When Katha asked me whether I would be willing to review their upcoming release, The Trickster, I thought about it. I am not usually a fan of retellings. Additionally, I don't post negative reviews; I review only books I enjoy. I decided I would take the chance, though, and I am glad I did!The Trickster (retold by Meenakshi Bharadwaj from a Native American tale) is a visual treat. Charbak Dipta's artwork is stunning, and each page makes you linger, looking at all the details. The story itself is a humorous one, with a delightful twist at the end that leaves you wondering who the trickster really is. Is it the coyote who can use his magic stick to make wishes come true? Or is it someone else altogether?This simple, quirky story comes alive because of the illustrations. As someone who enjoys working with stories, I also liked the activities at the end of the book. There are so … [Read more...]
I Am Quiet: A Story for the Introvert in All of Us
How could I not read a book with a title like this? Anyone who knows me knows that I’m happiest in my own company. If I spend time with people, I need to unwind; I need my quiet time. Yet, as a child, I was noisy and talkative, unlike Emile, the protagonist of I Am Quiet. Adults keep telling Emile not to be shy, but the truth is that he isn’t shy at all. He is just quiet. On the inside he has imaginative, colourful worlds that are vibrant and exciting. They are enough for him.I smiled page after page as I read about the places Emile inhabits in his head. The quiet confidence of an imaginative child comes through with each word, and the gentleness of the story won my heart. I love how the book is designed too, with the white space all around him showing how quiet he seems to the world outside, and the colour within that shows how perfectly happy he is. Like so many … [Read more...]
Manvinder’s Medu Vada
Manvinder's Medu Vada by Riddhi Maniar Doda and Vinayak Varma had me chuckling at each page! I could completely identify with Manvinder, who refuses to eat something that doesn't look like it's supposed to look! As a child, I had a problem with the same food--vadas. How could it be a real vada if it didn't have a hole? This, despite the fact that vadas (without holes) were made at home for special occasions, and I enjoyed them too!When Manvinder's family moves to Bengaluru, he eats a medu vada for the first time. It's delicious. Somehow, gobi parathas no longer look so tempting! And so, the family sets off on a mission to make medu vadas for him.With each page, Manvinder grows more and more upset. A medu vada is supposed to be round! With a hole in it! The page that had me laughing aloud was the one where he's fooled into eating a donut instead!I love the wholesomeness of … [Read more...]
Everything Changes And That’s Ok
How do you read picture books? Do you pause as you turn each page, just to admire the pictures? Or do you race through the story and then come back to the pictures to take them in slowly?For me, it depends on the book, but with Everything Changes And That's Ok, I found myself trying to do both! A picture book in verse, each page is a visual treat! My favourite page was probably this one, a gorgeous forest scene:For children, change can be frightening, but Everything Changes and That's Ok reminds us that change is all around us. A playful puppy, full of energy, could grow up to be a dog that likes to lounge about all day. A new school is daunting, but perhaps new friendships are just around the corner.Rhyming verse doesn't always work for me, but this book did, for the most part. It's a gentle, beautiful read, inviting us to slow down and look at how the world changes both … [Read more...]
Roop and the River Crossing
What was the Partition? What ripples do we see today, and how do people in power continue to exploit communal politics? These are difficult questions that one often wonders about whether to discuss with children. In some ways, books that talk about our history help, books like Roop and the River Crossing.Roop and the River Crossing written by Samina Mishra and illustrated by Shivam Choudhary uses the metaphor of a kaleidoscope beautifully to look at the Partition from the eyes of a child. In the beginning, the kaleidoscope is fascinating. The ways in which broken bangles create patterns is exciting and fun. But as Roop sees the same fractured reality in the world around her, the toy loses its thrill.Gently and powerfully, the book leads us through the turmoil of Partition. What I find most important since it is a children’s book is that she focuses more on kindness and caring … [Read more...]
Wrestling Day
When I went for the White Owl Literature Festival in Nagaland a few months ago, I attended part of an event that the author Theyiesinuo Keditsu conducted on her book, Wrestling Day. She spoke about how traffic piles up on Wrestling Day. People park everywhere, and that’s something that’s perfectly acceptable on that one day because that’s just the way things are. Wrestling is huge; everyone wrestles.Before I could ask, someone else did, ‘Do women wrestle too?’ The answer was ‘yes’; she used to wrestle too!A couple of days later I watched two young boys wrestling in Khonoma. It was such a simple, fascinating affair! They engaged in three bouts, and what I especially loved was the way they dusted each other off after their match was over.All this made me all the more curious to read Wrestling Day, and it didn’t disappoint.Aneingu should be all set to wrestle, but he … [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...]
The Wish Fish
Would you believe in a fish that could grant wishes? Namita wants to, but ...The Wish Fish by Lesley D. Biswas and Aratrika Choudhury is a charming story set in a small village in the middle of a big mangrove forest. Namita's father is a fisherman, and Namita loves to help her father pick the fish out of the net.One day, however, he catches a fish that no one has ever seen before. Not even those who have been around for decades!No one, that is, until Namita takes the fish to her friend, who tells her it is a magical fish that can grant wishes. Namita has so many wishes, though! As she worries about what to wish for, she begins to think: if a fish could grant wishes, would it not make a wish for itself and be free, instead of trapped in a rice handi?A lovely, colourful book that deals with compassion and kindness, The Wish Fish spoke to the child in me. I think (hope!) I … [Read more...]
Gawa’s Bag of Good Regards
Lots of adults I know hated the question What do you want to be when you grow up?I know I loved it as a child. I had so many dreams, and I loved talking about them. Sometimes, I delude myself into believing I always wanted to be a writer, but an old, old diary tells me that I once wanted to be a doctor and an artist!Gawa's Bag of Good Regards by Anushka Ravishankar and Canato Jimo is the story of a child who doesn't know what he wants to be. But he does know what he wants to do. Unlike everyone else in his class, he doesn't even want simply to say what the teacher wants to hear. He beams instead and says that he wants to carry a bag of good regards and distribute them.Reading Gawa's Bag of Good Regards as an adult is different, of course, from reading it with a child. If I read it with a child, I can't help wondering what kinds of conversations we would have. What do you … [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...]