I’ve read barely any nonfiction with my book club. Historical fiction, yes, but nonfiction? I can remember having read only Sita’s Chitwan. The theme of The Great Indian Safari by Arefa Tehsin is similar–wildlife. It’s a theme close to my heart, and I find myself using every opportunity I can to introduce books about it to children.
Engaging in its format and full of possibility in terms of what I can do with it at a book club, The Great Indian Safari is a work of creative nonfiction told from the point of view of Charred the Bard, a jungle crow. I look forward to soaring through the forests of India with him!
Wildlife
How many of my book clubbers have been on a safari? What rules do we follow on safaris and why? During one of our sessions, each of my book clubbers will present something about any animal found in the jungles of India. As an additional challenge, I will ask them not to choose one of those mentioned in the book!
Poetry
Charred the Bard has poems for us right through the book! This is the perfect prompt for us to work on rhyming words. We’ll do a timed activity, jotting down as many rhyming words as we can for a set of words I give the children. Perhaps we could even write a poem!
Spotting Animals
In the forest, we search for animals with our eyes peeled. For me, being on high alert is thrilling, for anything could be lurking in the bushes. While I can’t take my book clubbers to the jungle, we will do a word search instead, looking for animals in a maze of other letters!
Join a book club!
Parents and teachers often ask me how to get children to read. While there’s no foolproof method, here are three suggestions I always give them:
- catch them young
- read a range of books (and that’s why I’m introducing nonfiction again)
- make reading fun
I know I’m biased, but a book club is a great way to bring these three together. But equally, a book club is for children who already enjoy reading. Reading can be isolating, but a book club brings the excitement back with all the activities we do and conversations we have.
Leave a Reply