I love this exercise – of looking back at all the books I read and loved in the year that went by. This year, I found it even more difficult to distinguish between various age-groups. Longer picture books are like early chapter books; late middle-grade books are like early young adult books. And so, this year, I begin with two disclaimers.
The first is my annual disclaimer: not all these books were published in 2022. Several were published earlier; I just read them in 2022.
And the second: reading levels differ widely, so children read different books at different ages. Some of these books can be read by ages five and above. Others might be better for slightly older children.
The Manic Panic
I read The Manic Panic less than a month ago, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
There’s so much to love about this book – the story, the very-responsible-protagonist, the illustrations, the narrative voice … it’s a delight!
I Want a Pet
I Want a Pet is the third Hook Book I read, and my favourite so far! Hilarious and unpredictable, it is a treat from start to end.
In general, I like the format of the Hook Books – perfect for readers who want to transition from picture books to chapter books. Designed to look like a chapter book – and therefore a more grown-up book – I love how the text and illustrations go together to create a sense of reading just a little more than your regular picture book.
The Boy Who Loved Birds
Honestly, three books from the Dreamers series stood out to me this year – The Boy Who Loved Birds, The Girl Who Was a Forest, and The Boys Who Created Malgudi. Why did I choose this one for my list then? Probably because I am a huge fan of Salim Ali’s work. The Book of Indian Birds is my trusty guide, no matter where I go, and to imagine his childhood through this beautiful, stunningly illustrated story? Perfect!
Ritu Weds Chandni
What does one say about an important book? Often, I don’t like books that seem to be written with an agenda – to fill a gap in the industry. Yet, Ritu Weds Chandni worked for me. Sweet and simple, it doesn’t gloss over homophobia, even while celebrating the love between two women who are all set to marry.
गोल!
I read very little in Hindi, and honestly, I ended up reading this one primarily because it was published around the same time that I invited Neha Singh to do a guest session with the children at my writing programme. And I loved it.
Heena longs to play football with all the girls she watches from her window. But she knows that convincing her parents to allow her to play isn’t going to be easy. Do young people ever avoid things that aren’t easy? My answer would be ‘no’, and this book reaffirms that!
Here’s to more picture books in 2023! Watch out for my next post – about chapter books I read and loved last year.
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