her books make you keep turning the pages, not noticing when one chapter ends and another begins. I found that with When She Went Away, which I read three years ago, and then again with Mirror, Mirror. While fat-shaming forms the centre of the story, the narrative steers away from … [Read more...]
Queen of Fire
When I started reading Queen of Fire, I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy it. I expected to read something new and captivating, even though I knew that the protagonist was the rani of Jhansi. But all the opening scenes were familiar to me. We've studied the history of the independence movement in India in such excruciating detail that there is no way I can forget about the revolt of 1857, the story of Mangal Pandey, the Doctrine of Lapse, or the tale of the cartridges greased with the fat of cows and pigs. This made Queen of Fire completely different from the other two books in this series. I knew nothing about Didda before reading Queen of Ice, and I had not heard of Queen Prithvimahadevi until I read Queen of Earth. Would Queen of Fire be completely familiar? The answer was no. If anything, I think Queen of Fire is the most powerful of the three books. Once I got sucked into … [Read more...]
On Reading a Series, Reading Snobbery and Binge Reading
I often come across parents who complain that their children read only Geronimo Stilton, or only Wimpy Kid. Or only Dork Diaries, or ... what else? If social media had existed when I was a child, parents would probably have been fretting about children reading only Enid Blyton--except for the fact that snobbery around the act of reading is a real thing. It is considered far more acceptable to read Enid Blyton (never mind the gender stereotypes and racism--we turned out okay, right?) than to read Geronimo Stilton. Here's why I think that's so. Enid Blyton was British. On the whole, there was (is?) derision of everything but the Queen's English. Only proper English, thank you very much, no Americanisms, and definitely no slang.Morals. Yes, parents are obsessed with reading being educational. (I know, not all parents. I know. My parents, for instance, weren't.) Good girls and boys do … [Read more...]
Esio Trot
Who doesn't love Esio Trot? Teg reggib, esio trot, teg reggib!There was a time when I knew the book so well that I could say the whole chant that Mr Hoppy tells Mrs Silver to deliver to little Alfie. Have you come across the tweet about how children's books should not be given star ratings but 'again' ratings based on how many times a child asks to read the book?By that reckoning, Esio Trot is very high up on my list!It's one of those perfect transition books - neither a short story nor a chapter book. Neither a picture book nor a book with just words. That makes it ideal for my reading programme for seven and eight-year-olds! Backward Games A book club is all about having fun with books. It's about celebrating the joy of reading. And that's why one of the things we're going to do is talk backwards, just for a bit. Plan what you want to say and write … [Read more...]
Looking Back at Another Reading Programme
I love sharing stories with children, and this time's batch of seven and eight-year-olds was even more fun than most. With each workshop I conduct, I treasure the stories we create together. The little anecdotes, the bubbles of laughter, the wide-eyed astonishment - these make workshops special! I wrote about a class where we spoke about monitors and Maya in a Mess; that was just the first of four books we read together, and each one brought joy. One of the activities we did with the book was to try to keep something safe for six weeks. Maya loses the cupboard key. How about the children at my workshop?During the first class, I asked them to find something smaller than the hole in the hOle book, wrap it in paper and keep it safe. I did it too, as you can see, and the paper has my name and the date on it.During the last class, I asked them to show their … [Read more...]
Fantastic Mr Fox
Fantastic Mr Fox is a classic. And the combination of Roald Dahl and Sir Quentin Blake is magic.I've never yet chosen a Roald Dahl for my reading programme because I reckoned that most children would already have been exposed to his books, and a book club is about discovering books you haven't read before. Yet, as I mulled over what to include this time, I asked myself, again, what the purpose of a reading programme is. Often, I use the tagline 'Celebrate the joy of reading'. If it's about the joy of reading, how can I not include books I've adored and devoured as a child?Rereading Fantastic Mr Fox now, I'm astounded at how much I liked it when I was younger. I was never one to like disgusting humour. I didn't like toilet jokes. I didn't like anything that was yucky. What made Dahl different?I think, possibly, it was the fact that the disgust was not the point of the story. Also, when Mr … [Read more...]
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