Day two at the Asian Festival of Children's Content was on 27 May, but I caught up with all the sessions I wanted to just yesterday. I felt like I had a time-turner because I attended three simultaneous sessions, thanks to a virtual AFCC 2022! Here's an overview of how the day was for me.Environmental Advocacy in Children's BooksThis was one of the sessions I attended synchronously, and the experience of doing that is quite different from catching up with an event later.The environmental is a subject close to my heart, and I read a lot of literature about nature and being outdoors. However, I'm a little iffy when it comes to books that are clearly issue-based, no matter what the issue may be. Story, for me, comes first, and advocacy second, not the other way around. I like it when books are subtle, with characters nudging us in particular directions. And that was one of … [Read more...]
The Art of Zines
We just had another rewarding guest session! Niloufer Wadia, an illustrator and Urban Sketcher, covered so much ground in one short hour with my creative writing programme - you can guess what I mean from the picture above! From showing us different kinds of zines to telling us about storyboarding, she led us through the process of illustrating our works, choosing what to draw and helping us understand how to draw it.The zines Niloufer showed us to begin with were lovely. Even though we're going to be creating an e-zine at my writing programme, exploring form and shape was fun! Moving towards helping us sketch on our own, she shared some limericks with us and then proceeded to show us how we could illustrate them. She began with a storyboard with very basic line drawings, and together, we came up with ideas of how to illustrate the set of limericks she chose.I also love it when … [Read more...]
Reflections: Day One at AFCC 2022
It's been four years since I attended the Asian Festival of Children's Content. 2016 - my collection of short stories (now published as Dragonflies, Jigsaws and Seashells) was shortlisted for the Scholastic Asian Book Award, so I attended for the first time.2017 - I submitted a paper titled Writing About Us, which was selected as part of a panel, so off I went for the second time.2018 - my middle grade book (now published as Red Eyes) was the first runner-up for the Scholastic Asian Book Award, and yes, I attended the AFCC again.I didn't go in 2019 and then, with the pandemic, 2020 and 2021 were out of the question too. This year, Scholastic Asia sponsored a virtual ticket for me, so of course, I've been making the most of it. Attending virtually isn't nearly as exciting as being there in person, but it does have one big advantage - I go back and attend sessions I missed because … [Read more...]
My Grandmother’s Masterpiece
So often, we think of our grandparents simply as grandparents. We are the centre of the universe after all, aren't we?But Nini discovers that there is more to her grandmother than just being a grandmother. A stray conversation leads her to ask her mother to buy a box of paints for her grandmother, her Minima. And then, a journey of discovery begins - for Nini, her grandmother and the entire family.My Grandmother's Masterpiece is a lovely story that celebrates the relationship between grandparent and grandchild, but it's more than that. It's the story of Nini's Minima who is suddenly free to do everything she wants to do all because her granddaughter got her a box of paints. Here's what we'll do with the book at my reading programme. Pictionary There's one section in th book where Nini asks her Minima if she is drawing bhoots. Minima shakes her head and … [Read more...]
The Mystery of the Suspicious Spices
Greetings from Somewhere is a popular series of chapter books, and when I chose The Mystery of the Suspicious Spices for my book club, I hadn't yet read it yet. The book I wanted was not available, and I just went with the idea that this one was popular and available. I knew I would, of course, read it well before my reading programme began.And then, as I read it, I wondered if I wanted my book club to read it. It's set in India and, simply put, doesn't work. The picture of a sari looks nothing like a sari.There's a section where an Indian character eats a paratha and wants to say that it is gross. He exclaims, 'Sakala!' I had to look it up. And I discovered that Google translate had probably been used because yes, the word means 'gross', but in the context of gross weight!How could I possibly read this at my book club?And then, I began mulling over the fact that so many children I work … [Read more...]
‘Mics It Up! – A Comic-Making Workshop
I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again. There's nothing like inviting guests to my writing programmes. The energy, the fun, the enthusiasm ... Can you believe that every participant (except me) managed to create a comic strip during the session?Greystroke, an author, illustrator, filmmaker and entrepreneur, took us through the creation of a four-panel comic strip. I learned so much! Among other things, we discussed the importance of pauses, something I mull over whenever I'm writing. Where would you pause in the telling of a joke? How do we create the perfect build-up before delivering a punchline? Each comic artist might choose a different place, and this leads to a variety of structures. Tips and tricks to help draw characters and details, the visual appeal of a variety of perspectives, the similarities between a … [Read more...]
Kukdukoo 2022
There's nothing quite like the energy of a lit fest. Children running around, reading, getting excited about books ... what more does a writer want?My first session of the day was all about my middle-grade book, Sisters at New Dawn. Do you see the sheets of paper in the children's hands? They're lists of subjects children at New Dawn choose from. I asked the children to imagine they received these lists. What would they choose? I loved listening to all their responses, and all their additions to my subject lists!But what made my session extra special is the girl in yellow right in the front. That's Sunandini, and we finally took a picture together too. She's been part of my online creative writing programme for the last two years now, and she lives in Kolkata, but she stayed back just for my session! Sunandini bought Sisters, read it one day in advance, and brought it … [Read more...]
Ghosts Don’t Eat
Ghosts Don't Eat is the third of Anushka Ravishankar's books that we're reading at my online reading programme, and it promises to be just as much fun! We read Moin and the Monster at my book club for slightly older readers and the first of the Zain and Ana books, At Least a Fish, at an earlier edition of my book club for ages seven and eight.Ghosts Don't Eat is a hilarious book. I love children with good, earnest intentions, never mind what happens next. For instance, Ana wants to investigate the ghost in her neighbour Nikhil's house, so of course she needs Zain to create some sort of distraction. And what's the first idea that comes to mind? Start a fire! Is that the best idea? Um ...I'm waiting to read Ghosts Don't Eat with my book club! Words Ana loves words. Insufferable. Namby-pamby. Alibi.What better introduction to a word game? I'd love to do … [Read more...]
Nimmi’s Dreadtastic Detective Days
It's been a year since I read Nimmi's Dreadtastic Detective Days, and I've been mulling over whether to read it at my reading programme. It's a little longer than the books we usually read, but there's so much we can do with the book that I've been tempted to choose it. Finally, I decided I would just go ahead and see how it goes, since reading levels differ so widely anyway! Here's what we'll do with it. Portmanteau Words Dreadful + Fantastic = DreadtasticHorrible + Despondent = HorrondentGuffawing + Chortling = GuffortlingI love word games at my book club! As we read Nimmi's Dreadtastic Detective Days, we'll play with portmanteau words, both real and made up. Themed Food What if you had to make a whole meal based on a theme? What theme would you choose and what would you make?We'll let our imaginations go wild as we create recipes, names of … [Read more...]
The Reading Race
Books about books are always fun to read at my reading programmes. At an earlier edition, we read a book with a few elements that didn't appeal to me. For instance, I don't like the idea of reading quickly, or a competition based on how many books you can read. I also don't like the idea of particular books being read by girls and other books being read by boys.And The Reading Race heads in the right direction on both counts! At the Read-a-thon in Freddy's school, the student who reads for the most minutes will win free books and an author visit! Plus, the teacher in the story actively challenges the idea of 'boy-books'. And finally, the idea of rewarding reading with reading is a lovely message too! There are parts of the story that are rather silly - especially the relationship between the siblings in the book - but I think the children at my book club will enjoy reading The Reading … [Read more...]