Author Archives: Thebookreviewindia

Ammu and the Sparrows is a sensitively written story dealing with the curiosity and questions and long wait of a child—for his parents. The book has been categorized in the green coloured Level 3 book—those books that are meant for children who are ready to read on their own.Ammu spends his days on his Ammamma’s terrace, looking out and waiting. Is he waiting for Amma and Accha sparrows to come or is he waiting for someone else? Is this wait going to get over any time soon? The open-ended story leaves the reader with many questions like these. And the best part is that the story does not give us ready-made answers, but allows the readers to imagine and construct the answers themselves…

Here is a bilingual book written by 16 children coming from different parts of India and different walks of life. They speak their heart out—they tell us in clear, bold, straightforward words what they wish for. Their dreams, wishes, aspirations, hopes—is what is the core of this book. And adults, elders, parents and teachers—may as well listen. As India inches towards the 75th anniversary of its hard-earned freedom in 2022—this illustrated book is a reminder to us adults as to what we have not been able to give to our children in so many years, and pay attention to what they yearn for…

A picture book with minimal text from Eklavya.This album-size book with large bold illustrations is perfect as a child’s FIRST book. Here, the element of story is irrelevant, almost redundant.It is all about familiar colourful images that inhabit a child’s universe—water, fish, frog, buffalo and so forth. It does not have to tell much beyond mundane things like a buffalo’s horns, its tail, and of course the delicious joys of hush-hush words like su-su and poo-poo, that are so much a part of the early years…

A little story book from the Muskaan Series of Eklavya. It tells a simple story that would appeal to a small child, who does not yet read by herself, but enjoys listening to a story.However, the text of this book does not lend itself to an interesting read-aloud experience. The sweet little story is actually written jointly by four Agariya kids, Sonam, Ritik, Vikram and Ajay, with some assistance from their school teacher. Although originally written in Hindi, the syntax and choice of words sound somewhat stilted, akin to a literal Hindi translation of an original English text…

Truly, an offering for a world increasingly dominated by the digital media. A short little story for kids as young as 3 years to as old. For, let us face it, whether we like it or not a mobile phone has become a favourite ‘toy’ for the young and old alike.To add to this bane of device obsession, we now have online classrooms! The die is cast. What began as a guilty diversion has now become a necessary evil.Richa Jha in her delightful book Ast-Vyast Mast addresses this issue without making it preachy for the young reader. In fact, she turns the tables, depicting a scenario where the internet is down and it is the child that pulls her parents away from their respective devices to enjoy a fun-filled family time outdoors. After an exhilarating time in the park the family returns home where we have a twist in the tail. Our online student is frustrated at not being able to access her school results as internet is still down. A reality check!…

Great nonfiction in Indian children’s literature is hard to come by, especially picture books for young children. I was pleasantly surprised to get a set of non-fiction books translated into Hindi by Eklavya. These have been translated from English by the eclectic Sushil Shukl. The first one, Ande Mein Kucch Kala Hai is about the life cycle of frogs. Nona aur Seb ka Ped is about the journey of an apple tree from a seed to a full grown tree. Both the books are written by Kanchan Sharma and illustrated by Radhika Tipnis. The rhythmic text brings in a fresh flavour to the stories and are unlike any non-fiction book I have read in Hindi…

These books are a fascinating example of the kind of good that a regional publisher publishing in a regional language can do for children to develop critical thinking skills, a scientific outlook, pique their curiosity about natural phenomena or sensitize them to the gradient of social difference and inequality that is often actively and conveniently ignored in school syllabi or made invisible in social discourse. Stories for children have been used to instruct and entertain, but these books are special not only because they take their inspiration from the world around them where the context, art and language are familiar and relatable, but also because their printing and pricing makes them attractive and accessible…

A simple story, whose title itself excites curiosity, and colourful eye-catching illustrations in an unusually large-sized picture-book—what more does a beginning reader need to get attracted?The very size of the book catches attention. The two little girls aged five and six years, whom I teach as they are homebound due to the Corona epidemic, fight to grab the book. It is spread out on the table and they both bend over it, the younger concentrating on the pictures while the elder tries to read the text. Big words, difficult for the under-privileged kid to read, and I have to help her at first. But as the words get repeated, slowly she is able to recognize them…

The three stories in this book effectively present the lives of children from marginal and underprivileged families that struggle to provide for their school-going children. The stories reflect everyday problems like lack of money to buy text-books, keeping up with classmates who can well afford every luxury, efforts to walk all the way to reach schools located in neighbouring villages, and the discrimination faced on religion and caste grounds.The first story relates the story of a child trying to find a good bargain while buying second-hand textbooks for class 8…

This book is part of a collection of books brought out by Anveshi, in its attempt to present stories from regional languages and other cultures before readers. The targeted age is not mentioned but the long, rambling tale will be better appreciated by older children. Though published in picture book form, the language, as well as the small print size confirm the assumption that older kids would enjoy the book better.Old Guravva weaves fantasy stories around the sun, the moon, and the stars. Her stories are enjoyed by the little group of children who listen to her with wide-eyed interest…

The awareness towards the growth of child-centric literature brought into focus the magnitude of picture-books as a tool in the learning process for children. As soon as the child steps into the social realm, picture books offer easy-to-learn medium for the child. The familiarity with words, language and speech through reading the pictures and text for communication are all packed in a small bundle in a picture book. Picture books are profusely illustrated simple stories and information to aid the learning process and enhance social skills…

Hope: Stories for a Healthy Mind by Pragati Sureka is an anthology of short stories of three children dealing with different psychological challenges. These stories are named after the young protagonists; Ryan, Kabir and Shoma. The first story is of a young boy named Ryan. The story unfolds with the emotional turmoil faced by him due to the quarrel between his parents. He is unable to concentrate on his studies and withdraws himself from participating in school activities. His class teacher notices this change in his behaviour and decides to speak to him…

I introduced my daughter to topics such as body safety, consent, and body image, around the age of three. I think it is a good age to start talking about the body. I referred to several YouTube videos and books, to choose simple enough words and images, appropriate for a preschooler. While there is no dearth of books covering this sensitive subject, there is a pressing need and growing awareness among parents and teachers about the introduction of these topics to young children…

Being a mother to two young kids, one being a bit young for stories, I am always on the lookout for good books that I could read along with them. My five-year-old daughter is always fascinated by topics like space, planets, and astronauts. Her young, creative mind goes for a spin every time she is made aware of the possibilities. So, when I received the options for books to review, I was quick to select A Journey to Mars: Mangalyaan by Nikhil Gulati. I am extremely glad that I made that choice. The book succinctly describes India’s Mars mission to young readers…

Somak Ghoshal’s 10 Indian Heroes is an important book. The Constitution of India is easily invoked as part of conversations, but do we live it? ‘The idea of dignity is at the core of our identity as Indians. In 1949, when the Constitution was adopted under the leadership of Babasaheb Ambedkar, the word was introduced into the Preamble’, writes Somak in his introduction. ‘But what does dignity really mean? How do you experience it in your daily life? And, more importantly, what does it look like in practice, as opposed to simply being an idea in our minds?’ he poses…

Noon Chai and a Story is a slim little book, beautifully illustrated which gently draws the young reader’s attention to what books mean to those who are deprived of them. But while the story is about books it is also about the world in which the young protagonist lives with her parents, her sister and her beloved grandmother, Deidi. Looking at life through the eyes of a little girl living in the remote area of Gurez, the book gives an authentic representation of life in this beautiful but little known corner of India…

Archimedes and the Slice of Bread—the title piques your interest and you dive right in. The book is about a father who is trying hard to invent something, and his daughter Eureka and her cat Archimedes. Eureka feels sorry for Papa, who has never invented anything in his life, except for trying to invent a square soap bubble that burst before he was successful. The only thing he has invented is a strange name for her. Archimedes loved to lick butter off Eureka’s slice of bread. Once when Archimedes tries to lick the caviar off Papa’s slice of bread, he lifts him and throws him away from the table…

Depression, there I said it too….! Was that such a big deal…? Wasn’t that difficult, was it? No! It’s just a word but when you say it out loud, it seems like half the battle is won; when you acknowledge it, its existence, you know, it’s no longer an unbeatable monster that you thought it was. It’s only a monster if it is hidden, if it is out of sight. And perhaps if you push further and make an honest attempt to understand it, preferably without mocking it, then you realize that this so called ‘monster’ is just a burden many of the unfortunates carry, a monster that can be destroyed.

How do you describe the importance of fishing so as to not overfishing the rivers and seas? In communities living in wary coexistence with dangerous and deadly animals, whose livelihoods depend on harvesting forest produce, how do you convey the importance of ecological preservation? How do you impress upon the need for sustainable logging practices and forest management, to prevent the denudation of forests on the mountains from where rivers flow? In short, how do you convey the actionable ideas of science such that they dictate the behaviours of the community and the individual?…

Generation Y, commonly referred to as millennials, are those who were born between the early 80s and the early 2000s. This generation is typically highly aspirational, and tends to be self-absorbed. Often when the realization dawns, early in life, that reality is nowhere near their expectation, it leaves them disillusioned. Partly the fault lies, according to the author, with the parents of this generation, as they tend to raise their kids making them believe that they are special, by constantly reiterating that the world has unlimited opportunities for them…