Tag Archives: Beginners

Barkha Lohia’s illustrations deepen this world with dark, breezy nights and shadows alive with possibility. These images belong to young girls who want to step out, discover, and dream on their own terms.

The second book, The Rabbit in the Moon, contains the fables of ‘The Tale of How the Bedbug’s Selfishness Cost the Louse Her Life’, and ‘The Tale of How the Rabbit in the Moon Saved His Relatives’.

‘Monsoon Mischief’ feels like a splash of childhood, reminding readers of muddy adventures and small troubles that become larger in imagination. ‘The Clingy Friend’ is warm yet gently cautionary; it is sure to resonate with anyone who has struggled with clingy friendships. Readers feel both amused and intrigued, recognizing themselves in the humour while being comforted by its soft resolution.

In addition to every new character and plot, the illustrations present amplify each story, adding colour and emotion. Even though some pages are text-heavy, the visuals never seem to fail in holding the attention of the readers, and in adding a sense of vibrance to the story.

Rinkydink racoon, in Being Stubborn isn’t Fun, always wants his friends to agree with everything he decides. Fed up of always agreeing to him, his friends leave him alone to do his own thing. He soon realizes that he misses his friends and should have to let go of his stubbornness.

More than a tale of sport, the book is an exploration of sibling camaraderie, childhood curiosity, joy of the ordinary, and the thrill of small acts of independence. Keditsu’s lucid prose and Loitongbam’s expressive artwork together create a reading experience where simple storytelling resonates with both culture and emotion.

I became such a child at heart with the book in my hand. My child ego blossomed, pushing the adult ego to the back burner. Putting my fingers to the keyboard to write a review came at a later stage.

Luckily, the task at hand is to make a globe with all the continents, and the materials needed are right at hand. Chintu takes a big blue ball from Pihu, his sister, and pulls down the ‘Animals Around the World’ chart from the wall. With scissors and glue, and an able assistant in Pihu, the job’s done! With a globe in tow, Chintu rushes off to school triumphantly.

In Jim Corbett National Park, we meet the giant Asian elephant—gentle and wise; weighing up to four tons. But right behind him slithers danger: the King Cobra from Agumbe, a massive reptile that is eighteen-feet long and actually not true cobra (surprise!).

A book becomes compelling when it transforms raw, realistic moments into sources of fascination. Raya’s character, although a child, is still shown as mature and understanding and these traits make her a deeply endearing character. Her observing nature is a catalyst for learning, which develops understanding of not only her surroundings,

Singh, subtly but definitively, challenges gender roles and stereotypes through the characters in the book. The father is scared of lizards, while the mother is not. It brings in the idea to children that men, even grown men, are allowed to be afraid. Later in the book, Diya shares her experiences with her bus driver, Rani, and her friend, Farah. By choosing to portray a woman bus driver, Singh has again broken the stereotypical notion of male bus drivers.

After reflection comes discovery with the section on ‘Fun Facts about Cats’, where imagination meets real-world learning. Did you know cats sleep almost two-thirds of the day; can leap six times their body height, or pick up scents spanning the width of a football field? These informative tidbits bring the poem to life

This enjoyable book holds the reader’s attention right through to the end and will amuse him or her with all the loud and sometimes strange animal sounds, as they try to shake Bear out of her deep sleep. The expressive and entertaining illustrations complement the text effectively.

Alankrita Amaya has written the story in Hindi. This story is about a character named Champu and her journey to the planets. Distinguishing characteristics of each planet have been woven into the story—an easy and engaging way to learn about planetary facts!

Shabnam’s writing is fast paced and filled with witty flourishes. She has a knack for crafting eccentric characters who feel instantly real. Tinaz Toddywala’s detective zeal, Dorab and Dina’s wide-eyed schemes, teachers and neighbours all come alive with little quirks and sharp humour.

All these sound-characters are so different, but together they make the story really fun and unique. It’s not like a regular story with a beginning, middle, and end. It’s more like a world of sounds that come alive and make you imagine things.
When I finished the book, I realized something important.

Vinayak Verma’s illustrations make the story even more delightful. With expressive faces and details, the pictures add to the humour of each attempt at the elusive ‘perfect’ medu vada. Children will especially enjoy spotting all the funny versions of vadas along the way.

The book needs no words to rely on. The illustrations by Tanya Sharma bring to life the sights, sounds and smells of all the cities we visit. The cities are threaded not just with food, but also with their essence—for example, Hyderabad’s Charminar, Gujarat’s Dandiya, Jaipur’s Hawa Mahal, and Kerala’s boats. There is ample diversity and inclusivity in the choice of locations.

The technique used is a classic and effective educational strategy often called ‘shared writing’ or ‘interactive storytelling’. The teacher acts as a facilitator, guiding the narrative while allowing Popo to be the primary creator. This models the structure of a story (beginning, middle, and end) and empowers the child to be successful.

Appukutonok Kenekoi Ujon Koribo? tells the story of a kingdom besieged by an unanswerable question—how do they weigh the prince’s elephant, Appukuttan? While the adults scratch their heads, it is a child named Meenu who thinks differently. The Eureka moment comes with her ingenious idea, leading the elephant into a river and using a clever measurement technique based on the laws of physics.