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!

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

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.

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!

Horrid Henry

Author: Francesca Simon
Illustrator: Tony Ross
Ages: 5+

Caution: Some parents may find Horrid Henry books too horrid for their children, with bad manners and horrid words.

I love Dennis the Menace. I simply adore Tom Sawyer. I have to admit, I do really enjoy naughty children stories. There is something extremely appealing and cute about Krishna after he has nicked all the butter. If it weren't for the naughty kids, you would never have those awesome stories to tell their wife and kids later on! (did I get my double negative right?!?).

My elder son's naughty tales run for pages together - locking neighbours inside their house, rubbing out neighbours' carefully drawn kolams, pressing the elevator buttons from the top floor just when people are about to exit the lift in lower floors, thereby making them travel all the way up (and down and up again * 4 at least). But the little one is more of a conformist ( we call him the Rules Ramanujam of our house!). Still, his conformist ideas would sometimes include flushing brand new mobiles down the toilet, posting bread and Chapatis in the DVD player, pulling out springs from all pens and hiding them in the freezer, washing machine, Mum's boots and other such "safe" places..

Also these days it is a constant fight to act as the "good boy" in front of mum and more important, framing the other one as being wicked. And when I wonder if I am making some mistake in bringing them up, I am reminded of all my fights with my sister and all my cousins and realize it is just an enticing part of growing up, a rite of passage into and out of teens.

Which is why Horrid Henry is such a huge success. I personally haven't read even one, I find them a bit too silly ( Alas, senility is eating into me already!). But I have a major soft spot for them, because it was the first ever book that was independently read by my elder son when he was 5. And since then, he has never stopped reading! He has got every single one of the books, many signed by Francesca Simon, the author. Even now, I find him delving into one of these and it is a collection he proudly displays in his room!

Francesca Simon has also had the books translated into many languages, and is one of the most read Children's authors. She has also won awards and accolades for Horrid Henry books. Horrid Henry books always figure on the libraries' Top 10 lists of borrowed books.

The books are very concise reads, with 4 crisp episodes in every book, short enough to keep the newly independent reader engaged and wanting more. The settings are the ones that kids immediately associate themselves with - classroom, fair, school trips, plays, lunch breaks, dinnertime with siblings, sleepovers, making secret clubs and everything else equally childish. And are almost always about the fights and chaos and the usual telling off that ensues.

The characters have alliterative names ( Moody Margaret, Sour Susan, Perfect Peter etc) and loathsome traits! Horrid Henry is the bad big brother and Perfect Peter is the annoyingly perfect and smug younger brother. You can pretty much guess the stories from this. Amidst all the chaos and name calling, there is a steady flow of nice words for kids to pick up (some words I picked up from Horrid Henry and the Zombie Vampire - scuttling, lisping, puny, lurched, craning, unearthly). I wouldn't expect a 5 year old to know these words and when the kids keep reading the book again and again, they end up registering the words as well along with their meaning.

Perhaps it is the brat in every child and hence a vicarious satisfaction of being a rebel for a while that makes them want more of Horrid Henry, as they never seem to tire of Henry's bad traits. And I have seen that it is the anti-hero Henry that kids adore, not the ever-so-perfect Peter! Even if Henry uses all the dirty tricks in the book to bully his younger brother and ends up paying for it, the children still side Henry.

The books have been made into TV Serials and you can find loads of episodes on Youtube.  The schools even use the books to discuss PSHE ( Personal, Social, Health Education) topics and find it rather easy to refer back to these characters and discuss good and unacceptable behaviour and the aftermath. It is almost like the lessons in Mahabharatha, on how NOT to be!

The complete list of books released so far can be found here.

Horrid Henry.  Horribly Hilarious!

Glenn Murphy and the Science Museum series

Author: Glenn Murphy
Ages: 8+

Let's admit it. There is just NO WAY you can ever succeed in curbing the kids' enchantment with the B-word and all its by products thereof. If you haven't guessed it, I am referring to "the bottom" and the various other B words (and A!) associated with it. It is just every family's safely guarded secret, I guess - these B-word substitutes in multi various languages and associated jokes. Well you can go into denial, but the sparkle in your kids' eyes on the slightest mention of anything related to B would shout "Gotcha!" in your ears!! And the endless giggles that would follow would make you wish you'd morph into an ostrich and bury your head in earth. ( Of course they actually don't do that, you should know that by now, really. Only figuratively speaking...) Particularly if said event occurs in front of just the very people you to whom you were trying to show off your thorough-bred breed :o)

Glenn Murphy certainly understood this. And proved it right by writing his famous Science Museum series books with enough info about all these things.  And also every kind of output from the human body. I bet more boys read this than girls, this fascination has always been a boys' thing, I'd say. Nevertheless, these books are hilariously scientific and the kids simply giggle away without realizing they are learning!

Glenn Murphy is a British-born author residing in the US. He started writing the science museum series while working for the London Science Museum. He says most of the info in his books, which is in the form of questions and answers, have been doubts he had been having in his childhood. His books have since been nominated for various awards and is a winner with children of all ages.

The titles are very "inviting" for children - like "Why is Snot green" and " How loud can you burp" and "Stuff that scares your pants off". Very informative (!) - kidding, they really are and written in a style that manages to keep even the kids with short attention span heartily occupied.

These books have fuelled many "smart" family discussions and I love getting these books for my boys. Needless to say, Glenn Murphy is a mega hero for my little ones!

He has also written a slightly serious book about our carbon footprints and how kids can do little things to reduce the same. Printed on forest friendly paper, this book is bursting with lovely bits of info, most of which apply to adults as well. I found it a very engaging read as well. It also has a set of cards included, one of which is my favourite that reads - People need lights. Rooms don't. Switch off when you leave. This just about sums up the whole book!

Science Museum series. Rip-roaring read ;o)

Little Monk's Tales of Wisdom

Author: Various
Publisher: Wisdom Tree
Ages: 8+

When you want the kids to learn about morals and good values, there is no other thing better than our Mythology stories. Their profound, yet simple and easy to understand values are a very strong foundation for any child to develop on. I consider them a must-know for my children. And I have found that no matter how much children love other authors of the world and their work of fiction, they are deeply touched by our mythology and it gets them thinking really intensely.

For Tales of bravery, wisdom, wit and tales of Gods and Goddesses and famous lives, I generally look no further than Amar Chitra Katha. No Indian household should be devoid of one. I remember the days when we had subscriptions running for Tinkle and Amar Chitra Katha when we were kids, and how me and my sister always tried to beat each other to snatch the copy from the postman! Our Dad would then get the copies bound into volumes, and many of our evening snacks were eaten over these bound volumes. Sadly though, these were also the books that people borrowed and never gave back and to this date, the loss has been  totally inconsolable! These books reminded me of my collection very much!

Little Monk's tales are a collection of books of beautiful titles - Hanuman, Buddha, Krishna, Lakshmi, Saraswati and many more. They have been very neatly written by famous Indian authors and tell the stories in a short and sweet yet complete way. The real nice thing about these books is the very clever camouflage of some good vocabulary into the story. These words are cleverly highlighted, and there is a glossary with all these tough words and their meanings, so it is a wonderful way of expanding the childrens' vocabulary in their formative years when they are able to absorb them easily. More so as it is associated with a nice story that they are bound to remember.

I got introduced to these books when my sweet sister ( I really have LOADS of them, all too sweet to be called cousins!) gifted "Little Monk's Hanuman" to my elder son. He instantly took to it and has been reading and re-reading it many times. So when he saw "Little Monk's Buddha" in the shop, he recognized the publication and the book made its way home!

The illustrations are bold and beautifully Indian and very nostalgic. These books are certainly worth a purchase and even if they are a bit tougher for the younger children to read by themselves, I would recommend mums to read them first and recite to the kids. You would surely have all their attention!

Little Monk's tales of wisdom.  Definitely a wise buy.

Wonder

Author; R J Palacio Age group; 10+ years

Don't judge a book boy by it's cover  his face.

After a long time, I actually happened to pick up one of my elder son's favourite books, and actually ended up reading it till the last page. And pondering for a long time afterwards.

Wonder is a wonderfully poignant story of Auggie, a boy with extreme facial deformities. There would have been many stories about differently abled or disadvantaged children or children with life-altering disabilities and diseases. What makes this book really stand out is the fact that not only does this book carry the perspective of Auggie, it also brings in the viewpoints of his near, dear and not-so-dear ones. That is even more touching. We all look at the disabled person, and think of his struggles and fights, but we seldom think of the brother or sister who ends up slightly ignored by all even though he / she might actually love the sibling a lot. Or how about the perspective of the friend who is sniggered by all in school just because he chose to be friends with the "freak"! What about the mum and dad who constantly struggle to protect their vulnerable little one from the cruel comments of the society, yet want to give him independence and a life of his own!

The narration is gripping and there are parts in the book that question our conscience and flood our eyes. Like when Auggie asks his mum why he was born so ugly. Or when he describes how people look at him, and either stare or look away and pretend not to notice. It made me think of all those times when I might have done exactly so, thinking a direct stare would be rude. It made me realize how, unknowingly, we affect people we come across and simply walk away not know anything about it!

Wonder is indeed a heart-wrenching read. Yet, this is a very positive story with a lot of takeaways and ends on an enriching and inspiring note. It also has the perfect tones and settings that a child would relate to, making it a lovely, uplifting read for kids as well.

Wonder. It really is one. A must-read for every kind soul!