Private and Confidential

Author: Marion Ripley
Illustrator: Colin Backhouse
Ages: 5+ years

Children are always intrigued by anything and everything that is prohibited to them. If I ever say to my little one " Never open Dad's draw, he has some really important documents in there", I can be 100% sure he is going to get a sneak peek at the earliest available opportunity. Not take anything from it, not even touch the contents, just take that forbidden peek. Was it the negative suggestion ( DO NOT DO IT!), was it the thrill of breaking the rule or was it simply innocent inquisitiveness, I have no idea.

On the other hand, have you ever tried even touching the little ones' diaries, journals or cereal boxes that have been sealed with miles of cello tape dangerously criss-crossed? Anything private and confidential to them MUST never even be looked at from a long distance And if you ever break that rule even by mistake, you pay a dear price indeed. (And if it happens to be your PMS day, well, you'll have my hugs and sympathies galore!).

My son picked this book up exactly because he loved the title - Private and Confidential. Like Dad's draw! What we did not expect was the thought-provoking story with a learning inside.

The girl in the story, ten year old Laura, gets a bit upset when a "private and confidential" letter comes for her mum by the post. Even her brother gets his own letter and she longs to get a letter in her name as well. By chance, her teacher at school says he has some interested children in Australia who would love to be pen-pals.

Laura wants a girl with similar interests, but instead gets to be pals with a boy, Malcolm. They write to each other and exchange photos. But after her reply, Laura never gets another letter from Malcolm. Just when she was beginning to wonder if he didn't like her picture, she receives a letter from Malcolm's sister explaining that Malcolm has to have his eye operated as he is almost blind. And that she was the one who'd read her letters to Malcolm, as Malcolm could only read Braille.

When Laura sits deeply saddened by the fact that Malcolm never told her this in the first place, her Dad tells her that Malcolm had just wanted to make friends, have happy talks and perhaps would have told her later. And he asks her how this would make any difference at all if he is her friend.

Very soon, Laura gets a letter from Malcolm in Braille ( The book actually has the Braille letter inside that you can feel and read) and is so overjoyed! And when he brother asks what it is about, she comments that it is "private and confidential"!!

What a beautiful way to introduce a sensitive topic! We took so much time figuring out the letter and my little boy was so overwhelmed by the difficulty. He instantly commented "But how is Malcolm not sad about it at all, why did he not tell Laura he had a problem or he couldn't read!". We re-read what Dad told Laura about it, and I thought it was such a beautiful discussion on how he doesn't think of it as a disability and does not want to project it so.

Malcolm never brings out any negativity regarding his condition. He is very positive and outgoing and it is a trait all of us could do with. Laura never feels sorry for Malcolm, but instead, starts writing to him in Braille. That is the beauty of friendship. And the beauty of children. They simply are full of love and understanding, pure and fresh. They take things by face value, never look up or look down, and when guided rightly, never discriminate. All that happens right after we "adult"erate them with our thoughts and actions.

Again, this is one of the stories that are going to be woven into our talks and discussions for a long time to come.

Private and Confidential. A moving story with a positive note. The Braille letter is an added touch of genius.

Solo

Author and Illustrator: Paul Geraghty
Ages: 4+

When you look at the book you might almost mistake it for an educational one about life in the Antarctic. With original photographs. That is how vivid and detailed the pictures and the story look.

Solo is a very beautifully illustrated book about the life of an Emperor penguin family and its struggle for survival in an almost uninhabitable corner of the Earth. Mum Floe, after being back from the sea,  finds her soulmate Fin and gives birth to Solo - still inside the egg, and then makes it back to sea to travel hundreds of miles to get food for her yet-to-be-born chick. Daddy Fin then gets ready for the toughest ordeal of going without food for months together and huddling close with the penguins in the rookery to keep himself and the newly hatched chick Solo warm. And alive.

After what seems like ages, Floe returns and takes charge of Solo while Fin finally gets his chance to venture out to sea and have some food and get some for Solo. But time moves on and while other daddies return, there is no sign of Fin. Floe realizes she must leave Solo alone and go herself to get some food, or Solo would starve away. She makes that toughest decision of leaving Solo alone and toboggans off to sea, wary of the leopard seals that are ready to make her a meal, should she be any less careful.

Left to its own self, Solo becomes an easy catch to all the mother penguins that have lost their chick as they tug at her quite violently to adopt her as their own. Solo somehow manages to escape their clutches, only  to be pinned down by the Skua, a scavenger bird that preys on penguin chicks that stray from the rookery. Just when the skua is about to nip Solo's belly off, Fin makes his heroic entry and lunges at the Skua and chases it away. Then you see what had taken so long for Fin to get back - he had gotten himself entangled in a net, and had somehow escaped, dragging the net along. A while later Floe is back as well, and the family has a very happy reunion.

Solo brought back memories of the Emperor Penguin documentary by Sir David Attenborough. Very beautiful ones, you can watch them here:
 Daddy penguins in the rookery
Return of mummy penguins
Leopard Seal hunting out Emperor penguins

This book proved to be a great topic for discussion, both scientific and sentimental and is definitely a very good read about life in the Antarctic, survival instinct and the extreme endurance of the animal kingdom and the continuous threat that humans impose on these magnificent beings.

Solo. A beautiful tale of love and endurance.

Why Does Ear Wax taste so gross... and more top trivia!

Author : Mitchell Symons
Ages: 6+

About 6 years back, my elder son came inside the kitchen asking me for a bottle quarter filled with water. He then asked for a spoonful of all the spices in the kitchen, some coriander, yogurt, flour, rice, lentils, oil, my perfume, baby shampoo, shaving foam, crushed ginger and finally some acrylic paint. He then disappeared for about an hour, then came back and asked me to save his "special magic potion" in the kitchen window sill, and I obliged. Every time I glanced at it, mum instinct would kick me with a vengeance, but I was too busy to give it a thought. Eventually after 4 or 5 days, the kicks became too much to bear and I summoned my boy and asked him what was so special about the potion. My instinct had been spot on, he could find "no cat urine to go into the potion", so he wee-d into it and that I should "never worry, the magic would still work fine"! :oO!!

Some things never change with time. Some boys never change at all!

Recently, I discovered there is such a genre of books called "grossology".  Very aptly named, because these books can't quote more grosser facts! Like the one suggested in the title of this book...  Why does ear wax taste so gross.

While I was wondering who in the world would ever want to taste THAT, I overheard my boys ( standing in front of this book in the library) comparing the intricate effects that this thing and a very particular other thing had on their taste buds :o{ ...
and went gagging away :oC ...
only to find the book right beside their bedside table that night :o\.

I agree. My culinary delights are anything but delightful, but I had never ever ever ever expected my boys to resort to eating such appalling stuff! I should really try to cook more interesting things to eat. Or probably make my usual cooking look gross enough to interest them :o)

And just when I was wondering if this was a faulty gene-of-this-generation running in my family, I stumbled upon this mumsnet discussion about house rules. One of the mum had quoted " don't sit on your sibling and fart", and I realized I am not the lone mum with DSs obsessed and extremely "inquisitive and creative" with their output. :o)

Anyway, coming down to the book: this is not really the book of general knowledge or the quiz book that would get you prizes, but it is certainly something the kids will enjoy reading again and again. Some facts in the book aren't quite the useful stuff  - knowing that a rat can swim 72 hours non-stop isn't going to get you a degree. But it is a bit of info nevertheless, and little curious brains ( of boys, in particular) seem to relish such trivia. It also has loads of facts about body functions(!), inventions, famous people, films, history, geography. languages and just about anything.

I liked reading the bits about what kids wrote in English, history, science exams. Totally funny. Like this one:  "John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met." LOL! And " She walked into my office like a centipede with 98 missing legs" !!

And quite soon it dawned on me that I had read the book back-to-back without even realizing it :o)

I still decided against practically experimenting on the title, though!

Tea Break - Just plain

Aaaaah... That hot cup of solace from a lone stall on a bleak, shivering day. No posh tea could beat That!

March came rolling in with double digit temperatures, and the daffs in the garden just started playing Peepo! with me, but oh no! Jealous Snow Queen turns up again to punish me with icicles and howling snow! :o(

February and March always have their share of special days. I am not quite sure if I buy into the concept of celebrating "days". I must be the worst memory chip ever designed, you know, the ones that get almost discarded but then sold off on a seconds sale. I forget my own birthday / wedding anniversary etc leave alone remember those of others! I have had instances of my cousins calling to wish me and me asking them what the occasion was!

Anyway, I was meaning all the Valentine's day, Father's day, Mother's day and all similar ones. I like the idea of putting a smile on the faces of someone who means so much to you, but I am not at all for the commercial aspect of it. It is okay that they might be the bread and butter of Hallmark and Moonpig and what-not card companies, but these cards, they are such spoilsports! Even if some of them are really very beautiful and bring out just the perfect feeling, I must admit!

Personally, I rather prefer the home-made ones, the odd paint blobs and finger smudges included. They show someone really took the time. Someone thought about you and broke their back to do something to make you smile. I love that very much. These days we try to make our own cards for all occasions. ( hehe particularly after my little boy started having parties at the rate of 2 per month, each jointly for 3 or 4 kids. In their class, everybody gives parties to everybody!)

I used to be against all these "days" thing. Particularly Mother's day. I would think - why celebrate your mother on just that day, she should be celebrated every single day. That was a very young, very strong and confident ME talking, I think. Because after all these years of being mum to two typhoons,and not being "celebrated" at all, I am beginning to have second thoughts.

I wonder how many people still follow the basic tradition of Mothering Sunday - to go to their mother Church with their family and pray, a holiday to be with their mother and other members of family and do family activities. For the time-pressed, gadget obsessed generation of today, it has become a very easy way out - just get a card, a bunch of flowers, some slippers or pyjamas or girly things and that's all done! Who cares what Mum really wants, am done with the job.

At home, this year was a sweet surprise. As ever, my boys came to me asking what I wanted for Mother's day. I told them I wanted the usual - cuddles and kisses for me and cards and letters for their Grannies. The boys went one step ahead. They made Tea for me ( they sure know how to please Mum and get away with treats!), made breakfast as well, hoovered the house, put the rubbish out, and to top it all, made some delicious toffee for me all by themselves ( they said the recipe was from a book I got for them. They even wanted to make the lunch, but my motherly inner-self's warning intercepted just in time and saved the kitchen from the imminent threat!!) That was the best treat, the best gift I had ever received! I was so overjoyed and that moment I realized - all mums could certainly do with some attention and pampering. Even if it is for just one day, it is a very wonderful way to feel loved, to smile at those genuine attempts made by your little ones to make you feel special.

 

How many times in a day do we take Mums for granted! As if that is not enough, we even idolize Mums and make so many quotes about her faultless, selfless, ever-smiling love, sacrifice etc and make them feel immensely under pressure to be all that they are meant to be as per those poems and verses. I mean of course a Mum is all of that quite naturally, but darn it, she is also a woman by herself - someone with anger, resentment, disappointments, hard choices, fallible, sometimes wanting to be selfish, sometimes with a little ego and sometimes wanting to be so far away from everyone, as well! The most cruel thing you could do to a mother is to pile all those quotes of highest, almost impossible expectations on her, thereby making any normal and sane mother feel like a failure. If a mother is to be idolized, it is not because she spreads love beyond all such human negativities, but despite all of it.

For it takes a strong-willed mother to raise beyond all those feelings and emotions and still love their family like mad. Despite being ignored, despite being taken for granted, despite being angered, depressed, forever tired, deprived of their dreams or with innumerable changes to all their life-plans. That, only a mother could do.

And for that, even if it is hugely inadequate, a day of celebration is only befitting.

If only children understood that in the whole world, despite all their military rules, mothers are the easiest to please. All it takes is just a call, a hug,  a few hours of patient listening, a day off from the drudging routine and some kind words.

And perhaps a cup of steaming hot tea - just plain!

 

The Giving Tree

Author and Illustrator: Shel Silverstein
Ages: age no bar!

Caution : Tear Jerker ( for adults, kids are a whole lot braver!)

When my dear sister reminded me of Shel Silverstein's works, I ended up getting a couple of his books from the library. The books were adored by the boys. This book, though, is... I just don't know, I really have no words to describe it. I only had my tears bearing testimony to the beauty of this book.

Once there was an apple tree who loved a little boy. The boy played with the tree, ate the apples, gathered leaves and made crowns, swung in her branches and slept underneath when he was tired. He loved the tree very much. And the tree was happy.

Soon, the boy grew into adolescence and his visits to the tree became less frequent. And when he did come, the tree was overjoyed and asked him to come and play on its branches again. The boy said that he was too big to play and that he wanted loads of money to succeed in life. The tree said that she had no money, but he could take her apples and sell them and make money. The boy did just that. And the tree was happy.

A long time of absence, and then the boy came again. The tree's happiness knew no bounds and she again asked him to play and rest with her. But the boy said that he was too busy for that, and that he badly wanted a house for his wife and children, so he could keep them safe. The tree said it had no house, but the boy could take her branches and build a house for himself. The boy did so, and the tree was happy.

And a really long time later, the boy ( who is no longer a boy, but an old man) came again, rather sad. This time when the ecstatic tree asked him to play, he said that he was so tired and sad and wanted to go far far away and needed a boat. The tree offered her trunk for the boat and the boy took the same. The tree was happy, but not very much. She missed the boy, maybe she couldn't bear to see him so sad. Now she was just a barren stump.

Finally, haggard and really old, the boy came again. The tree apologized and told him she had nothing to give. The boy ( now a really old, hunched man) said he only wanted a place to rest. The tree said that her stump was just the place and asked the boy to sit there. The boy did so.

And the tree was happy.

My sister said that after reading this, her little boy commented that "even when you lose everything friends ( like the tree) will be there for you. And the tree was foolish to give away everything, it should have been smarter and the boy was greedy... he kept taking and taking from the tree". These, I thought, were really lovely interpretations made by a wee child!

My elder son had just one thing to say, " Why, that selfish brat of a boy!". But it hit a more sensitive note with my little one. He felt so sad that the tree was reduced to a stump, and kept saying it was a sad story. So I pointed out to him the really, really special part of the story - The tree was happy.

Loving memories, hurt, guilt, unconditional love, revelations, security... the feelings that the story evokes are all so raw, so deep.

For me, it is a testimony to the love of my parents, my in-laws. It is all about that magical gift of being able to give unconditionally. It is such a blissful state that is unfazed by the lack of reciprocation. It only cares about giving. With all the heart, with all the body, as much as possible, as long as possible. Whatever it takes to keep the little one happy. If this is not love in its purest form, if this is not a realized state, then what else could be!

It also reminds me of children. Us as children, and our children. Somehow, parents are the ones who push them to extremes, hammering down the importance of succeeding, of money, fame. And then the children simply go ahead in pursuit of it all, get so absorbed in it, ignore what is important - or who is important, get worn down and tired and finally, realize the whole picture.

If only the realization happens when the stump is still there, waiting...

I am gifted to have experienced the giving tree.

I wish I were the giving tree to loved ones.

I leave the remaining interpretation to the readers.

Here is an online version of the book.

The Giving Tree. Gift it. Receive it. Cherish it.

This Moose Belongs to Me

Author: Oliver Jeffers
Ages: 5+ to all adults who love quirky moose and a little enlightenment :o)

image courtesy:http://www.oliverjeffers.com/media/TMBTM-04-05_F.jpg 

I am a great admirer of the Geethacharam. Roughly translated, it means:

What has happened, has happened for good
What is happening, is for good
And what will happen would be for good
What possession that was truly yours did you lose
For you to cry over?
What did you bring (into the world) for you to lose it?
What did you create yourself that has been destroyed?
Whatever you took for yourself belongs here
And Whatever you give out belongs here, too
What is yours today will be another's tomorrow
And yet another's, another day.
This is the  principle of the world
This is the essence of creation, of evolution.

Who would have thought that all it takes is a Moose and a funny little boy to make kids understand such a beautiful lesson in life! Hats off to Oliver Jeffers for coming up with this gem of a book - This Moose belongs  to me.

Wilfred finds a moose in his garden, names him " Marcel" thereby proclaiming it belongs to him. He wanders in the woods and mountains with Marcel. He makes many rules for Marcel to follow, to train him. Some of them include serving drinks when he needs, getting things for him that are out of his reach, sheltering him from rain, not disturbing when he plays his records and many such funny rules. Marcel of course, is totally nonchalant. He cares two hoots about the rules, but by nature does things that sometimes tick off some of these rules.

And all is well until one day a lady comes up and calls Marcel as Rodrigo and says it is hers. Much to the fury of Wilfred, Marcel acts as if Wilfred didn't even exist and goes readily to the lady, who has an apple in her hand for him.

An angry Wilfred stomps back home, only to be tangled in a mess by a length of rope that he had left behind. But then he gets rescued by Marcel ( or so he thinks), who then goes to another man who comes by and calls him Dominic and claims that it is his moose!

Hidden inside all the funny, yet very perfect story and illustrations are so many beautiful facts stated in Gitacharam. The Moose belongs to no one, everyone simply assumes it is theirs. It comes and goes as it pleases, people get attached to it, but it is like an enlightened being, just not belonging to anyone. It comes from the woods, goes back into the woods.

You get caught in a mess, you are saved out of a mess. These things happen on no account of no merit from your side, it JUST happens.

And even if every now and then things might look as if they belong to you, it is JUST your illusion.

Accept it, you own nothing. Not even your children, as Gibran says.
(They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you....)

Oliver Jeffers' illustrations are also so perfect, the emotions beautifully shown and the book feels very much complete and wholesome with his drawings.

This Moose belongs to Me. This book belongs to me, or does it?!

(The Hueys in) The New Jumper

US: The Hueys in The New Sweater
Author and Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers
Ages: 3+

I remember when Seth Godin's book was released, Purple Cows were very much in! Being different suddenly became a trend that was so religiously followed. Actually so much followed that suddenly, being normal became the new fashion :o).

Jokes apart, this book by Oliver Jeffers is a children's version of The Purple Cow. Only, it doesn't really talk about standing out in the business as much as saying that being different could be so much fun. And how fashion trends go from initial rejection to passive aversion to almost Swine Flu-ishly feverish copying world-wide! ( Gangnam-ishly viral, to make it sound "in trend" as of now :o))

The Hueys ( they are just plain cute - plain and cute!) are a clone-ly lot of beings: they think the same, act the same, do the same and are just the same. That was the rule of the clan - Always same to same :o).

Then comes a stir in the form of Rupert. This Huey is suddenly taken by a whim and knits himself an orange jumper ( sweater).  Looking at his proud display, the Huey town goes into a state of violent shock at the eye sore. Rupert stands out like a sore thumb, didn't he know the rules of being a Huey! Tongues wag behind in disgust, baby Hueys cry looking at this aberration, Mama and Dada Hueys get plain sick, drop their things and get into little accidents just at the sight of this orange-clad anomaly.

But then Rupert's friend Gillespie thinks "Why not!" and he knits himself the same jumper. One is madness, but two different Hueys look curiously cool. Hueys start looking at the daring pair with rising admiration and start wondering "Hmm. Want that!".

And hell, no, wool(orange) breaks loose in Hueyland. Every Huey wants to be different and is busy knitting away orange jumpers. Orange jumpers jump high up in the trend so much.Each Huey thinks it is so different, so Orange and cool. Suddenly all the Hueys in town look different ( and hence, the same :o)).

All until Rupert decides to wear a Hat.

Quite rightly, Gillespie hits his head, perhaps imagining the frantic fever that is going to grip the town again to "look cool and different". The good thing about the ending is that all Hueys are shown wearing totally different outfits and being very happy about being different.

Such a wonderful story, and this is not at all the first time I am wondering if any of these books is meant only for children at all. I rather INSIST that adults get to read these books. They should really be used with older children as well as a discussion point on how fashion trends are created and more important, how it is actually quite nice to be different and original.

My boys loved the story very, very much. The best part of the book is the seemingly very simply drawings. Which means that the kids have created dozens of Hueys since the day they read this book.

I found out that you can design your own Hueys here. Something that the younger children love to do over and over.

You can get a sneak peek into the book here.

And there is a reading of the book here.

Oliver Jeffers says he was greatly influenced in childhood by Maurice Sendak's works, and in particular one of my favourite books,  Where the Wild things are.

He has written many other sweet, quirky, funny and subtly touching books - Lost and Found, How to Catch a Star, This Moose belongs to Me, Stuck, Heart and the Bottle to name some.

The New Jumper. A trendsetter!