We're going to read my hOle book, The Clockwala's Clues at my book club in April 2025! I've done many author events based on the book, but they've all been in-person sessions. Looking forward to my first online session with the book. Puzzles Jasmine and Sheba love puzzles. Do you? Can you solve a set of puzzles about clocks and time? Tongue Twisters If two witches were watching two watches, which witch would watch which watch?How fast can you say that? Have fun with Clockwala Uncle’s tongue twisters, trying to say each tongue twister faster and faster every time you try! Idiom Quiz There are so many idioms about time! Let's race against time and try to beat the clock as we do a quiz on idioms related to watches, clocks and the time. Join a book club! The Clockwala's Clues is part of a lovely series of … [Read more...]
The Scent of Roses
From the author of Boy, Bear, a poignant story that has stayed with me, comes The Scent of Roses, a book about fear, grief and loss. This latest hOle book by Adithi Rao is made all the more beautiful by Krishna Bala Shenoi's brilliant illustrations. When Sajad's Abu disappears, his Mauji and Badebub try to fill the gaping hole in his life. But it isn't enough. The terrifying Bram Bram Chok takes over, pushing Sajad to act in strange and unpredictable ways. For instance, he loses his temper and shouts at Jabbar, who is fourteen years old and cannot even recite the nine-times table. He feels remorse, of course, for he knows how simple and innocent Jabbar is. But what can Sajad do to quieten Bram Bram Chok? Can he just escape? The Scent of Roses reminds us of the impossibility of running away from grief. And yet, the problem with grief is that it erupts in the most unpredictable … [Read more...]
Top 7 Picture Books and Chapter Books – 2024
It's time for my yearly roundups! I have no idea how many books I read last year (I never count), but I know I read a significant number. I read fewer picture books than usual, but I made up for that by reading dozens of chapter books.I always share these annual posts of mine with a disclaimer---not all these books were published in 2024; I just read them in 2024.A second disclaimer---I received several of these books as review copies from the publishers. This does not influence my opinion of the books; I review only ones that I enjoy.And now, here's the first of my lists - my favourite picture books and early chapter books. Three Hook Books and one hOle book feature on the list! What Happened to Grandpa What Happened to Grandpa by Nandini Nayar and Aditi Anand is a beautiful picture book about love and loss. A bittersweet story about coming to … [Read more...]
Boo-Boo the Eco-Warrior
I don't like horror stories, but what about stories featuring a friendly, helpful ghost? Boo-Boo the Eco-Warrior is one of those! Written almost like a series of short stories, this book by Tanushree Podder is a child-friendly read, made all the more engaging by the use of varied font sizes and, of course, pictures. Boo-Boo the ghost, along with her human friend Tanya, embark on a set of adventures including a rescue mission and justice for an old man employed by a cruel shopkeeper. I'm sure my book club will enjoy this one! A Ghostly Friend Wouldn't it be useful to have a friend who can turn invisible at will? What adventures would you go on together? Tanya and Boo-Boo have some answers, but I know that my book clubbers will have more! Newspaper Bags Schools often use the phrase "art integration", something that is an integral … [Read more...]
Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom
Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom opens with the oracle at Delphi predicting the fall of the Titans. The future is misty and the oracle’s glasses are foggy, so she can’t quite tell what will happen. What lies ahead? Dancers? Oh, no. Danger. Danger lies ahead.On that humorous note, we begin the story of Zeus, who has no idea that he isn’t an ordinary ten-year-old boy. Sure, it often feels like the lightning is after him, but then, that isn’t possible, is it? It’s a coincidence. It has to be. Except for the fact that each time lightning strikes him, he hears a voice saying, "You are the one."I thoroughly enjoyed reading Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom, which made me sure that my book club would love it too. Adventure, suspense and a good dose of mythology make it a fun read! Chip English At the temple in Delphi, Zeus discovers a rock chip, which … [Read more...]
Mini’s Questions
We read Mini's Books a while ago, and it was fun! As a couple of book clubbers who read it with me have already signed up for the February 2025 edition, I decided to read another book from the series. The familiarity of characters always makes for a fun reading experience!Children have more questions than adults can answer, and soon enough, adults get fed up of answering their endless questions. But what if questions can help solve a mystery? Would parents sit up and take notice? Like the rest of the Mini series, Mini's Questions is a simple, early reader chapter book that brings pictures and text together in an engaging way! Questions Often, when I ask children if they have any questions, they have none. But what about if I give them a picture and a few guiding questions? Let's see what other questions they have! A curious mind leads to all … [Read more...]
Petu Pumpkin: Tooth Troubles
Another edition of my book club, another hOle book! We've read nineteen so far, and I'm running out of ones I think my book clubbers will enjoy! I read Petu Pumpkin: Tooth Troubles four years ago. It is fun and light, and we'll have fun with it, especially as it's the first book we will read next month. Book Cover What's happening in the cover image? Before we start reading, we'll talk about the book cover and try to imagine what the boys are doing. We'll take this one step further and write about the emotions the children are likely to feel too. The Gap Club I love the idea of the Gap Club! As a child (and a devourer of books about clubs), I set up multiple clubs with various different agendas. If you could set up a club, what would the club be called? What would your mission statement be? Can you design a logo for the … [Read more...]
Kushti Kid
I've read and enjoyed so many of Vibha Batra's books that when I saw Kushti Kid, I knew I had to read it. And it's lovely! Several of Vibha's books challenge stereotypes, particularly gender stereotypes. There's Pinkoo Shergill, which features a boy who wants to cook. Kolam Kanna is about a boy who enjoys putting kolam. And The Chhau Champ has at its centre a girl who wants to do chhau. Many of her books are favourites of mine and more importantly, favourites at my book club. Kushti Kid, Vibha's latest book with Scholastic India, is the story of Qainaat, who, inspired by a movie she watches, wants to become a wrestler. Contrary to her family's expectations, her attraction to wrestling isn't just a fleeting infatuation; it lingers. And so, she joins a summer course ... and meets with one obstacle after another. Can a girl wrestle? Should she stand up to institutional bullying? … [Read more...]
In the Bear’s Den
Little Shambu is such fun! I read In the Bear's Den and Other Adventures of Little Shambu some time ago, and at my book club, we read the first book in the Little Shambu series earlier this year. Short stories are fun! I'm looking forward to reading more of this young animal lover's adventures with my book club! Dialogue Role play for dialogue reading is something that I repeat frequently at my book club. Paying attention to paragraph structure and punctuation, and understanding how we know who says what is an important step towards creating stories as the children grow older! Drawing an Animal When we read Ostrich Girl, we discovered that drawing an ostrich isn't actually very difficult. What about a bear? We'll draw a bear together and perhaps a couple of other animals too! Unscramble I know that unscrambling words … [Read more...]
The Magic Finger
I typically shy away from very well-known books at my book club because I feel that children will come across these books through schools and bookshops anyway. But I've always loved Roald Dahl's work, and what is a book club for if not to spark the joy of reading? We've read Fantastic Mr Fox and Esio Trot. Next month, we'll read The Magic Finger! Anger While all of us might wish we had a magic finger to zap someone who makes us angry, that isn't practical, is it? What do you do when you're angry? What makes you angry? Superpowers Discussing superpowers is a great way to get creative. What superpowers would you like to have? What would you do with those superpowers?Taking this further, what superpowers would you need to solve specific problems that we see around us? Book Review With my book club for ages seven and … [Read more...]
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