Jane is an inspiring biography of Dr Jane Goodall, the pioneering primatologist. She dedicated her life to studying chimpanzees in Tanzania’s Gombe forest by Lake Tanganyika. 
and complement the storytelling. The paper quality is smooth, almost like butter paper. The chapter on Jane’s founding of ‘Roots and Shoots’, which is her programme encouraging children to care for the environment, is a lovely actionable takeaway for young readers. Overall, an informative and empowering read for children aged 9 and above.
Oh, the Places You Would Go… If You Were a Plastic Bag! has won a prize in the category Kid-friendly Non-Fiction (7-10 years) in the Competition for Writers of Children’s Books organized by the Children’s Book Trust. This fun, rhyming book uses a classic ‘If you were …’ format. It first asks readers to imagine life as a tree, ant, bird or fish, before shifting focus to a much less romantic thing: a plastic bag. The playful rhyme covers the bag’s entire journey. It starts from its invention, then its global takeover due to convenience, and its final turn into a long-lasting danger that harms wildlife and nature. The ending helps readers understand the true cost of plastics. The area of improvement could be some rhyming pages, which are quite long for the age group 7-10 and could be shortened for smoother reading. The illustrations are bright and quirky. They match the early busy yet colourful scenes and shift to a darker tone at a point when the story gets serious. This is a thoughtful, funny, and age-appropriate way to teach environmental awareness to kids.
Well! Well!: Stories with a Surprise Ending won prize in the category ‘Stories With A Surprise Ending’ in the Competition for Writers of Children’s Books in English organized by the Children’s Book Trust. This book lives up to its name. Every story changes direction at the end, making you look at everything you just read in a completely new way. ‘A Father Called Papa’ by Ramendra Kumar offers the most emotional entry. It takes place during community riots and follows a broken family trying to reunite. It mixes sadness and hope with a side story about an orphanage. Rajee Raman’s ‘A Lockdown Adventure’ turns everyday pandemic worries into an exciting chase thriller, yet a scary one. It ends with a funny joke about using coughing for self-defence. It is a clever, dark comedy made perfectly for young readers. ‘Akku’s Wishes’ by Vanisree Srivastava is a lighter, happier story. It looks at travel through a child’s eyes and paints a beautiful picture of Thiruvananthapuram. It teaches the importance of cultural awareness and that we should first be grateful for what we have. Niveditha Hanumantha Reddy’s ‘Baahu in the Wild’ is a story about an elephant having an identity crisis. He is caught between living in a temple and living in the wild. It tells a touching story about family, belonging and a father figure named Appa learning to let go. ‘Professor Bonku’s Invention’ by Dipavali Sen is science fiction. It starts with an invention of protective masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, but turns into a deep thought about whether science should be used to make money or to help people. Nandini Nayar’s ‘Shooting a Tiger’ builds up to a big hunt, but it ends peacefully. Instead of killing, the hunter chooses to photograph the tiger. It shows how a dangerous obsession can change into something good. ‘The Wait’ by Reeta S Mani captures the love and sacrifice of a boy for his hardworking mother. Bablu secretly uses his essay competition prize money to surprise his mother with her favourite set of books for her birthday. This story serves as a reminder of filial love, making it a wonderful and inspiring read for young audiences. Collectively, the stories have emotional or ironic twists and themes of belonging, sacrifice and moral choice that unify an otherwise eclectic mix.