Mega Manga

Author: Keith Sparrow
Ages: 8+

As the boys grow, it is so hard to find a gift that would resonate with their likes. I had 200% luck with this book!! Well, I admit, I was more or less forced to buy it owing to subtle "hints" thrown in by my son here and there. Okay actually EVERYWHERE :o).

Manga is the Japanese art of storytelling with cartoons and graphics. They appeal to almost all ages as all kinds of genres. Think Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh and you'll know what I'm talking about. If you can't think but have a pre-teen behind your aching back, don't worry, you'll be made to think pretty soon!

At first when I heard about this book (it is the recent craze in his class and every boy has his revered copy, I found out), I was horror-struck. I thought it was like an adult-ish book with some shocking images not to mention so many weapons. But I looked inside one and realized it is just what it claims to be - the perfect guide to drawing some human characters, super heroes and some really cute animals. Yes, they also had a section for drawing weapons but hey! we grew up playing with " cape thuppakki" as well! And every legend in our very own Epics had a unique weapon as well (Rama's bow, Hanuman's Gadha or Vishnu's Chakra, for example).

There are sections dedicated to drawing every part of the body in the perfect comic-strip sense. There are sections for attitudes, emotions, accessories, vehicles and even cute animals like Pikachu ( and that is the only Pokémon character I know of!). There is a whole section on materials and equipment as well and it is thoroughly written. You could draw yourself as a boy with super cool attitude, baggy trousers on a skateboard. Or a sleek girl with a geeky attitude!

If you have Manga fans at home, look no further for a very wonderful gift that would be used every single day and provide hours and hours of fun ( and you can look forward to solving the mystery of the A4 sheets that go missing from the print tray!).

Here was one such art by my son  that my "DH" converted into a comic trip type image.

Mega manga.  A Mega Hit.
Note: My son's drawing has only been added as a reference. I am still striving to be Thiruvalluvar-friendly!

Dogger

Author: Shirley Hughes
Ages: 3+

Toddlers love cuddlies. They have their own favourite which is inevitably the tattiest of the lot that gets paraded to every single place they have been to.  For years. They take joy rides in prams and strollers and then trikes and scooters, get fed all sorts of sticky things, jump puddles, have little "accidents" and get mended, get baptized in muddy ponds, share the couch for TV shows and demand theatre and air-travel seats, get sick with the kids and finally get turned a new leaf by the warm tumbles of the washing machine ( but ONLY when the toddler is not clutching on to it dearly, which is not a daily, not even a monthly occurrence, and hence the tattiness!).

If the above strikes a chord with you, Dogger is just the story you'd love! Dave loves Dogger, his little toy puppy dog. His sister Bella has loads of toys and shares her bed with all of them, but Dave loves Dogger and only Dogger. On a sunny day, Dave goes with mum ( and Dogger, of course!) to pick Bella from school, then they have some leisurely fun and by the time they get home, Dogger is long lost! Nothing could console Dave, not even the generous offer of one of her precious teddies by Bella.  Mum turns the house upside down ( oh! that frantic search that has happened so many times!) and Dad searches the garden, but to no avail. Dave goes to bed a sad little boy (and your heart goes out for him).

The next day is School Fair day. Dave and Bella get taken to the stalls and fun is in the air. Bella has some luck with the raffle draw and wins a huge Teddy and is beside herself with joy, but Dave remains forlorn thinking of his beloved Dogger.

Right then, what do they see in the toy sale table right behind all the toys - Dogger, with a price tag of 5p! Unable to find Mum to get the money, Dave is dejected because he is close to losing the toy. And lose it he does. To a little girl who jumps ahead of him and pays for Dogger. What happens next is a very brave and compassionate display of sibling affection saving Dogger. And all is well that ends well with a happy Dave taking Dogger to bed that night!

It is hard to believe that this story was written  decades ago and has rightfully won the test of time. Dogger still features in all the "Best Childrens' book of all times" lists. It was awarded the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1977, the exact year I was born. Shirley Hughes has not just written a story with children at the heart, she has also illustrated it so! The beautiful pictures tell the story themselves and take you to those good old days when life wasn't as complicated and children had unadulterated, simple play times and fun.  But the core values in the story hold just as good even now, and is something to quote to children as an example, a message of selfless love and affection that they should carry for a life time.

Here's a nice reading of Dogger online.

Dogger, Puppy love at first sight!

Tea Break - Darjeeling

My dear Patti is no more. She passed away quite peacefully three days back, surrounded by loved ones. While I continue to miss her, I have a repository of wonderful memories from childhood of Patti.

It was, along with my Dad, my Patti who induced in me the love of stories from a very impressionable age. While my Dad would read everyday to me, Patti told me tale after tale every night. It was almost always a tiniest branch of the two great epics, Ramayana and Mahabharatha. Not the main story, but really interesting titbits and side stories that all added up to the grandness of the Epics and made sense in a big, special way that is only possible with her enrapturing story-telling methods. And the best part of it was that she never ever repeated her stories!

So every night, dinner in hand, I would sit beside her and coax her to take me into that mythical realm where good always defeated the bad. And if good did fail, there was a good reason behind it and hence, another story!

When my brother sent around a recorded rendition of one of Patti's many stories, it brought back fresh memories of the story she told me long long ago. Patti's different takes on Ramayana and Mahabharatha always amazed me. They were such stark  twists to the version we know and made you ponder a lot. I guess she just read and read and read so many versions of them that she kind of was like a satnav for the Epics, knowing every single twist and bend and even the unlisted side roads! Here's one such story.

Rama had finally defeated Ravana and decapitated all his heads but one. Ravana lay on the ground, all hands cut off, unable to move. He looks at Rama and wants to touch his feet. Unable to do so, he remains helpless and desolate. Rama looks at Lakshmana and asks him to go and get Upadesam from Ravana. Lakshmana (probably snorts!) asks Rama why in the world would he even go near such a lecherous person who went after Sita like he did. He obeys his brother nevertheless as he knows Rama is always right.

Lakshmana lifts Ravana up in his lap and Ravana starts talking. He first asks for forgiveness from him and says "Lakshmana. I never lusted after Sita. You see, Sita is my daughter. When she was born, I was told that Lanka would burn and I would die because of her. So I sent her away in a little basket, along with the Shivadhanush".

Lakshmana again sniggers and says " It is indeed unbelievable to hear that you, who shamelessly proclaim yourself to be the King of Kings, were afraid of a small helpless child and threw her away so you could save yourself and your kingdom".

Ravana says " There, you are wrong. I sent her away not because I was a coward or I hated the child. I did so because I knew the eventuality. That Lanka would perish. But I did not want my precious child to perish with it. I loved her from the minute I saw her divine smile and knew she was the Goddess herself"

"I had to make sure she would have an able protector, so I sent the Shivadhanush with her. Rama broke it and married Sita, and then I knew she was in safe hands. Fate still played through, and I was taken by a very great desire to have my child back with me. So I carried her all the way to Lanka in my lap and even then, just like how a father would. While here, I tried to please her and pleaded with her to stay with me in Lanka. But she is a perfect "Pathivratha", as pure and chaste as my wife Mandodhari. She would only be by the side of her dear husband. And that minute I knew the prophecy was coming true, because the great Lord himself would be coming to take what belonged to him. And that I would be vanquished by the only person who can protect my dear daughter for eternity, thus attaining salvation"

"My duties in this world are over now and I am at peace".

Lakshmana realized why Rama wanted him to listen to Ravana. He bowed down before a father's love that was so great it gave it's own life to save the daughter.

This different take portrays Ravana in a completely new light, and even makes you love the character and feel for him. It makes me think of my Dad so much. The very same sacrificing, selfless, unconditional person ready to turn the world upside down, fight every single obstacle and give up everything, and I mean literally everything, just so his daughters were safe and happy.

This is one time where I find myself taking the side of Ravana. No matter what he was to the world, to a daughter, he will be a hero. Forever.

Patti, this very minute, I miss you, I love you, I thank you and yes. I will always remember you and all our very special story times when we were both so lost in a totally different world, beyond time and space. May your beloved soul rest in peace.
 

Moomin and the Winter Snow

Author: Tove Jansson
Ages: 4+

The Moomins, a bunch of white, chubby trolls, and their friends are the creation of Tove Jansson, a Finnish-Swedish author. She has written many comic strips and adventures with the moomins and all of them are extremely popular. They have also been made into a TV series.

Moomins are very cute characters that are friendly, mystical, philosophical, gentle, kind, adventurous and appeal to all ages equally. I have been such an ardent fan of the Moomin trolls and their friends ever since I started reading them, and am so glad that my kids like them as well!

In "Moomin and the Winter Snow", little Moomintroll becomes very sad when his friend Snufkin leaves Moominvalley and travels south in winter in search of warmer places. Moomintroll misses his friend a lot even though it is snowing and the whole town is very happy about it! He wonders if his friend would miss him just like he misses his friend. And then he gets just the confirmation that he needed, a sweet gift with a note from Snufkin! It cheers Moomin instantly and he prepares to hibernate happily until spring, when his best friend would return back to him.

Aren't we all so familiar with such a situation! Leaving friends behind and embarking on our journey of life, wondering if they would miss us and getting comfort from even the slightest confirmation that they are missing us as well! This book is a celebration of friendship and how very important it is to express it to friends on time rather than keeping them guessing.

The story comes to life with some very touching drawings that emote so beautifully. Snufkin is my favourite character of all. He is so philosophical, a really free spirit who loves traveling around the world with just the bare necessities packed up in his bag and no desire or strings attached. He is everything that you would have loved to be and so he remains etched in your heart long after the story is over!

No wonder Moomin books happen to be such prized possessions that are hard to part with!

Moomin and the Winter Snow. Please do read it the moment you set your eyes on one. Pee-hoo!

image courtesy : http://www.puffin.co.uk/static/spreads/all/3/9/9780141340593L_006.jpg

Snow Tales

Author: Michael Morpurgo  Illustrated by Michael Foreman
Ages: 5+

Michael Morpurgo's books are wonderful entertainers. So much so, that Spielberg created a classic movie adapting Morpurgo's "The War Horse". Snow tales is no exception.

This book has two stories both involving creatures of the Arctic - the Polar Bear and an Albatross family. The settings for the story spring right out of the book with Michael Foreman's cool illustrations in arctic hues and you can almost hear the soothing voice of Sir David Attenborough narrating about life in the north pole in the background, like his episodes in Natural History channel.

The stories themselves are very warm and engaging. While the Polar bear dreams the impossible during hibernation, the Albatross family face a few challenges in their brave fight for survival in the frozen north.

Snow tales... a melting composition.

Slowly, Slowly, Slowly Said the Sloth

Written and Illustrated by Eric Carle. Ages: 3+

The magical world of Eric Carle needs no introduction. There wouldn't be a school or a house without a copy of  "The Very Hungry Caterpillar". Ever since he illustrated first for "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see", he has been creating his own stunning picture books that have been translated into many languages and have sold millions and millions of copies world-wide.

I adore his rich illustrations that are basically collages of tissue papers that he paints in different colours. They create such unique, vivid backgrounds for his stories. And his stories are great picks from nature itself and so, are interesting as well as educational! He is also such a benign, sweet person and a nature lover himself. This really shows in all of his books.

One of our favourite reads of Eric Carle is " Slowly, Slowly, Slowly Said the Sloth". It is set in a luscious amazon rainforest setting and the main character is the slow, slow, slow Sloth. While all the animals pass him by and question his sluggish attitude, the sloth simply hangs on unconcerned and unaffected by it all. Finally he delivers one of the best "punch dialogues" ever that has to be read to be relished! It is the perfect punch for pushy people who are always rushing through life and also just the right attitude to carry!

This book really made me introspect my impatience with kids. Children are learning all the time and catching up on new things every day. Every child is different and takes his/her own time to grasp and do things. But all parents tend to hurry the children up in anger or exasperation sometime or the other and simply accuse them as being lazy. And how so wrong we are!

The kids loved the different words they can use to defend themselves when mum shouts "lazybones, hurry up!" And I have to admit, I learned a word or two from the sloth as well! As if it is all not enough, the closing page has a collection of exotic rainforest animals in striking collages and is a great hit with the inquisitive kids.

Slowly, slowly, slowly, but quite steadily, the Sloth has captured our hearts!

Here's Eric Carle talking about his inspiration for this book.

And here's a reading of the book itself in Youtube.

Finally, here's an example of how slow (but cute!) a sloth is...

Tea Break

I thought it would  be a good idea to take Tea breaks every now and then between book reviews. I bet all mums survive on that life-saving supreme thing called Tea Break. Be it masala or plain Tea or a tumbler of strong (Narasus) Filter Coffee, it is a mother's own bit of 5-minute paradise! A teeny break from the otherwise chaotic and forever busy universe that we survive on (wonder why we are always so busy, sometimes even with nothing to do!).

 

I can remember my mum doing it. My mother-in-law wouldn't even bother thinking of anything else until she sits down to savour her morning cuppa. And I am no different. The only company I prefer having during any such break is a good book and plate of biscuits ( but only on those days when I am not in a diet conscious frenzy and imagining I am about to explode. Also on those days when I am in a "Well what the heck, I'll have the biscuit anyways. Two hoots to dodgy diets" mode :o))

 

I go through at least 4 mugs of Tea every day, more in winter as the hot cup is a great hand warmer. Between 2 mugs of proper tea that I somehow manage to extract from hubby, I thrive on green teas and I have started loving them. Just the signs that I am growing old, you think?!? Or perhaps it is just a lazy me, as all it requires is getting the kettle on for hot water and dropping the tea bag in it! Whatever it is, I only have to imagine myself all propped up with cushions and toes tucked inside warm blankets, with a cup in one hand and a juicy book on the other, and I am already relaxing those stressed shoulders!

 

It's a different story that just when you've done all of that quintessential preparation and easing your back on the cushion, your little boy needs the potty immediately!!!

 

Do you worship your Tea breaks as well? I'd love to be reassured that I am not the only crazy gal out there! Go on and confess :o) :o) :o)