We've read two books from the Ready, Freddy series at my book club, and I'm happy to read another! While I cannot say I love the books, I see how well they suit a book club. They are easy to read, full of illustrations, and great conversation starters. The Perfect Present is a Christmas story. Freddy is making a list of everything he wants for Christmas. His list is endless, but predictably, the story leads us towards an understanding of the spirit of Christmas. Book Activities The Ready, Freddy series is full of readymade activities - finding the hidden fin in each picture, a word puzzle, and a craft activity too! Festivals I remember a book club session some time ago when a child told us all about Onam! A book about Christmas will be the prompt for the children to talk about their favourite festivals--which ones they celebrate, … [Read more...]
Sita’s Chitwan
Last year, I invited Vaishali Shroff to conduct a workshop for my writing programme on nonfiction. It was aptly called 'Non-Boring Nonfiction'. I rarely read nonfiction, and I don't think I've ever read nonfiction with my book club. I find it easier to introduce nonfiction elements through books like A Cello on the Wall and A Giant Leap.Once more, that is what I will be doing with Sita's Chitwan. Half the book is a story, the story of eight-year-old Sita, who lives on the outskirts of Chitwan National Park. The other half of the book lets us explore Chitwan National Park, introducing us to its vegetation, people, animals and birds. I'm waiting to read this book with my book clubbers next month! Paw Prints Often, when we visit the jungle, guides tell us that the job of a guide is much like the job of a detective. Following tracks, looking for … [Read more...]
Peanut Has a Plan
We read Peanut Vs the Piano over two years ago at my book club, and it was such fun! I wrote a blog post about one of the activities we did as we read the book, and I look forward to repeating the activity with a fresh batch of book clubbers as we read Peanut Has a Plan. This hOle book is a lovely little chapter book about determination and kindness. With an enterprising character at the centre of the story, what starts off as a desire to earn money becomes much more than that. Peanut, together with her twin brothers Papad and Pickle, comes up with one plan after another to show that she's responsible and can do something worth talking about at Show and Tell in school! Names Peanut, Papad and Pickle - I sure hope their parents named them after things they like! What if your parents named you after their favourite food? What would your name … [Read more...]
Ottoline at Sea
As far as possible, I try to source books from independent bookstores for my book clubs. And so, when Eureka Books informed me that Ottoline Goes to School was out of stock with the publisher, I decided to read Ottoline at Sea with the June edition of my book club instead! It feels like a win-win for me because I'm reading one Ottoline book with my May batch and another with my June batch!Ottoline at Sea is another delightful book featuring the intrepid Ottoline and her friend Mr Munroe. Just like the others in the series, it is a perfect mixture of serious and hilarious because of the seriousness with which it addresses impossibility. I know that humour of this kind is not every child's cup of tea, but the illustrations are sure to delight them all, even those who aren't drawn into the story! Collections Just like when we read Ottoline and the … [Read more...]
Lucky, It’s Summer!
A story told from the point of view of a Cocker Spaniel--what's not to love about it? As a book club read, Lucky, It's Summer! is perfect in so many ways. The lightheartedness of the story, the repetition, the in-built activities--everything about this book by Nalini Sorensen and Shamika Chaves promises to be fun! Besides, for many children who are part of my book club, it will be the summer holidays as we read the book, so what better time to enjoy it together? Speech Bubbles I often work with role-play at my book clubs and while some children instinctively understand how punctuation works for dialogue, others don't. An activity where children have to write what characters say in little speech bubbles is perfect for this. What exactly does each character say? Can we put the words into the appropriate speech bubbles? Point of … [Read more...]
Ottoline Goes to School
We read Ottoline and the Yellow Cat at my book club last year, and it was such fun. I enjoy silliness of this kind so much that the book was on my list of favourite chapter books from 2023.And Ottoline Goes to School, which I read in 2022, was one of my favourites from that year. I'm waiting to read it with my book club! Picture Postcards We've made picture postcards at my book club before and it is so much fun! I remember doing it when we read The Absolutely True Adventures of Daydreamer Dev. I sent my book clubbers postcards after that too, which was part of the fun.Since there are so many letters and postcards in Ottoline Goes to School, we'll make one of our own! Unusual Subjects At the Alice B. School for the Differently Gifted, there are some very unusual subjects, like Giggling Studies and Weeping Workshop. What other funny, … [Read more...]
A Giant Leap
I read and reviewed A Giant Leap three years ago. Since then, I've been thinking about introducing it to my book club, but it's shorter than the books I usually select, making me wonder whether it would be too simple a read. Yet, so much draws me to the book, from the childlike perspective to the exploration of a landmark event, that I decided we would read together. Here's what we'll do with it! Gravity I know that gravity as a concept is one that children study much later, but a lot of them have visited upside-down "museums". What do they think will be most difficult to do in a place without gravity? What do they think will be most fun? Moon Stories There are so many more stories about the moon! Who is the man on the moon? Is there a rabbit on the moon? Does a monster eat the moon every month?We'll explore a couple of stories, … [Read more...]
Ostrich Girl
I love introducing children to brand-new books, hot off the press! I read Ostrich Girl written by Lesley D Biswas and illustrated by Anupama Ajinkya Apte, and I loved the possibilities of exploring this book with my book club! Here's what we'll do as we read. Sounds The Secret Songsters imitate bird calls to fool tourists into believing that there are lots of birds on Henry Island. That's the perfect opportunity for us to explore bird calls! I will ask the children to imitate any birds they know, and then I'll play a few bird calls for them to identify. Bird Trivia Children love trivia! I look forward to asking the children to talk to me about birds they know, after which we will talk about a few unusual birds---including the ostrich, the roadrunner, the penguin, the drongo, and more! We'll also look at pictures of all the … [Read more...]
What Happened to Grandpa
Books spark discussion. As a book club facilitator, I know only too well how a story can lead to conversations about fear, wonder, belonging and so much more. And that is why it's delightful to see an increasing number of books touch upon themes that help with difficult conversations. Several years ago, I read Where's Grandma?, a poignant picture book (though aimed at older readers) about a child's relationship with a grandparent diagnosed with Alzheimer's. With my book club three years ago, I read Flying with Grandpa, another book that explores a similar relationship. The conversation that followed was lovely! And now, I just finished reading What Happened to Grandpa, which I loved. Big themes in deceptively simple books always make for gorgeous reads, and this picture book by Nandini Nayar fits the bill perfectly. As a creative writing educator, I also often look at books … [Read more...]
Ostrich Girl
How well can you imitate bird calls? I used to (and sometimes still do!) imitate cuckoos, parakeets, bulbuls, and lapwings. But would you mistake me for a bird? Probably not. However, on Henry Island, the Secret Songsters must accurately imitate birds so that tourists don't complain that the island is now devoid of birdsong. Unfortunately, Ritu can never get it right. The other songsters make fun of her, but worst of all, one day, she gets mistaken for an ostrich! Ritu needs to show the curious tourist an ostrich ... or confess that she was the ostrich, reveal the identity of the Secret Songsters, and be responsible for the end of tourism on Henry Island. Or perhaps she can find a third solution altogether, one that could lead to the best possible results. Ostrich Girl is a slim chapter book that touches upon a range of big themes, including the environment and the ethics of … [Read more...]
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