"The circus has come to Pune!""Yes, and it can fly!""Yes, and there are gymnasts jumping from the ceiling!""Yes, and there is a flying unicorn!""Yes, and there are singing koalas!""Yes, and the tiger can bark!""Yes, and the dogs are miaowing!"I love playing 'Yes, and ...' with children. They are just so imaginative. We created a crazy circus together, full of dancing dragonflies, flying kangaroos and a robot or two thrown in.With the older children, we spoke about animal rights and bullying, with one group presenting a very balanced idea of the circus - as entertainment, as a home for strays, and as a nightmare for wild animals.I ended with a story from The Story-Catcher, "The Circus Boy", which led to a lovely conversation about child labour and bullying."How many of you have never been bullied?" I asked.Not one child raised a hand."How many of you can honestly say … [Read more...]
Storytelling Workshop at Palm Groves
A group of parents got together and invited me to conduct a weeklong storytelling workshop at a housing society. Storytelling has never been more fun! Working with my own stories is a lovely experience in itself, and when the story comes with its own kit ... The enjoyment reaches new levels!Here's a group of children putting together the jigsaw puzzle of Bholu at the Level Crossing ...It was such fun telling this story, with the children making the same sounds that Chitra makes in the book, imitating the train - Poooonnnn! Chug-chug-chug-chug, chug-chug-chug-chug. One observant child commented that the red Swift in the picture had to be an old one because there was no reversing camera!And here's another picture of all the children busily colouring the sketches that are part of the third kit, the one for Bholu at the School Excursion ...This one was fun because we … [Read more...]
The Story-Catcher: A Review by Arushi Upadhyaya
Some time ago, I mentioned a book review of The Story-Catcher by 9-year-old Arushi Upadhyaya. Finally sharing the whole review here! It made me smile all over again. … [Read more...]
The Story-Catcher – A Review by a 9-year-old
I've been waiting for something momentous before writing my blog - what could be more momentous than a review of The Story-Catcher by a nine-year-old?Arushi Upadhyaya had to design a book-jacket for a school competition. The entry she submitted is with the school, but she sent me the rough plan she made. At the back, she informs me, she put in the ISBN details and the name of the publisher. On the side, she wrote the name of the author. Within the book jacket, she wrote a synopsis of The Story-Catcher. And guess what? She won the first prize!She has also sent a review of The Story-Catcher to ParentEdge Magazine for a book review contest - I hope she wins! I will put up her review as soon as the ParentEdge results are announced. Meanwhile, here are the book cover and the synopsis. … [Read more...]
What Went By
It's taken me a while to write about the last month. How full of emotions it has been!We performed in Kalakshetra for Pushpa Teacher and Jaya Teacher, my teacher's teachers. We peaked and fell, rising and falling with a tide of emotions. We felt we underperformed, and then we were overwhelmed by everyone's responses. The teachers praised the performance; nothing else is important. My heart is brimming with joy and gratitude.In Bangalore, I did a two-day reading workshop. I wrote about day one here on the blog, but kept postponing it, even though I've been waiting to talk about how wonderful it was to conduct a workshop there.Atta Galatta is a delightful place, with the perfect ambience for a reading workshop. What warmed my heart is that the store ordered ten copies of The Story-Catcher, some of which were bought by the children after the session. (If you're in Bangalore and … [Read more...]
The Story-Catcher – Kindle Edition!
After three years of good old paperback sales, we now have an e-book! For all those who said you did not buy the hard copy, here's your chance! … [Read more...]
Christmas Reading
Fills my heart with joy ... … [Read more...]
The Story-Catcher in Gangtok
Ebbani from Rey Valley International School was the first to arrive. "Thirteen more children are coming," she informed me.I was anxious, anxious enough to have considered (night before last) cancelling the whole thing. I had never dealt with such young children before, and the children from Rey Valley who were coming to Rachna Books were children from LKG, UKG, and Grade I.Finally, I loved how everything turned out. There were thirteen children in all, not the 14 that Ebbani expected, and each of them was special. I feel like such a foreigner; I remember so few of the names! Even so, I see their bright faces, looking up at me. I see how they respond to the cover of The Story-Catcher. I can see them imagining with me, contributing to my stories. And my heart warms.The entire concept of bringing children to a bookstore is charming. Every year, Rey Valley brings its children to the … [Read more...]
Day Two: Storytelling Workshop
We read aloud, acted, spoke, coloured, stamped and drew. I heard two stories about a zoo, and we read a lovely story about two rabbits and a fairy princess. What a feast of stories it was! The three-day storytelling workshop had: 1. Tikki tikki tembo 2. The Witch and her Two Daughters (adapted from two folktales by Varsha Seshan) 3. The Three Engines 4. The Hunter and his Five Sons 5. The Little Corner Shop (by Varsha Seshan) 6. The Fox and the Farm (by Varsha Seshan) 7. The Lady of the Lake (loosely based on a traditional tale) 8. A Bear that Growls (loosely based on a traditional tale)Coming up:Vocabulary Workshop Dates: Today and tomorrow, 27th and 28th August, 2014 Venue: Friends Library, Salunke Vihar Road Time: 4 pm to 5:30 pm Age-group: 8-12 Fee: Rs 350 … [Read more...]
Day One: Storytelling Workshop
Children aged between five and eight are such an enthusiastic and energetic bunch! I enjoyed myself thoroughly telling them three more stories, one of which was "The Little Corner Shop" from The Story-Catcher. It is so heartwarming when children fall in love with a story that is your own!Coming up:Storytelling Workshop - Day Two Date: Today, 26th August, 2014 Venue: Friends Library, Salunke Vihar Road Time: 11 am to noon Age-group: 5-8 Fee: Rs 350Vocabulary Workshop Date: 27th and 28th August, 2014 Venue: Friends Library, Salunke Vihar Road Time: 4 pm to 5:30 pm Age-group: 8-12 Fee: Rs 350 … [Read more...]