The Snowy Day

Author: Ezra Jack Keats
Illustrator: Ezra Jack Keats
Ages: 3+ years

Ezra Jack Keats is one of my favourite illustrators. I was reading about him last week and I learned that it was his birthday yesterday - March 11. This post is a day late, but a tribute to his wonderful contribution to children's literature.

Ezra was born just after World War I. He struggled his way out of a childhood in poverty, served in second World War and later went on to become one of the most beloved American authors with his beautiful books and illustrations.

The Snowy Day is a book with a special background and a testimony to Keats' compassion and spirit of humanity. It was the book that Ezra created to defy the colour barrier in children's publishing prevalent at that time. The book, in his own words had "a black kid as hero".

"None of the manuscripts I'd been illustrating featured any black kids - except for token blacks in the background. My book would have him there simply because he should have been there all along", said Ezra in an unpublished autobiography. The character - Peter, was inspired by the clipping of a little boy from a newspaper that Ezra had preserved in his room for a long time. He won the Caldecott Medal in 1963 for the book's extraordinary illustrations accompanying a very simple, yet timeless storyline.

Today, you would barely notice the colour of the boy or ponder about it. In that way, he has certainly defied and thwarted not just the colour barrier, but also bridged generation gaps and created an ageless classic that appeals to children of this century as well, despite being created 52 years back!

The Snowy Day is about Peter's joy on experiencing snow for the first time, discovering the beauty of the flakes, awed by the canopy it creates and his urge to preserve a part of it for posterity ( in his coat pocket!). It reminds us of beauty of little children - their openness to nature and instant bonding to its wonders, their happiness in the most simplest things, their sense of exploring and discovering new things and most of all, their extraordinary ability to exist only in that moment and enjoy it to the fullest.

This book was also Ezra's first foray into illustrating with collages, home-made stamps and textured cloth and paper. The end result, as seen in the book, is so simple, which makes it even more stunning.

And the book reminded me of little M's first experience of snow - how he stood out looking at the flakes all day, asking me who threw them down, trying to catch them in his tongue and simply not getting enough of it even by the end of the day! And of course he wanted me to store bottles of snow in the freezer "for tomorrow"! :o)

Here is a Youtube reading of the book.

You can read more about Ezra and his books here.

Meet The Parents

Author: Peter Bently
Illustrator: Sara Ogilvie
Ages: 3+

Meet The Parents is a wonderfully thought-out and even more wonderfully illustrated comical celebration of all the funny, heroic moments of parenthood. I am not sure who would love this book more - the parents for being through almost all of it at least once in their toddler-raising times, or the kids for having been the perpetrators of all the mayhem and receptors of all the love!

You look inside any house with kids, toddlers in particular, and you'd think those parents are forever bossing around, teaching manners and trying to run an orderly, punctual, cleanliness-driven regime (they wish!) round the clock. At least that is what kids think about all the nagging. But that is not all that parents do.

Because then, who hunts for lost toys and retrieves them? ( from gardens, toilets, DVD players, and the gaps in the radiator and the most remote corners beneath the sofa!)

Who mends and fixes knee-caps and teddies and train-tracks?

Who heats up tiny toes and fingers? (DS2 would always ask me to sit on his palms to warm them :o))

Who carries bags while the tiny tot scoots around, then carries his coat and teddy, then eventually carries the tot and scooter as well!?

Who makes tents out of blankets and mop sticks and then holds wonky ends to keep the tent up?!

Who acts as dustbins for all the food not eaten and wipes for the grimy fingers and grubby mouths?!?

Who sorts messes and muddles and heals broken hearts with cuddles, and tucks kids in bed all cosy and warm with lovely stories?

And who says sorry to people they've just met! ( Gosh, I cannot count the many sorries I would have muttered out to strangers, mostly in trains - for noisy giggles, spread-out legs, blocked ways, banging legs on the sides, the list is endless)

And of course when all is fixed and happy and well, the kids better beware...

because parents love...

TICKLES!!!

I even have a special nickname for this - Kichukichu Boodham ( Tickle Monster, in Tamil)! When I close my eyes and extend my arms and wiggle my fingers, it is absolute pandemonium as boys scramble away to escape and thwart the attacks. :o) This is a game we play ever so often and we all LOVE tickly fun times!

When we read the book, every single word and picture resonated with us, and we were amazed at how common and special the tickling game is in many other families as well! I am sure it will ring a bell with just every mum and dad and kid.

Peter Bently is the winner of Roald Dahl funny prize and this book reflects his funniness well enough. Sara Ogilvie's illustrations complement the funniness perfectly. Just look at the picture above, it is so amazing how an eye drawn with just a circle and a dot can emote so aptly in different scenarios!

Meet the parents in this book, you'll love them even more!

Of Thee I Sing - A Letter to my Daughters

Author: Barack Obama
Illustrator: Loren Long
Ages: 5+

Now I do not know much of American Politics ( for that matter, much of any politics of anywhere just wafts over my head as a barely audible mumble!). I usually do not like to pick up and read books just because the author is larger than life and famous. And I do not know of any politics behind the characters that Obama has chosen to include in this book.

For me, Obama, he is different. Not as a President, but as a very strong, dependable, gentle family man. I have always admired the way he treats his three girls. I adore his tender, fatherly exchanges with his daughters, his little teases and inside jokes, loving smiles, gentle hugs and kisses. You would instantly believe he is that perfect dad and husband. Mostly the dad part is what always tugs at my heart strings. Because I am a BIG fan of my Dad! A big fan of all daddies who truly love their children and guide them without preaching, encourage them without demeaning their tiny achievements, empower them with guidance and independence and love them unconditionally. Because that is my dad's gift to me, and it is the most priceless gift that I hold on to ever so tightly.

Have I told you lately how wonderful you are?
Have I told you that you are creative?
Have I told you that you are smart?
Have I told you that you are brave?
Have I told you that you are a healer?
Have I told you that you have your own song?
Have I told you that you are strong?
Have I told you how important it is to honor others' sacrifices?
Have I told you that you are kind?
Have I told you that you don't give up?
Have I told you that you are an explorer?
Have I told you that you are inspiring?
Have I told you that you are part of a family?
Have I told you to be proud to be American?
Have I told you that America is made up of people of every kind?
Have I told you that they are all a part of you?
Have I told you that you are one of them
and that you are the future?
and have I told you that I love you?

That is the simple and yet strong poem from a dad to his girls. And for each of these, he points out to a famous American personality who inspired the world - like Neil Armstrong, Georgia O'Keeffe, Martin Luther King, Einstein, Helen Keller. Together, they make a beautiful message of love and wisdom.

The illustrations by Loren Long are very delicately done. It is wonderful to see that all of the famous personalities have been drawn as little children as well. It kind of makes the children see that great people were all little kids just like them - boys and girls who just dreamed big and believed in their dream and worked hard to make it a reality.

And it is refreshing to see that he has picked up personalities from different walks of life, different background and gender - just how parents of today should encourage, guide and love children. I liked that a lot.

Here is a youtube reading of the book.

I am glad I picked this one up, we really enjoyed reading it.

To Market! To Market!

Author: Anushka Ravishankar
Illustrator: Emanuele Scanzani
Ages: 3+

We discovered this book last week on a trip to Crawley. It was raining and the trains were getting delayed and so we retreated into the waiting room, annoyed, cold and wet. The annoyance, however, was short-lived and our faces broke into huge grins the moment we saw this new collection of children's books in the unmanned charity library / book sale corner inside. Suddenly, delays became the in-thing and trains were a thing of the past!

DS1 spotted a HP book that wasn't there in his collection, so instantly dropped off the change (the donation asked was a minimum of 50p) and settled down in a cosy corner of the sofa and was lost to the world. I and Milind were looking to take a picture book and read, and that was when this vibrant, nostalgic front cover caught our attention. With an overloaded cycle, bangles, sarees, cats and mice, colourful buckets and plenty of bold, beautiful colours, it was the Indian market in all its splendour!

A little girl gathers her pocket money and goes off to the market with mum. She has been given permission to buy anything she wants and she is eager to find out what she might get. But when she reaches the market, she is so taken in by its scents, flavours, textures and hues that she completely forgets her mission. She has so much fun just gazing and playing around that getting something for herself never even crosses her mind.

This was a nostalgic read for me and every small detail in every single picture brought back wonderful memories of trips to market or to the shops inside temples. Anushka has done a beautiful job of bringing such a simple theme to life with even more simple, yet catchy verse.

"Creeping creeping creeping, I am peeping, I am a spy"
"Tutti tutti tutti, I'm a fruity kind of dish"

It is, however, the illustrator who has poured so much life into the scenes. Emanuele Scanzani is an Italian illustrator who resides in the serene village of Auroville in Pondicherry, India. His familiarity, or rather, the acceptance of Indian culture is visible in even the tiniest detail. From the colourful rangoli powders heaped up in sacks to the Ganesha idol in black decked with flowers, the vibhoothi (sacred ash) and kumkum (vermillon dot) on the foreheads of most of the people, the many framed deities in golden frames and the demon faces hung in the front door to ward off evil eye, the rubber slippers in brilliant colours, the sarees, fruits, crows, cobwebs, bangle shops and hanging coir baskets, the detailing is so perfect that it teleported me right back to the stream of traditional shops inside Meenakshi Amman Temple in my hometown, Madurai. No doubt he is a very talented artist who has found peace in Auroville ashram.

Anushka is an award winning Indian writer whose books have been published internationally. She is popular for her "nonsense verse" and has won many international awards. I couldn't find any nonsense in this book though, but I suppose much of little children's healthy imagination is built on a foundation of remarkable nonsense!

In all, a brilliant book that will appeal to everyone with its colourful Indian backdrop and a bubbly storyline.

Online Story books from Oxford Owl (tablet-friendly eBooks)

I came across a mention of Oxford Owl website from a beautiful blog, Teaching ideas, that I happen to follow in facebook. They have loads of resources for kids covering all aspects of school life and also fun out-of-school activities. When I checked out the site, I was pleasantly surprised by what I found!

If you have children in Primary School, you would only know too well about "The Oxford Reading Tree", "Magic Key" and the adventures of Biff, Chip, Kipper and their dog Floppy. They have helped children get on the reading ladder and build confidence in beautiful steps ( colour coded in schools as reading levels) for many many years and are quite tried, tested and trusted by schools all across UK. The books range from wordless ones to chapter books for confident, free readers and apart from the magic key stories, there are also non-fiction books and even classics retold for kids.

Oxford Owl (http://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/) has a collection of 250 eBooks from the Oxford Reading Tree series and also other picture books, all tablet-compatible and free to be enjoyed by children on-the-go! The children could read the books by themselves, or can turn on the audio to listen to while reading. The classics are all audio books (Black Beauty, The Secret Garden, Treasure Island, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, White Fang) and are really handy as stand-by for mums when they are too busy to read to kids, and also on long car journeys. The books are meant for ages 1+ to 11 and you'd be quite spoilt for choice as well. For a while, at least!

DS2 was very pleased to find a book there about the very first illustrator he knew from his nursery days - Alex Brychta, the illustrator of the Oxford Reading Tree series. It was interesting seeing his very first drawing (which was smashing, for a 9 year old!) and how he made his challenging journey from a little displaced boy to a talented and renowned illustrator that he is today.

The website also has help for parents on ways to assist the children who struggle with reading and many phonics resources as well.

All you need to do is to create a login credential so the children could access the books.

Check out the library here and enjoy!

Chocolate Mousse for Greedy Goose

Author: Julia Donaldson
Illustrator: Nick Sharrat
Ages: 1+ years

Mealtime, manners, mischief and mayhem with a myriad of animals and the merriest of colours. That would be the perfect summary of this book by Julia Donaldson, the former Children's Book Laureate and author of the famous Gruffalo books.

This glossy book has been eye-captivatingly illustrated by Nick Sharrat, who has illustrated books for famous authors and has been drawing for as long as he can remember!

Children love mealtimes, but not for the meal itself. Parents sometimes hate mealtimes for the same reason! This book has all of that joy, anger, irritation, chiding, licking, smelling, good-for-youing, sharing at the table , a very reluctant cleaning afterwards ( it was only a suggestion by a nice animal!) and a collective sleeping at the end of the meal. The rhyming is catchy and the children love seeing all the animals misbehaving like them :o).

This book was a firm favourite of DS2. He would read it again and again. And again. And... you get the point.

If he gave it away to his little sister, it was only because he thought she would love it just as much, and boy, does she love it!! There is just nothing as comforting to see someone love your book as much as you loved it. It is simply infectious! Here is a beautiful reading of the book by my sweet little sister Lakshmi!

When we were down at the International book festival in Edinburgh clamouring for Francesca Simon's book signing, Nick Sharrat was at the opposite table, and I was just so disappointed I didn't have this book in hand to get him to autograph it. Of all things about Edinburgh, it is this book festival that I really miss so much. Same goes for the Chennai Book fair as well!

In all, a very colourful book with lots of things little kids love.

Runny Babbit - A Billy Sook

Author: Shel Silverstein
Ages: Anybody who can afford to be silly and have a good laugh!

Spoonerism: NOUN: a verbal error in which a speaker accidentally transposes the initial sounds or letters of two or more words, often to humorous effect, as in the sentence you have hissed the mystery lectures.Origin: early 20th century: named after the Revd W. A. Spooner (1844–1930), an English scholar who reputedly made such errors in speaking.

The New York Times called Shel "That rare adult who can still think like a child". If you read this book with your kids, you will get to know how true that statement is! 

To giggle at deliberately committed spoonerisms is a silly pastime of all children. I used to do it all the time with my sister, and my mum was quite an expert at it as well. To make a book out of the silliest lot of spoonerisms is just pure genius. How many books have you seen out there made of jumbled words, yet read and enjoyed by millions of people all over the world!

Now to the book, Runny Babbit is a Bunny Rabbit who has so fuch mun. Sorry, so much fun and hilarious adventures alongside Millie Woose, Snerry Jake, Toe Jurtle and other frilly siends. Okay sorry again, silly friends, I meant! And with him, you end up having so fuch mun as well! 

The collection of poems about Runny and his friends and their adventures will have your tongue (and brain) all muddled up and eyes extremely watery from all the giggling and chortling. I mean, you can let out your inner child and have the most wonderful family reading time with kids ever! Even the grumpiest child is bound to be in stitches after reading this. At least, that is what always happens in our house. Needless to say, we kind of monopolise this library book and borrow it the moment we spot it, again and again!

And it is this exact page that has entertained many a tea-time and bed-time in our house :o)

The boys sure love to "shake a tower" but not to "bake their med". What a hilarious set of reminders!

This book was completed prior to Shel's death in 1999, but published much later and bears testimony to the remarkable talent that Shel had in connecting with children instantly and making readers of all ages laugh a lot, and ponder a lot as well. 

And if you think all this word play is utter nonsense and waste of time, think again. Or read again. It takes quite a bit of rearranging and some sharp observation to order and read the words. Actually, the children would be exercising their brain and phonetics (or phonemes or phonics or whatever name that goes by these days- in olden days I suppose it was just called "reading") without even realising it, in fact thoroughly relishing it!

Runny Babbit. What a bovely look! Mot to be nissed at all :o)

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick

Author: Chris Van Allsburg
Ages: 5+

Warning: Extreme over usage of the word mystery, because, well, it is an extremely mysterious book!

When you find a beautiful story, you find yourself getting transported to the world it portrays. When you find a story though, with a title, a picture and just one line as caption, you are treated to not one, but a thousand possible worlds and stories and the result is just endless hours of intrigue and extreme suspense. And when you find a book that has 14 such pictures, it is a riot of imagination! And that is exactly what this book is.

Mulled over by many and attempted to be solved by many more, Chris Van Allsburg's book is truly a sensation. And the mystery and suspense became too much to bear that a group of choicest authors from all over the world ( including Stephen King, Louis Sachar and Chris himself) put down to pen their own versions and published it as a book, "The Chronicles of Harris Burdick".

As if this isn't mysterious enough, the origin of the book is another mystery in itself. Chris saw a set of 14 drawings during a visit to a children's book publisher, Mr Peter Wenders. Mr Wenders explained that thirty years before that day, a Mr Harris Burdick came into his office with these pictures, which were samples from the 14 stories he had written.

Mr Wenders was fascinated by the drawings and wanted to read the stories. Mr Burdick left the samples with him and agreed to bring the stories the next day, but he never turned up. Mr Wenders was never able to find him, and Mr Burdick remained a big mystery. Inspired by the drawings, many children including Mr Wenders' had written so many stories about each picture. Chris read the stories and was amazed at the endless possibilities and got inspired himself. He reproduced these drawings and made them into a book including Mr Burdick's original captions as well, in the hope that it will inspire children of generations to come. I'm including a picture here with it's caption and you can see how hard it is to not imagine a story!

Title: A Strange Day in July. 
Caption: He threw with all his might, but the third stone came skipping back.

This book has been used by teachers, parents, story competitions all over the world to stimulate the children's imagination. The drawings are stunning and in keeping with the black-and-white pencil drawing style that Chris has used to create so many timeless magical books like Jumanji, Zathura and my favourite one, The Polar Express. 

Chris' works have won many awards and have even inspired directors to create enchanting and extraordinary movies, all of them going on to become mega hits! And although Polar Express would always be my favourite as a book and also as an entrancing movie ( particularly during the Christmas season), it is always Robbie Williams in Jumanji who would come to my mind whenever I read any work of the author.

More at Chris' website here. Story Competitions and an opportunity to win signed copies here.

P.S: Many years later, the mystery of Harris Burdick became even more profound when another picture made by him was located elsewhere in a library collection. Read all about it here.

The Unboy Boy

Author: Richa Jha
Illustrator: Gautam Benegal
Ages: 5+

I always used to admire Georgina, or George, one of Enid Blyton's Famous Five . With a boy cut and boy's gut and always up for adventure, she was breaking gender cliches long before they started to be talked strongly about. I also admire parents who try to thwart these gender barriers and simply let kids be kids, playing with anything they fancy - girly or boyish. But of course most of the boys would be mud bathing, stick-fight holding boys and girls would be pretty-in-pink girls and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that at all! Like the author Richa Jha says, there are no unboy boys or ungirl girls in the world. It is simply cool enough to be just the girl or boy that the child is!

Gagan is a gentle boy who loves nature, loves to explore nature, loves his teddy and stamp collection. He hates fighting games, harming even little ants, hates cape guns and battle stories. So he is promptly named "sissy", "scaredy cat", "chooha" by classmates and  made fun of. Even his Dadu tries hard to make him a Boy boy by getting him a cape gun. Only Mum understands how gentle and wonderfully kind he is and reassures him that he is perfect just the way he is and he makes her ever so proud.

All this continues until the class goes for a summer camp. Are the brave Boy boys really brave? Is gentle Gagan really a scaredy cat? All is unveiled in the last few pages of the book with a positive finishing note.

The illustrations are good and there is a part where the children peek into a dark staircase and imagine scary things, which has been done beautifully. Like all those exaggerated, vivid imaginary creatures and dark fears kids picture in their minds until the light is turned on! Reminded me of what kids talk about Prabhu's house in the "Anjali" movie. However, some parents may feel one or two illustrations look a bit scary, perhaps. Although I have to say they are not the gory type, just a little scary and very much aligned with the story line. :o)

Richa Jha writes @snuggle with picture books. I had previously written about her blog here. She has been kind enough to send us this beautiful book to read and review and the boys were so thrilled about it! Thank you so much Richa, we hope you continue to write more wonderful books in future!

The Heart and the Bottle

Author: Oliver Jeffers
Ages: 6+ years ( but is known to have touched more adults!)

Once there was a little girl like any other, whose head was filled with all the wonder in the world...

Thus begins this beautiful story of a little girl who locked her heart away when she encounters the loss of her beloved father figure. Whether it is Dad, Granddad or a close relative is up to the reader to imagine, but the little girl adores him and looks up to him a lot. But one day she finds an empty chair, Pa gone missing.

The loss hurts her very much and so, unable to come to terms with grief, she locks away her heart in a bottle hung on her neck and thus postpones tackling her sadness. But as time goes by, the weight of the bottle bears down on her. Although she imagines that now her heart is locked inside, it is safe from any more hurtful feelings, the awkward weight of the bottle nags her.

One day, a curious little girlie comes running to her with a question about the world. Had she been like before, she would have known the answer, but now that her heart is in the bottle, she is clueless. That is when she decides to get her heart out. But try as she might, she simply does not succeed in breaking the bottle.

Finally, it is the little girlie with the curious mind who succeeds to get it out of the bottle and instantly the big girl realises how much she has actually missed all along! She starts to follow her heart again and explores the wonders of the world, just like her Pa.

This story could have been anybody's. The loss could have been a loved one, love, a dream, a job, temper, just anything. What do we do when faced with the loss? The immediate need to retreat in a shell of pity and sadness is almost always the easiest way out. It is certainly soothing, and the fear of getting hurt if we break out feels very real and threatening. For that moment at least. But it is not the solution. And the more we linger inside, the harder it becomes to break out of it.

There is life outside of it, if we only care to open up. Perhaps it needs a little help from someone. A nudge, a chiding, long talks, a healing, a hug, whatever it takes. But when we do break out, we will see that there is always something else to live for, to love, to laugh about and to share with. And if we could only see that we can never protect the heart from hurt in this world, not even if we bottle it up, maybe we would try to give up all our inner fights and start feeling peace and happiness in everything that comes our way.

Oliver Jeffers has again created magic with his simple drawings, simple text and a great uplifting storyline. We had the lovely opportunity of meeting him in a book signing and for once in all my life, I got this book signed for myself, with my name ( and a cute bottle doodle that he drew underneath!). And he is as sweet as his books :o)

Here is a Youtube version.

And here is a nice little video about Oliver Jeffers.

The Letter For The King

Author: Tonke Dragt
Ages: 9+

It has been quite a while, but with festive season approaching and gifts being planned, I just couldn't resist posting this review. Collecting classics and rich books with stories from other countries is one weakness I do not regret living with :o) and this one fits the bill snugly!

The author originally wrote the book in Dutch in 1962, and since then it has sold more than a million copies world-wide and has been translated into a dozen or more languages as well. It was also made into a feature film and is one of the best-loved children's' books in Europe.

The  book has just been translated in English by Laura Watkinson and we were given a wonderful opportunity to receive the book pre-release in return for a review. It is now a cherished book proudly displayed in our shelf, having been devoured immediately by DS1. Judging by the way he walked, talked, ate, slept with it, it must be a gripping story indeed!

It is worth looking up Tonke Dragt, just to see how great an author she is and how wonderful her works are.

Here is the review in his own words:

A fantastic book full of courage and bravery that Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fans would really love to read, with loads of action and suspense...

The Letter for the King is a fantastic story of bravery and friendship and courage. Tiuri, the protagonist is the son of a well known and respected Knight. On the day he was going to be knighted, there is a visitor with an urgent message. An old man arrives and requests Tiuri to take a message to the Black Knight in the adjacent kingdom. If he takes it up, Tiuri knows he would lose his knighthood, but the adventure invites him and he sets on a stolen horse with a secret letter. He soon finds out that the knight is dying, and he should be the one to deliver it to the King. Tiuri realises that this would be an exciting and brave adventure, but one full of danger and possibility of death.

The suspense and action will have you on the edge of your seats. This is a 10/10 book, already famous in Europe and is a treat for fantasy, action and adventure lovers. 

More at : LoveReading4Kids

Tea Break - Cinnamon

Without much ado, let me just say - 'tis one good tea :o).

I must admit, summer has been so summery this year. Result - I have never been home long enough to ponder and create a blog post. First, it was the last-term-of-school which meant sport days, school plays, assemblies, teacher meets, summer fairs and the volunteering it demanded, gifts to make for teachers ( we seldom buy, and if we do end up doing so, it is always a gift card for a bookstore), cards to make with kids, final parties to attend and the farewells. Everything x 2, as the boys are in different schools.

Any breathers in between always made me run to the park with a sandwich and a book, far from the drudgery of my hamster wheel.

So if I had imagined the summer holidays would be THE welcome break from all of it, well, I had the imagination of a school kid. That silly imagination minus really real reality = complexly complex universe that nobody living has ever fathomed :o( ! At least nobody with two adrenalin-filled time bombs that could go off innumerable times, still retaining the potency and power ( screaming sounds included) afresh for every strike!!!

And this is where the sun has really lighted up my days. Considering it is a stay-cation this year, I owe a lot to Ra / Surya / Helios/ Sol. All I had to do was to grab the picnic blanket and basket and take the boys to the park, bike and scooter and all. Then forget about them until they come back all fizzled out by the end of the day, head back home and before I know it, before they had even managed to ask for online time, they're dreaming away like mad!

Summer has also been a wonderful year for the Hay Day inspired farmers that we have been. What started as a casual strewing of some seeds suddenly became quite a bursting mini kitchen garden.

Tomatoes, chillies, strawberries, courgettes and a very healthy patio tub of fresh herbs, something we never ever imagined could happen from a handful of seeds! Perhaps to the expert gardeners it might sound really stupid, but for us amateurs, this was an eye-opening experience. We realized how much care and attention is needed to keep away those caterpillars that munched away most of our marigold leaves, or the aphid colonies that attacked the roses with vengeance, or all those courgettes that were nibbled off by squirrels even before they had a chance to grow. We realized how tough it is to stick to organic means to do all of this, and yet get a good yield! We also realized how dearly we started loving our plants, like they were our babies :o).

And yes, we also realized that if we are going to grow them freelance and organic and allow the good bugs to deal with the bad ones, we might as well allow the squirrels and caterpillars their little treats. We even tried to shift the caterpillars to the nettle plants, so that the birds stayed away from them! And so, we had to get seeds for birds as well, so that they stayed happy and well fed!

So far, it has been a summer of reflection : on things that matter, things that make you happy, things that are important, things that are simply to be, things that are better left alone, things that can change if the thinking changes and quite simply, things! For once, and am certainly not one to count blog posts more than sunny days spent outdoors, blogging or being online faded away into the background while fresh air and nature kicked in and established camps big time!

And here's a lovely post that reflects just the very mood ( Calvin and Hobbes, those darlings!).

Happy Holidays!!

A Monster Calls

Author and Illustrator: Patrick Ness
Original Story idea by: Siobhan Dowd
Ages: 13+

“Stories don't always have happy endings."This stopped him. Because they didn't, did they? That's one thing the monster had definitely taught him. Stories were wild, wild animals and went off in directions you couldn't expect.” 

What do you do when you are forced to face the worst fears of your life? What do you do when your nightmares are for real, when they are so tangible and facing them is the only option? What if the nightmares are so terrifying that even the presence of an eerie monster does not scare you one bit?

Conor is a teenager living with his Mum since Dad left them and went off to a different country. He is new to high school life and all the bullying, hatred, shames, fears and pressure that come with it. His mother is fighting a terminal illness, and though he fears oblivion so much that it haunts his nightmares, he refuses to believe it.

And then comes the monster to visit him. Exactly at 12:07 in the night every time. Dark, ominous and terrifying. But it does not scare Conor. He faces the monster with great ease and demands the reason for its presence. The monster says that he has been summoned by none other than Conor himself.

The monster says that it would tell Conor 3 parables by the end of which Conor should tell him his own true story or be banished from life forever. Connor objects, but isn't given any choice. He thinks that the monster is just imagination, but every time he wakes up the next morning, he sees little clues that make the monster's visit real.

While the monster continues to visit in the night with parables that question the very essence of "the good and the bad" as Conor perceives ( “There is not always a good guy. Nor is there always a bad one. Most people are somewhere in between.” ), Conor's days get worser and worser with the bullying in school and his mother's deteriorating health. He abhors the fact that his good friend went and told every one about his mother, because he hates all the pity that comes his way because of it - how his teachers give him extra perks, how his school mates give him the "loser" look and not really talk to him. Nobody knows how to talk to a person who has a tragedy in his life, so he is completely ignored almost as if he is invisible.

Conor is so deeply troubled by the pity and silent stares that he actually creates trouble in school and wills the Head teacher to punish him, because that would mean that they see him also as a normal high school boy worthy of punishment rather than a boy needing special care and attention because he has a dying mum. He simply wishes he were treated as a normal teenager - loved, hated, punished, praised, but certainly not shunned. And definitely not pitied.

“There was once an invisible man who had grown tired of being unseen. It was not that he was actually invisible. It was that people had become used to not seeing him.

And if no one sees you, are you really there at all?"” 

Mum is taken to hospital where treatments and options fail, Dad comes to visit but makes it clear that he would be an unwelcome guest back in his place. And then the worst thing happens - the monster demands Conor's story be told, failing which he would be banished into his nightmares forever. Conor finally reveals his nightmares to the monster. How he feels for wishing all the pain would end, which would mean his mother slipping away from him forever. How the waiting was much more painful than the end that Conor almost wished the end would happen soon.

“You were merely wishing for the end of pain, the monster said. Your own pain. An end to how it isolated you. It is the most human wish of all.” 

The monster asks him to come to face with all his worst fears. To accept the inevitable and acknowledge it.

"You wanted her to go at the same time you were desperate for me to save her. Your mind will believe comforting lies while also knowing the painful truths that make those lies necessary. And your mind will punish you for believing both.”

Finally, he learns to let his beloved mum go. To accept the truth.

“Conor held tightly onto his mother.
And by doing so, he could finally let her go.” 

It took me a good while to arrest the flood of tears. The monster's questions and statements are completely transcending. Not many books I've read have made me feel so raw, emotional and yet so connected. The soul of this book is to be read to be felt. Along with the haunting illustrations.

The Monster is a giant Yew tree. The Yew is always associated with ancient times, religion, the land and the people.  Some are thought to be so ancient that they are a few thousand years old. It is considered a symbol of immortality by some religions and always planted in churchyards. In some religions, though, it is looked upon as a symbol of doom and death. The fruits and leaves of the tree are highly poisonous.

A Monster Calls. Powerful.

Penguin

Author: Polly Dunbar
Ages: 2+

Back in the nursery, my DS2 wasn't quite the talker. When he ended up making friends, I was honestly quite surprised. More so when I silently watched them interact. It was completely a one-way exchange with my DS2 remaining the mute conversationalist while his friend was more than making up for the loss in conversation with his animated speech.  Both of them were so deeply engrossed although DS2 was only supplying the odd nod or a tiny smile. It was wonderful to see how very different they both were, yet how easily they accepted that and enjoyed their time.

Penguin is exactly the same. One day Ben receives a penguin as a present. He is so happy to see a new friend and asks Penguin what he wanted to play. Penguin says nothing. Ben then tries to humor the Penguin with silly faces and tricks, but Penguin says nothing.

Now Ben starts getting annoyed. He prods the Penguin, blows raspberries at him, makes fun of him, but Penguin still says absolutely nothing.So Ben ignores Penguin, and ( this bit is so cute!) Penguin ignores him back. Eventually, Ben gets upset, ties Penguin to a rocket and fires him into space. Penguin not just returns back, but says absolutely nothing, not a single word!

A very irritated Ben then tries to feed Penguin to a passing lion, but lion isn't interested in eating him. By then, Ben is infuriated and he shouts out to Penguin to JUST SAY ANYTHING!!. Now the lion swallows Ben as he is so noisy.

The silent Penguin springs immediately into action to rescue his dear talkative friend and bites the lion's nose. The lion spits Ben out and then finally Penguin says...

...everything!

What a beautiful celebration of friendship this book proved to be! You talk to them or you don't, you ignore them, you fight with them, you try to stay away from them, but buddies just know how to save you at the right time, how to make you smile, how to always be there for you when you need it most.

Such a lovely story and I was so moved that I actually had to make Penguin for my DS2 to go with the book, which I got for him in a school fair. ( not quite a replica, but does he bother!)

Polly Dunbar says she wrote Penguin for her brother Ben who gave her the original Pingouin, handmade with velvet in France in 1930. She has received many awards for this book as well. There's more about Penguin and her other books in her website.

As usual, here is a Youtube version, although it is a bilingual version, the book being in spanish!

It really doesn't matter if the story is totally fictional ( talking penguins, lions inside the house swallowing boys!). It is one that the children will quickly relate to, or simply enjoy the beautiful illustrations and Ben's silliness. And Penguin's silent stand! It has been read so many times in our house, and is still a firm favourite!

Just the right book for teeny Penguin fans, this book is truly adorable and a celebration of diversity, acceptance and the spirit of friendship.

Tea Break - Peppermint

Peppermint tea is a speciality tea having well tested healing properties for flatulence, skin irritations and itching, cold and flu and tension headaches.

It was just when we were having some nice Assam Tea today with hot vadas did I realize I needed a virtual tea break as well!

Well the Vadas were quite a story. Having packed all the boys out of the house, I had planned to shower as quickly as possible and make them a royal tiffin. But plans run amuck when you have a book in hand, don't they!

And by the time I had finished "The Snow Child" and pried my mind off the wonderfully original canvas of Alaska that it had painted in my inner eye, the boys were back home, hungry and grumpy. So I had to frantically search for an instant recipe and rummaged around loads of blogs, finally consolidating many recipes of "instant vada" into my own ingredient-restricted one.

And here it goes: 15 minutes of soaking some toor dal and chana dal in hot water - 5 mins of soaking some aval ( rice flakes) - coarse grinding of the dal with red chillies ( and/or green chillies) and ginger- mashing the soaked aval (after removing all excess water) - adding the ground mix to mashed aval along with finely chopped onions, some rice flour, some gram flour, some grated coconut, coriander, curry leaves, salt to taste - making balls of the firm mixture and flattening it ( flatter is  better than fluffier) and deep frying in oil to a crispy golden brown (takes longer than normal vadas). The vadas were very crisp and gone in a jiffy ( maybe because hunger levels were in RED!). At least it only took about 30 minutes to prepare, cook and clean :o).

 Maybe the other reason why the vadas disappeared so quickly was because of the interesting episode that we were watching on TV. It was about parallel universes - how every thought that originates in your mind creates a new reality: a new YOU, as real as you, existing in a parallel universe, something that you are not aware of at all. Like you go to a theatre and ponder on which movie to watch, you end up watching every movie you think of, but as other realities - the YOUs that you are not aware of.

The program was quite mesmerizing, but only until the point where we started speculating  on our thoughts, after which we broke into a laughing frenzy. Like something as simple as a "to pee or not to pee" dilemma creating two realities. (You can imagine what all disgusting things the boys would have thought of involving poking nose, using the byproduct of poking in multiple ways and such gross thoughts and their realities).

I was quite bemused by my "should I blog now? Naah, maybe later" thought triggering frantic "me"s blogging away like mad somewhere else in an alternate reality. Bet the blogs are much much better out there, since I always "think" about making the blog better and more presentable!!

And how about the thought processes of those realities who think they are the actual realities?! Or the thoughts about the thoughts themselves :o0!!.

DH tried getting preachy telling the boys that this is why they should never have desires, as they keep creating new issues of the self and which means it would be all the more tougher to attain nirvana. To which DS1 promptly replied, "But every time I suppress the desire, there is going to be a reality which would live the "express desire" instance, so I am creating a new reality anyways"!

Quite an interesting concept with loads of physics involved. As long as the Universe remains a mystery, there are going to be a million theories ( and so, a million Universes?!?).

Anyway, since my other reality today has chosen the not-to-blog life, bet she is getting her beauty sleep right now. Wonder who else exist in that universe with her! Dare to take a guess? Remember, every thought COUNTS! ;o)

The Arrival

Author: Shaun Tan
Ages: 6+ to 100+

"What draws so many to leave everything behind and journey alone to a mysterious country, a place without family or friends, where everything is nameless and the future is unknown? This silent graphic novel is the story of every migrant, every refugee, every displaced person, and a tribute to all those who have made the journey." - Blurb of "The arrival".

The blurb says it all. This is the story of one such immigrant who leaves his family to go and seek a living in a strange place. So alien, so full of strange structures, weird plants and animals, everything so foreign. It is the story of how he tries to communicate with the locals, not knowing their language. How he finds a place to live, a pet, a series of basic jobs, how he learns the new way of life, meets refugees and immigrants and learns of their stories, makes friends, saves up and finally calls his family over to settle down with him.

This book is very emotional. I ended up holding it and reading it for quite a long time. Which is amazing, given the fact that this is a picture book. With no printed story, not even a word. And any letters and words that do come in the drawings of the strange place are even more stranger, so this book is a story told with nothing but art. In black and white with that worn-out effect so beautifully created, it is a masterpiece.

So very daunting, isn't it! That feeling of being far away from family, missing that familiarity and warmth that is home, trying to fit in and belong in a strange place full of busy people and their busy lives. I can't even imagine how it would feel for people displaced because of war, poverty and homelessness, moving away with nothing but meagre belongings and leaving behind everything that must have meant the world to them, sometimes even loved ones, forever. People trying desperately to forget, to remember, to find hope and move on. People trying to feel accepted, people trying to live.

Throughout the story are people who take the time to step out of their routine and offer help to a complete stranger, be it with the directions, tickets on transport, or even inviting him home for dinner. They befriend the immigrant, talk about how they ended up in this place and try to help him with their knowledge of the place ( have you ever had a flashback story rendered just with still life pictures?! unbelievable work!!).

The immigrant works really hard, he finally settles down well and his family becomes so at-home in the new place that they even start helping other new comers.

The best books are those that give you a mental picture so vivid that you even remember it long after finishing the book. Shaun Tan has somehow managed to bring out these mental pictures to life so well with his illustrations that I almost felt like I was watching a motion picture.  It transported me to a world so far away, roused so many deep memories and feelings from my sub-conscious and affected me in a very profound way.

The children have been sitting with this book for days together, making out their own meanings from the pictures and noticing so many unspoken feelings. I realized this must be a wonderful book to discuss in a class. Imagination, creativity, sensitivity, war, life, compassion, displacement, hard work, value of family and love, there is so much that this book has to offer as classroom material.

Here's what Shaun Tan has to say about the book.

And here's the book ( most of it) on Youtube. (although it isn't as intense as it would feel when you actually read the book).

And that immigrant in the story, it is actually the author's drawing of himself.

The Arrival. Disturbingly strange, yet so familiar.

Snuggle with Indian Picture Books

Much as would have loved to review them, I do not have a source here to obtain Indian books from. So  until I make my trip back home, I would have to stick to local books. But my cousin sent me a blog link and I found it to be a very exhaustive collection of Indian story books for children.

The blog is owned by Richa Jha, an Indian author who resides in Nigeria. She has done such a wonderful job with her blog snugglewithpicturebooks, reviewing Indian picture books and even interviewing some authors.  The blog is very neat and versatile and reflects her passion and her talent as well. The ratings table that she uses at the end of her review is absolutely unique - "Ha Ha! quotient, Touches the Heart, Cuts through the Clutter, Visual Appeal, Encore quotient, Thank God it's not Moral Science and Hey!That's a really important book" all rated on a scale of 1-5 is such a cute idea :o).

More than anything, what instantly attracted me to her blog was the way she has described her craze for picture books, it sounded just like ME!

Perhaps if you have ever come across any good blogs on Indian books ( for children), you could just add it as a comment to this post, so it would be a good place to refer back to when you want to choose books.

Appending all the suggested links:
http://www.saffrontree.org/
http://karadionline.blogspot.in/

The Spider and the Fly

Designed and Illustrated by : Tony DiTerlizzi
Based on an 170+ years old poem by Mary Howitt 
Ages: 4+ years

"Will you walk into my parlour?", 
said the Spider to the Fly

How many times would these eternal lines have been referred to and quoted! This is a poem that I learnt in childhood and adore even today. Seeing this as a picture book made me pick it up instantly. And I wasn't disappointed at all! For this book has all that thrill and caution of the classic poem even more enhanced by Tony DiTerlizzi's truly rich, dark, gothic illustrations. A visual treat, a tale of caution, a lesson that children of today truly need to bear in mind.

This is the story of an unassuming, innocent Fly that happens to pass by a hungry Spider who invites her to his web with sugar-coated, flattering description of his beautiful parlour. The Fly is all too cautious and keeps resisting all attempts until the Spider woos her by praising her beauty. The silly Fly falls for the flattery, and falls prey to the Spider by getting tangled in his web.

The illustrations must really be given a special mention, for they carry this already powerful poem to a whole new level - the sleek, sly gentleman Spider in his impeccable attire and a wicked grin, the innocent victorian damsel Fly with those big, cautious eyes,  the dangerously dark parlour, all in black and white are really very captivating.  And the ever so slight extra touches he has drawn, like those ghosts ( of flies) and the tombstone in the end with a word of caution make the story even more ominous.

And now, dear little children, who may this story read,
To idle, silly, flattering words I pray you ne'er give heed.

It's not just the children, it's that fly in all of us that should learn this lesson and remember it forever. Particularly in these times when the newspaper is so full of news about bad things done to children. It is our duty to educate children to be well wary of the wicked wide world.

Sometimes I've noticed that when children move to bigger chapter books, parents don't really give them a picture book, as they feel it is way too easy for them. Reading is not just about reading words or tackling tougher sentences. It is all about what you take back from the story, what you comprehend from the words, what you discover from the pictures and you might well see that sometimes fluent readers miss out on such delicate details. This is one book that is not to be missed like that. It is a very mature poem and something children of all ages would enjoy and understand at so many emotional levels.

Here's a Youtube version read by English Actress Emilia Fox.

"Be warned, little dears, and know that spiders are not the only hunters and bugs are not the only victims. Take what has transpired within these pages to heart, or you might well find yourself trapped in some schemer's web" - Spider.

The Hueys - It Wasn't Me

Author and Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers
Ages: 2+

If you asked what the maximum used kiddy statement in our house is, I'd immediately vouch for this - "It wasn't me!". Especially with their eyes admitting guilt since their innocence can't mask it. It would be extremely difficult then to stifle the instant laugh that the scene would generate. :o)

The other day I was "Windows" shopping in one of my favourite store, I saw this card and went "Awwwwwww!, how cute is that!". Kids all over the world, they're all the same, all so cute, especially in their guiltiest-most moment ( Disclaimer : Not Always, please adore them at your own peril. Those little brats have a mind of  their own, enough to drive you out of your mind).

And so when I read this book ( standing in the bookstore :o)), it is this very same cuteness that appealed to me almost immediately. The Hueys, if you remember from one of my earlier posts, used to all think and look alike until Rupert and his friend Gillespie created a revolution. The Hueys have since moved on and started being unique.

The Hueys almost always agree upon everything. Until they have one of those moments when they disagree, which is what happens in the story. Heated arguments and blame games ensue and the fight intensifies. That's when Gillespie comes along and asks what the fight was all about. Nobody actually remembers why it started. Gillespie then asks them if they wanted to see a dead fly.

"Of Course!".

"Why didn't you say earlier?".

"How long has it been dead?".

And the gang disperses enthusiastically to check out the fly, the fight dumped and completely forgotten.

Utterly cute, somehow it makes you feel connected with the story the moment you read it. How many times would you have effectively diverted a raging toddler in terrible twos by pointing out to a totally simple, silly, stupid thing! Or jumped in to mediate kid fights and they don't even remember why they've been mad at each other and worse still, start giggling uncontrollably just when you're sternly delivering a serious lesson of forgiveness, love etcetera.

And oh! It holds equally good for all grown-ups as well. If only we could be diverted this effectively by a dead fly...

A cute book that kids would love. Oliver Jeffers certainly must have a pair of kids' shoes that he gets into every time he writes a new book. He somehow brings out little sweet nothings of childhood so well in his books. And his doodle characters emote so well and speak volumes with monosyllables!

I only wish they weren't this pricey, though.

Colin Fischer

Authors: Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz
Ages: 13+
Note: Contains some sexual references pertaining to teenage talk and adolescence

Colin Fischer cannot stand to be touched. He hates the colour blue. He needs index cards to relate to facial expressions. He has Asperger's, is socially awkward, emotionally bland with a very high IQ. He adores Sherlock Holmes' unemotional logic, sticks to routines, is too blatant, loves facts and can't relate to fiction, can't even lie. Yet when a gun goes off in his school's cafeteria, he is the only one brave enough to stay behind and investigate. And arrive at the truth, even if it meant saving the back of his bullying classmate ( who dunks his head in the toilet the very first day) who everybody thinks is the suspect.

If you got reminded of "The Curious incident of the Dog in the Night-time", you would be forgiven. The resemblance is unmistakeable and the plot, not really fresh. But the book is still a very good read and is unique in its own way.

Seeing the world in Colin's eyes gives us a taste of how it feels like to live with Asperger's. It is certainly a difficult challenge, and it certainly needs a huge change in perception among family and friends. However It is also amazing to see how much he accepts his own limitations and how well he acknowledges his gifts. Because of his lack of emotions, his inability to see through rhetorical questions and double meanings, he simply lives life black and white, which is kind of innocent and you feel like protecting him.

It is quite interesting how the author has managed to squeeze in humour as well! Also, Colin's diary features in the story almost as a supporting character and is quite entertaining. The wide variety of facts at the beginning of every chapter is also something I enjoyed reading, so would the kids. However, it has a few loose ends, and does not feel as complete as Mark Haddon's curious incident of the dog. Perhaps it is because it deals more with Colin's condition and his perspective than the curious incident itself.

The author has done a wonderful job with Colin's portrayal as an Asperger's child. I was reading through the "Asperger's" search results and this one lists almost everything that Colin feels / does.

The scenes inside the Fischer household are also something we would instantly relate to - calm Dad, slightly over-protective and over-reacting mum, a taunting sibling and a daily routine. I especially liked Mr Fisher's statement when he is nagged by Mrs Fisher to take her with him to fetch Colin when he gets himself into a tight corner by lying for the first ever time : "Sometimes, the last thing in the world a boy wants is his mother - especially when he needs her the most". (I should remember to respect the amount of free space children require when they grow into teens. It would be hard, but I shouldn't end up being the clingy mother.)

More and more children are getting diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder every day. Perhaps what was earlier dismissed as bad behaviour / shy character / clumsiness / dullhead / quirkiness / mental illness is now clearly diagnosed. About 1 in 100 children, and boys more often than girls get diagnosed with ASD. Some forms of ASD are more manageable, some barely noticeable and some, quite detrimental. Parents, doctors and schools are trying more and more to mainstream many of these children. It is only fair that proper awareness is created both among adults and children to be able to support them as class mates and friends. After all, they are also like us,  albeit with a slightly different set of needs.

In fact if we do think honestly, I bet we would certainly find some quirkiness inside all of us that needs quick pruning, but is always overgrown! But unlike those with ASD, we actually know what is wrong, where we are wrong, and yet we choose to ignore and carry on being the worser one, don't we!