A Little History I started conducting reading and writing workshops for children in 2013 at the British Library, Pune. It was fun, and the library space was exciting. Both as standalone events and as part of the library's larger Reading Challenges, it seemed to me that libraries were ideal for workshops of the kind I liked to conduct.Soon, I contacted other libraries and conducted sessions elsewhere too - at Just Books, Atta Galatta, The Story Station ... Sometimes, the response was excellent, overwhelming. At other times, no one showed up.As someone starting out, this was, naturally, demotivating! But I kept at it ... for reasons I won't get into right now. The Current Scenario Since 2020, I've been teaching primarily online. And in some ways, teaching online is the same. For instance, right now, four of my six batches are sold out! All my batches have enough participants … [Read more...]
Strangus Derangus
Strangus Derangus & Other Adventures of Little Shambu is another book that I enjoyed hot off the press. It's a collection of short stories, perfect for my book club because we can read three full stories together in class, leaving the other three for the children to read on their own. Role Play There's nothing like role play to help children understand how dialogue and all its complicated rules work! When we read The Reading Race and Yikes! Bikes!, I realised that although children love role play, many of them take a little time to figure out who's saying what. By the end of it, though, everyone enjoys it tremendously.Strangus Derangus & Other Adventures of Little Shambu is dialogue-rich, making it perfect for an activity of this sort! Exhibition In the story "Strangus Derangus", Little Shambu sets up an exhibition of interesting … [Read more...]
By Royal Appointment
Although I did read several books by Jeffrey Archer when I was in college, I never grew to be a fan the way so many of my friends were. Yet, I thoroughly enjoyed By Royal Appointment--rendered even more delightful by Priya Kuriyan's illustrations. By Royal Appointment There's nothing like listening to the author read out a part of the book, and Jeffrey Archer has shared a 6-minute excerpt on his website, which we will listen to together. We will then try to design a "By Royal Appointment" seal, the one that we think will be found on every product tested by the King and Queen of Littleland. Echo and Narcissus The best part of reading a short book is that we have the time to explore so much else! Queen Echo of Littleland is a zany character, but she gives us the excuse to explore the word echo and the story that led to the creation of the word. … [Read more...]
Bat and the End of Everything
Exactly a year ago, I posted about A Boy Called Bat, which we read at the April 2023 edition of my book club. We loved the book, and the rest of the series has been on my mind ever since then. In April 2024, we're finally going to read Bat and the End of Everything, the last book in the BAT series. A lovely book with a neurodivergent boy at the centre, Bat and the End of Everything is a heart-warming story about family, friendship, and big emotional decisions. Bat knows--and has always known--that the skunk kit he adopted needs to be released into the wild. But what can he do to make his goodbye easier? Not giving it away, but the end of the book is the best part of the story! Animal Trivia Each time I work with a book about animals, I'm amazed at the amount of trivia children know and want to share. This time, leading from a conversation about the … [Read more...]
When Jiya Met Urmila
I read Shabnam Minwalla's When Jiya Met Urmila at least two years ago. I can't believe I didn't review it on my blog! I think I was probably waiting to use it at my book club, which didn't happen for several reasons. I think we'd read too many books by the same writer--Lucky Girl, The Shy Supergirl and Nimmi's Dreadtastic Detective Days. Whatever the reason, I'm so glad I noticed the book on my shelf again when I was choosing my books for the April edition of my book club! Peek and Seek Just like Miss Nutty (aka Miss Rati), we'll play Peek and Seek at the book club. Maybe I won't ask the children to find a snail or a shoe flower. But I already have a list of things that we'll try to find before our time runs out. Super Similes As I reread When Jiya Met Urmila, I loved all the unexpected ways in which Shabnam Minwalla uses words. It is foolish … [Read more...]
My Year in Workshops: 2023
Writing sessions from the car. Book club sessions from a misal shop on the highway. Guest sessions in my dance class hall. 2023 was a year when I seemed to be juggling rather a lot, especially as my writing programmes were bursting at the seams, plus I started an in-person writers' club at St. Mary's School, Pune, once more! Book Clubs Book Club Reads 2023 (ages 9 and 10) Juggling schedules was often difficult, but my book club for ages nine and ten saw a lot of new participants from different parts of the world. I had book clubbers from all over the country, as usual, but also London and Singapore! In 2023, I also met several of my regular book clubbers in person for the first time. In Bengaluru, especially, it was a joy to meet so many children who've read with me.My book club for ages seven and eight was relatively slow. We did … [Read more...]
The Very Glum Life of Tootoolu Toop
We've read The Very Glum Life of Tootoolu Toop before and I can't wait to read it again!I know it's longer than the books I usually choose, plus every batch of children is different, with mixed reading levels. Once more, I find myself asking, will it be too ambitious to read it in three classes with a bunch of children?The answer is still the same - possibly. Yet, there are so many things that draw me to the story that I am willing to take the chance again! It worked once; I know that for sure. Also, considering the number of children I meet who love fantasy, I think this will be a wonderful way to end the reading programme. Magic Stories about magic are fun to read and fun to write. What makes a magical world come alive? What magical words can we create?Even when I reviewed Tootoolu Toop, I mentioned how I love the influence of Indian languages on the … [Read more...]
The Canary Caper
It's been 25 years since The Canary Caper was published, and it's still such a joy to read! We read the first of the A to Z Mysteries, The Absent Author, in April 2021. When I met the some of the same children again in June, several of them were devouring the rest of the series. I'm now looking forward to introducing the series to a new set of enthusiastic 7- and 8-year-olds!As I read The Canary Caper, I was struck by many little details. On the one hand, I was upset about the animals in the circus. Of course, this is something we will discuss at my book club--animal rights. On the other hand, I was delighted that Ruth Rose pooh-poohs the idea of becoming a car salesman because she wants to be President! And then, she rubs it in by adding that it's saleswoman, not salesman. Reading the book with my book club is going to be such a … [Read more...]
An Alien in the Jam Factory
An Alien in the Jam Factory is such a fun read! A book that celebrates ideas is the best kind of book to read with children. The very first page is filled with doodles and ideas--like a jam slice, which is like a cheese slice that you can put straight into a sandwich. What else can we do as we read the book? Food Ideas Create your own wacky jam recipe! Scooter, the protagonist of An Alien in the Jam Factory, creates wasp-repelling jam, Brussels sprout jam, cherry bomb jam and more. What can we make? What kind of jam do the children at my book club think will be fun and delicious? Waiting to find out! Alien Creative writing is an integral part of my book club for ages nine and ten, so let's imagine aliens of our own. If an alien landed in your balcony, what would you do? What problems would you face and how would you solve them? Would you … [Read more...]
Trunk Call for Ajju
Even when I read and reviewed Trunk Call for Ajju in June 2023, I knew it would be one of my book club reads soon enough. A book about children and animals always holds a special place in my heart, and elephants are extra special. Here's what we'll do as we read the book. Money-Making Ideas Children's business ideas are fascinating! If you had to raise money for a cause you believed in, what would you do? How do you think you could make money?Just like Making Millions and Amelia Bedelia Means Business, Trunk Call for Ajju is the perfect book to explore entrepreneurship! Talent Show Ajju and his best friend Karthik take part in a talent competition that they're determined to win. What would you do to win a talent show? In the past, at my book clubs, we've had all kinds of performances - piano, solving Rubik's cubes, the flute, recorder ... It's … [Read more...]