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Tag Archives: Beginners

Beginners


By Neil Flory. Illustrated by Simon Yeo
CACTUS WANTS A HUG
2024

The book is sweet and funny, with delightful illustrations by Simon Yeo that vividly bring the story to life. The visual storytelling complements Neil Flory’s narrative


Reviewed by: Rafia Reshi

By Sharanya Kunnath
LAKSHMI’S LITTLE BIRD
2024

Illustrated with warmth and charm by the author, the book captures the essence of Lakshmi’s quest and the joy of discovering a true friend in the most unexpected place. Sharanya Kunnath’s engaging storytelling, combined with vibrant illustrations, creates a touching tale that celebrates friendship and the beauty of finding connections where least expected.


Reviewed by: Rafia Reshi

CHAMBERS: MY FIRST PICTURE DICTIONARY
2024

Chambers: My First Picture Dictionary is an invaluable addition to any child’s picture book collection. Its comprehensive coverage of everyday objects, aspects of life, and relationships ensures that children are exposed to a wide array of vocabulary relevant to their world. The delightful illustrations and engaging characters make learning an enjoyable experience.


Reviewed by: Rafia Reshi

By Neil Flory. Illustrated by Maitri Bimbrahw-Marks
MARVELLOUSLY MIXED UP
2024

However, while the book is a fun and engaging exploration of mythical creatures, some children might find the concept a bit confusing, especially if they are more accustomed to real-world animal facts. Parents and educators might need to provide a bit of guidance to help kids understand and appreciate the imaginative nature of the book.


Reviewed by: Rafia Reshi

By Asha Nehemiah. Illustrated by Kabini Amin
THERE’S AMMA!
2024

The book ends on a lovely note by bringing out the biggest and the best fact that all children are clever and have their unique way of seeing the world.


Reviewed by: Nalini Kalra

By Sowmya Rajendran. Illustrated by Niveditha Subramaniam
MY AMMAMMA IS NOW A CAT
2024

The language and narration lend the story a feeling of it being a grandmother’s tale. At the same time, the childlike demeanour and quirks of the grandmother have the potential to capture a young reader’s curiosity and initiate conversations around one’s own grandparents.


Reviewed by: Simran Sadh

By Cheryl Rao. Illustrated by Shubhshree Mathur
IT STARTED WITH A YAWN…
2024

Pop of colours and change of fonts to highlight the text along with large illustrations make the book inviting. Large illustrations which occupy most of the page can help the reader enjoy the story through pictures as well. The book has interesting illustrations which make the strange and fantastic become more real. Like a train and a helicopter landing in a garden


Reviewed by: Richa Dang

By Aruna Shekar. Illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat
ASHA THE AUTO-DRIVER
2024

The story of the travels of Asha and her auto unfolds simply in Aruna Shekar’s effortless and easy style, and we get to take a trip around Chennai through rain and sunshine. The author is an award-winning teacher and writer for children who has written about life in different parts of India


Reviewed by: Nita Berry

By Aftab Yusuf Shaikh. Illustrated by Tishya Malya
ILHAM’S BIRTHDAY
2024

The illustrations have a good depiction of Hyderabad’s market. They have many colours, including yellow, blue, green, and pink on the cover, and various shades on the background. The shops in the market also have a lot of colours, from signboards to the goods in the shops. Tishya Malya has done an amazing job of capturing all the expressions in her illustrations


Reviewed by: Deepali Shukla

By Lovleen Misra. Illustrated by Priya Kuriyan. Translated from the original Hindi by Shabnam Minwalla
EXAM FEVER (KAISE BHAGAYEN BUKHAR)
2024

The illustrations show pure love, care, respect, and support towards the ambitions of others. It breaks the stereotype of males not helping in the household, or males who are less sensitive than females. This also challenges the word ‘male ego’.


Reviewed by: Melody Xalxo

By Sowmya Rajendran. Illustrated by Parvathy Subramanian
THE WORST BEST FRIENDS
2024

Despite the catchy illustrations with great use of white space on the inner pages, the cover with flat dull blue in the background takes away the charm of Parvathy’s illustration style and makes the book less attractive for the children to pick. Overall, reading this book will require support for a Level 2 reader.


Reviewed by: Vanshika Goyal

By Lovleen Misra. Illustrated by Priya Kuriyan. Translated from the original Hindi by Shabnam Minwalla
EXAM FEVER (KAISE BHAGAYEN BUKHAR)
2024

The illustrations show pure love, care, respect, and support towards the ambitions of others. It breaks the stereotype of males not helping in the household, or males who are less sensitive than females. This also challenges the word ‘male ego’. In some societies, it is notional for women after a certain age to not pursue higher education


Reviewed by:

Text and illustrations by Niveditha Subramaniam
DAMAYANTI THE DETECTIVE
2023

Niveditha’s limited palette illustrations selectively highlight the elements that need readers’ attention. This complements the narrative, makes it easier to follow and make sense of. Illustrations are revered as a key component in early literacy.


Reviewed by: Vanshika Goyal

Both by Ashwitha Jayakumar and Swarnavo Datta
MY LITTLE BOOK OF HOLI
2024

My Little Book of Diwali the board book opens up with colourful and joyous preparations that include diyas, new clothes, flower decorations—each creating a happy moment for the kindergarten readers.


Reviewed by: Shubhra Seth

By various authors. Introduction by Zai Whitaker
TIGER! TIGER! STORIES OF THE BIG CAT
2024

In all these stories, the tiger plays an important role— a cub aspiring to be a man-eater in Ranjit Lal’s ‘I want to be a Man-eater’, to a ferocious tiger stuck in a typhoon in a cattle eater’s paradise in ‘Tiger in a Typhoon’ by Hugh Allen; Prathibha Nandakumar’s mighty Tigress brings out her claw when asked a question and goes on to scratch her head! Protective Padmini who charges at the wildlife photographer in Valmik Thapar’s story is sure to give shivers down your spine


Reviewed by: Lakshmi Karunakaran
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ISSN No. 0970-4175 (Print)