I'm not much of a picture book reader, but every year, some gems come my way, gems that I love revisiting before I start a new year of reading. Most of these books were sent to me as review copies, but of course, that doesn't affect my opinion in any way. In fact, if a book doesn't work for me, I simply don't review it.In no particular order, here are eight picture books I loved in 2025. What Feelings Like Best What Feelings Do When No One's Looking was one of my favourite picture books in 2023; What Feelings Like Best is one I loved reading last year. Whimsical and tender, this beautifully illustrated picture book is one I could keep returning to. Targeted at older readers, this is one of those picture books that I believe adults may enjoy more than children do! Book review 1 2 3 Idlis in a Sambar Sea 1 2 3 … [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...]
Where Does It Hurt?
Where does it hurt? It's such a simple question. If I read it aloud, I find my voice getting softer, kinder, more patient. And that's what this Hook Book by Samina Mishra and Allen Shaw is about - softness, kindness and patience.Sometimes, pain is easy to explain, like when you eat something that makes your tummy hurt.Sometimes, it's in more than one place, like if you hit your mouth on the handlebar of a cycle. Yes, your mouth hurts, but more, you want to be comforted. And sometimes, pain is much more complicated, like when your head hurts with numbers or your heart aches with sadness.Where Does It Hurt? looks at all these kinds of pain. It encourages us to ask where it hurts and extend a tiny little bit of help. It makes us take the first step towards easing pain.As I read it, my heart skipped at the idea of a child's pain being caused by a mother-shaped hole. Would I … [Read more...]
My Year in Writing: 2023
The year 2023 was remarkably kind to me as an author. It was a year full of lit fests, school visits, and, most importantly, new stories! UncontrollableWhat can I say about Uncontrollable, my first verse novel?'Addictive.''Unputdownable.''Ambitious and original.'I keep going back and reading all these heart-warming emails I've received about it.Yes, it is ambitious. It is a middle-grade fantasy in verse. In November 2023, I was shortlisted for the Neev Literature Festival fellowship. During the interview, I met six children's literature experts, and they mentioned how they'd hunted for other examples of fantasy written in verse ... and had drawn a blank.They thought of Odder by Katherine Applegate, but it isn't really fantasy; the protagonist is an animal, but the book is realistic fiction nonetheless.So maybe, Uncontrollable is really one of its kind. It's both terrifying and … [Read more...]
My Favourite Picture Books from 2021
Each January, when I look through my blog posts and my shelf on Goodreads, I realise how much I've read! As always, many of these books weren't published in 2021; I just read them in 2021.Through the course of the year, I read a range of picture books from wordless ones (which I love) to long, beautiful stories that are more suited to older readers. I've tried to arrange them on the basis of reading level, but with 18 books on the list, I kept shuffling the order because children and their reading levels are so different! My Street My Street, written by Sadaf Siddique and illustrated by Habib Ali, is a lovely wordless picture book that I read nearly a year ago now. It's such a treat!It's a perfectly ordinary day in a familiar neighbourhood - but even an ordinary day is full of colour and adventure.I ‘read’ with round eyes until I reached the end. What more could I ask for from a … [Read more...]
Five Picture Books I Recently Loved
Once more, I've been so busy with so many things that I haven't had the time to read much or write. Each day, I spend such a large chunk of time planning what to do during my reading and writing sessions that I end up unwinding by doing something that rests my eyes, instead of taxing them some more! But picture books are an exception, aren't they? One Ted Falls Out of BedOne Ted Falls Out of Bed by Julia Donaldson and Anna Currey is a book about numbers written in a way that only Julia Donaldson can carry off. I am not usually a fan of books that also teach you something, but this one is such an imaginative adventure that I loved it! One teddy bear, two eyes, three mice ... This midnight escapade is lovely from start to end. Sadiq Wants to StitchI've wanted to read Sadiq Wants to Stitch written by Mamta Nainy and illustrated by Niloufer Wadia for a while … [Read more...]
What I’ve Been Reading on StoryWeaver
Every so often, I write about books I've read on StoryWeaver that have left an impression on me in one way or another. Free books are precious! And over 30,000 free books? Priceless! Here are a few I read and loved recently.In the past, most of the books I've read have been Level 1 and Level 2 books, but somehow, in the last few months, I've been drawn to slightly longer books. Though I've divided them into broad themes, each story is more than just the theme I've chosen for it. FriendshipFriendship takes various forms, and, in some ways, perhaps most of the books on my list this time are about friendship. Goplu's Train Ride written by Timira Gupta and illustrated by Parmita Mukherjee explores that glorious moment of friendship that is full of possibility and yet, complete in itself. I love it. Can you make a friend through the bars of a local train? … [Read more...]
Top 14 Picture Books I Read in 2020
I read so many picture books each year that I'm sure I've missed out at least a few that I read and loved in 2020. Also, I find it difficult to review picture books in detail, so this is just a list, with links to earlier posts I wrote about the books, or, in the case of books I read on StoryWeaver, links to the books themselves. The Manasa Series I love meeting the same character again and again, so the Manasa series is special!Manasa Finds a RainbowA Hairy ProblemWho's That in the Mirror? Art is Everywhere Imaginative and fun - I love all three books in this series too!Art is Everywhere - Here, There and in Everyday ObjectsArt is Everywhere - Here, There and in FoodArt is Everywhere - Here, There and in Trash More Books on StoryWeaver This is a random assortment, including a wordless picture book and one book in Hindi!Ikru's First Day of … [Read more...]
Giggi and Daddy and Four Others
Yes, this post is about five picture books I read last week, but Giggi and Daddy is special, so special that I think it's probably one of my favourite picture books of all time! I bought a bunch of books at Pickle Yolk Books' birthday sale and ah! I could read all of them over and over again.And on that note, if you haven't yet had a look at their sale yet, do. It is on right through the month of October. Of my treasures, I read The Tree Boy first. I was intrigued by the title and the illustrations, plus, the writer is a friend. I've read and loved several of her other books - It's a Laddoo Party! on StoryWeaver is one that I've used multiple times during workshops, I attended the launch of her award-winning The Clever Tailor ... It was time to read another.And I loved it! The artwork, the layout and the story itself come together to create a gorgeous, … [Read more...]
The Ammuchi Puchi
I've been looking at books from Lantana Publishing for a while, and I want to read so many of them! The books look gorgeous and for the most part, receive glowing reviews too. When I discovered that The Ammuchi Puchi is being offered as a free ebook in times of Corona, I sank my teeth in.Stories about grief are important. I wrote about Boo! When My Sister Died, a book that deals with death and love. The Ammuchi Puchi is another beautiful book that addresses the difficult topic of death in a book for children.Aditya and Anjali used to be slightly scared of their grandmother, their Ammuchi. Her teeth were stained with red betelnut juice and she told them frightening stories about ghosts.Soon, though, the children began to enjoy the stories, and contribute to them too. Ammuchi, they realised, was special. On Anjali's birthday, Ammuchi gives her a beautiful butterfly-shaped … [Read more...]