Somewhere between picture books and chapter books are the Hook Books, and books for this age-group are so important! One step up from the ‘Read It Yourself’ series, they are slightly more complex than picture books, but still have full-colour illustrations right through.
I remember reading hundreds–well, dozens–of Noddy books at an age when I could have read books like this. I loved Noddy because of the familiarity of a series. Characters I know, settings I love – these appealed to me, like they appeal to most children.
The Hook Books aren’t a series in quite the same way. Like the hOle books, they’re clubbed together in terms of readership, rather than characters and setting. I finally got around to reading a couple of them – The Sweet Shop Wars and A Birthday Present for Aaji. I LOVED the illustrations in both books! I’ve always enjoyed Rajiv Eipe’s work – Ammachi is one of my favourite characters, and the pictures leap off the pages in all his books. Aindri C.’s work is lovely too, with beautifully drawn characters. I especially like how the protagonist of A Birthday Present for Aaji, Jyoti, looks!
The Sweet Shop Wars
The cover of The Sweet Shop Wars shows Firoza and Aasma with angry grey clouds above their heads. Why? Because Aasma’s father’s new sweet shop is drawing away all Firoza’s dadu’s customers! Firoza must make her dadu’s shop popular again, no matter what it takes!
Like the best of illustrated books for this age-group, the pictures win the reader over. The story is sweet, but the illustrations are delightful. From Latif Bhai to little Firoza’s fly-killing racket, each picture is full of heart, making the story of two little girls more charming than ever.
A Birthday Present for Aaji
Jyoti needs ideas! Her grandmother’s birthday is just around the corner. What can she give her?
I chuckled at all the suggestions the people in the village give Jyoti. A room of her own! A new house! A playground! And Jyoti listens to all the suggestions before coming up with a lovely idea of her own. The protagonist Jyoti drew me to the story, but the pictures made me keep turning the pages. I love the use of colour, and the way all the colours come together before the big reveal – the double-spread before Aaji discovers just what Jyoti has got her for her birthday. I can keep flipping through the pages, discovering more each time I open the book!
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