We had nearly twenty participants during the first guest session of the season, an illustration workshop with Lavanya Karthik!Focusing particularly on her Dreamers series, Lavanya talked about her creative process, and how she chose various art styles for different books. The idea of the session was to get participants to work towards creating a self-portrait. To do this, she introduced three styles that she researched and used in her books--miniature Mughal art, which she brought into The Boy Who Loved Birds, Bhil art, which features in The Girl Who Loved to Sing, and mosaic art, which you can find in The Boy Who Built a Secret Garden.Step by step, she led the participants towards the final activity, asking them to list personality traits, choose a symbol or motif that represents them, and work on an elaborate frame, drawing from miniature paintings. We didn't have much time to … [Read more...]
Blame It on the Untz
Blame It on the Untz by Lavanya Karthik is such a fun book! From the crocodile of group work to music making and competition, there's so much we can do with this book at my book club! Once more, it's part of a series--POFFS. I don't yet know whether I will read the others in the series with my book clubbers, but I'm happy to introduce the series to them. They can decide whether they'd like to read the other books in the set!Meanwhile, here's what we will do as we read. Beatboxing I wonder: do the children at my book club know how to beat box? I've never asked! But Faizal in the story is a beatboxer, and perhaps we can give it a shot too. Just by chance I came across a fun beatboxing activity recently, and I can't wait to try it out! The Crocodile of Group Work For Adi, the protagonist of Blame It on the Untz, group work is like a … [Read more...]
Blame It on the Untz
I learned one new word when I read Left-Out Paru, and I learned another when I read Blame It on the Untz! Untz. What a delightful word! And just like so many books I've read by Lavanya Karthik, Blame It on the Untz is such a fun book!Adi is excellent at the keyboard. And he never tires of telling people that. The problem is that for the Music Gala, he is stuck with a group that is nowhere near as serious as he is about winning a medal! It looks like his arch-nemesis, Risha (alternatively spelt as Hhriisha or Hrryssa or Rriisha), is all set to win. What can Adi do about it?Maybe it's time to feel the Untz with Fuzzy, aka Faizal. The problem is that Adi isn't ready to do that.Full of quirky characters like Angry Angira and Human Spelling Bee Hhriisha (and even a dangerous cat), Blame It on the Untz is a hilarious story with unpredictable twists and turns that keeps you … [Read more...]
A Demon in Dandi
We all know about the infamous salt tax and the march to Dandi. What would the people of Dandi have felt at the time? Were people even aware of this huge political upheaval brewing in various parts of the country?A Demon in Dandi by Lavanya Karthik is part of Duckbill's Songs of Freedom series, and it reimagines a few days in this tumultuous period from the point of view of a Sherlock Holmes fan, Dinu. Dinu is slow to find motivation when it comes to Bapu's call to action. He can't spin and he can barely concentrate while he's praying. What role could he possibly have in Bapu's march to Dandi?As the story unfolds, Dinu finds that he does after all have the motivation it takes. Against the backdrop of the Dandi march, Dinu finds himself plunged in a murder mystery, one that he must solve, if only for his friend Alif. In true Sherlock Holmes style, he begins his investigation, … [Read more...]
The Girl Who Played with Numbers – Shakuntala Devi
The Girl Who Played with Numbers by Lavanya Karthik is a lovely addition to her series of biographies for very young readers. A little note tells us that the illustrations in this book about Shakuntala Devi are inspired by the Mysore school of painting. While this isn’t my favourite style, I love the fact that the choice isn’t random.I also enjoyed the story, and the part I loved best was the childlike desire to stop studying and be allowed to play instead. Shakuntala Devi may have been a genius and a prodigy, but she was, after all, a child! I like that the story mentions it without dwelling on it.The Dreamers series is a delightful one, ideal for those looking for simple, illustrated biographical picture books. I look forward to seeing who the next dreamer in the series will be!TitleThe Girl Who Played with NumbersAuthor and illustratorLavanya KarthikTagsDreamers, Picture … [Read more...]
Four Hook Books
At a workshop recently, I showed participants a few hOle books and Hook Books. I had Malhar in the Middle (one of my favourites), The Clockwala's Clues (because how could I not?), Cyrus the Whyrus (a delightful new Hook Book) and Passepartout, Is That You? (because I love how readers are active participants in the hunt for Passepartout).And not one of the teachers in the room had heard of either series. This made me realise (again) how much we need to leave reviews and talk about books we read! Wet Paint 4/5 Wet Paint, written by Asha Nehemiah and illustrated by Chetan Sharma, is a sweet, fun book. The illustrations are especially delightful: even on the cover, I love Paru's shiny, bright eyes! The enthusiasm and energy we see there take us through the twists and turns of a story about finding something … [Read more...]
The Boy Who Loved Birds
There's something special about Lavanya Karthik's Dreamers series. With so little, each book does so much!The Boy Who Loved Birds is about Salim Ali as a boy. What questions did he have? What led him to become a world-famous ornithologist?Like all the other books in the series, the illustrations in The Boy Who Loved Birds are gorgeous. Accompanied by simple text, the book invites us to keep turning the pages, following little Saloo as he searches for answers. Are there different kinds of sparrows? Can Saloo brave the Natural History Museum and find out?A lovely, slim book, The Boy Who Loved Birds is the perfect addition to a beautiful series.TitleThe Boy Who Loved BirdsAuthor and illustratorLavanya KarthikTagsBiography, Chapter Book, DreamersRating (out of 5)4.5Age-group6+ … [Read more...]
Dreamers – Lavanya Karthik
I finally read the next two books in Lavanya Karthik's series, Dreamers. I read the first two nearly a year ago! Once more, the visuals are gorgeous. And the stories? Simple and delightful.Janaki wants to be like the birds her father loves so much. They lurk in his eyes and make his eyes shine. But her father tells her she isn't a bird; she's like a tiny mangrove seed. Janaki is most offended - she doesn't want to be a seed! But when she learns what it means to be a seed, we see her lighting up. We experience with her the joy of possibility, and the idea that a seed contains a forest. In fact, a seed is a forest. The Girl Who Was a Forest is such a beautiful tale!The Boys Who Created Malgudi made me smile. Lavanya Karthik's portrayal of R.K. Laxman, especially, is exactly how I would imagine the cartoonist to have been as a boy! From the whimsical cover to the words and illustrations … [Read more...]
Dreamers
Dreamers.What a beautiful title for a series of illustrated stories about children who dared to dream and then dared to live their dream. The first two books in the series are about light and song, and I found that quite lovely too.Richly illustrated with stark, contrasting colours, The Boy Who Played with Light and The Girl Who Loved to Sing are a visual treat.Shadows lurk everywhere, even as the young Satyajit Ray hunts for the light. He tries to draw them out; he runs from them; he watches them from corners. Until he discovers the magic of light and darkness and the beauty they create together.Satyajit Ray's story was lovely, but to be honest, I enjoyed Teejan Bai's story much more. Red, black and white come together to create powerful pictures, and I love the use of repetition. Jhunjhuni! Pagalpana! Teejan sings!'Teejan sings', especially, is such a powerful affirmation. How strange … [Read more...]
Books I Read in January 2020
I wrote already about the three hOle books I read, as well as about The Lilliputians. But there's so much more, as always, especially as I was travelling! Instead of doing one post per book, here's a list of books I read and loved.Neel on WheelsNeel on Wheels is a lovely picture book written by Lavanya Karthik (who also created the cover of The Prophecy of Rasphora) and illustrated by Habib Ali. I love picture books that play with rhyme and rhythm! In this delightfully imaginative book, Neel's wheelchair becomes his superpower. It can fight dragons and can scare monsters away!TitleNeel on WheelsRating (out of 5)5GenrePicture bookBoo! When My Sister DiedStories about dealing with grief are so important! I remember attending a session on death, divorce and other difficult subjects at the AFCC 2017 and thinking that we needed more books … [Read more...]