Tag Archives: Children

Reading aloud is one of the earliest means by which we share stories with young children and try to inculcate the habit of reading in them. Hearing a story which captures the imagination, provides enjoyment and introduces different emotions and situations and also creates a connection between the adult and the child being read to.

टका सा जवाब देना, टके का सब खेल है, टका सा मुंह लेकर रह जाना, सौ टके की बात है—these are some of the instances where one experiences the use of the word ‘taka’ or ‘takey’. Children who are immersed in the English language may not even have used or heard this word before.

Shriprasad (1932-2012), one of the founders of children’s literature in Hindi, is known for writing the most musical and rhythmic poetry for children; his entire oeuvre being a veritable feast of sounds to be enjoyed by children and adults alike. In many of his poems, there’s also an element of ‘nonsense’ which in fact, at times, has layers of meaning and borders on the fantastic.

When an author is also an illustrator, or an illustrator also writes stories, and she or he conceives a book that takes shape—then the magic that happens is what you can see in Rajiv Eipe’s Dugga!Dugga is a wordless picture book, or a pure picture storybook. The cover shows the image of a fox-like dog.

Shailaja Shrinivasan & Tultul Biswas: Your writing is  prolific—for children, for adults and poetry. How do you keep in touch with the current generation that you write for when you write for children?Hans Sande: Apart from the impulses I get by visiting schools and kindergartens, I have no method or measure to keep in touch with the current generation.

Norwegian poet, novelist, psychiatrist, and illustrator, Hans Sande, pens two cavernous pieces of children’s literature. First, is the powerful, When I Came Home, the Horse was Gone and the unputdownable second, Frog. The texts come to us through NORLA, an initiative to promote the translation of Norwegian books and published by the Indian partner, Eklavya.

A sense of plain bliss pervades every page of the book—right from the beginning—right to the end. Little delights snuggle in nooks and corners of the drawings, and you may repent if you overlooked them when you turned the page in a hurry. You should not.  This happy boy, Mattie, draws the sun in the sky (in which can be seen a cricket ball) and turns to grin at the puppy who licks his feet.

There is a country in the Eastern end of what is known as the Mideast in the West. Iran—Persia of history and what we used to call Faaras, has given us wonderful works of cinema, poetry and other forms of art. Who can forget the amazing film ‘Becchha-ye Aasmaan (Children of Heaven)’ by Majid Majidi! Irani imagination stands out as a unique contribution to the repository of aesthetics that the human mind has produced. The same is true of children’s literature.

Grief and loss are never easy to talk about, more so with children. In fact, death and children feel like opposites. Children are full of life, laughter, energy and hope. Death is silent, dark, still and hopeless.Can you write a children’s book about death and not make it dark? In the hands of master storyteller Hans Sande, this is possible.

When I chose this book based on its title, Beauty Is Missing, I had imagined the book. And when I received it and held it in my hands and read the book, the story was far removed from my imagination!The story begins at a police station, where a woman has come to report her loving buffalo who has gone missing. The story then brings in humour, adventure, and also some filmy twists. Eventually, the thief is caught, and the story reaches its climax at the reunion of the old woman and her buffalo.

A storyline where the main character has an episode of hiccups makes for an amusing read. Each character comes in to offer solutions to the protagonist, and eventually one of the solutions works out in the end. The theme of a recurring plot helps one stay engaged as the story goes along.

It’s been a while since I have been exploring alternative forms of companionship and family. The main intention behind this exploration is to navigate the potential that these two words carry. And then Reva and Prisha’s family grabbed my attention.

Ghost stories have always had a fascination for children and adults alike. This story uses an Assamese folktale—of the Jokhini—and gives it some interesting twists. The Jokhini is a demon who lives in the forests of Assam. In traditional folklore, she is a demon who likes to lure grown men. Here, while she is the scariest of all the demons, she is lonely and friendless. Her ability to be scary gives her the only identity that she is proud of.

We all make mistakes. It’s impossible to not make any mistakes. Then why do we instill so much fear of making mistakes in children? Is it necessary to give them punishment for unwilling mistakes? Can’t we accept their mistakes gently? I think Roy’s Noisy Secret conveys this message subtly, but effectively.

It was a normal usual day; I was working on a project and here comes my brother—loud as ever—into my room—turns off the light and fan—and leaves. He is very annoying. I was reminded repeatedly of this incident as I read this book, which is about a girl whose world is turned upside down by her big brother.

The book comprises three short stories featuring tigers, two of them apparently true, and all where tigers and humans share a symbiotic relationship. All the stories are narrated by ‘Dadubhai’ to his grandson, Rohan. The ‘Tiger which Came to the Cricket Match’ is a true story, recorded in the archives of the Calcutta Cricket and Football Club, one of the earliest clubs set up by the British.

All summer long, Mannu the monkey has been dreaming of jamun. How he loves the ‘Juicy-shoocy jamun! Pulpy-shulpy jamun!’ When will they ever ripen on his favourite tree? He can remember how they tingle on his tongue with their sweet-sour taste. And best of all, how they make his tongue turn so purple-black!

This children’s book is a pleasant surprise and a quick paced, easy read. It begins innocuously with Khalid running after their black-eyed kitten, Gupshup, who characteristically is fast on her feet, is soon lost within the walls of the Sanganer Open Prison. The rest of the story is about Khalid’s attempts to find his missing cat Gupshup

This story is about a girl named Aadya, and how her life changed after her mother was diagnosed with cancer. When Aadya’s mother leaves her with her grandmother and the dog called Nimki to get her treatment, Aadya feels lonely and sad. She misses her mother all the time.

There is an interesting quote that John Keating, a character played by actor Robin Williams says in the movie, Dead Poet’s Society about literature, ‘We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race and the human race is filled with passion and medicine, law, engineering, these are noble pursuits to sustain life.