Tag Archives: Middle Readers

Another thing I liked is the writing style. It’s simple and easy to follow, but never boring. Agalya’s thoughts are funny and relatable.

Stories such as this one serve the important purpose of helping children learn life lessons that will not automatically emerge either from academic education or everyday family conversations. The story effectively delivers its key idea: life will have its ups and downs, but we can still be happy by embracing what we have. In addition, there is a multitude of small and big lessons that can be learnt from the book.

Anil is disheartened when he learns that the city plans to build a new solar panel factory on land that includes a mangrove. While the factory promises sustainable energy, it threatens the local ecosystem and livelihoods of the fisherfolk who depend on the mangroves.

There are three stories in the book. Whether it is inadvertently helping a rock band with screening a documentary in ‘The Heebee Jeebees and the Bees’; making it through a Halloween trip to Ooty and finding themselves in the middle of a bank heist and a haunted home in ‘The Halloween Adventure’

The illustrations expand the text in surprising ways, offering depictions beyond the familiar. We meet a mermaid in a wheelchair, a mer-guy cooking for his companion, a plump mermaid, and even glimpses of the lagoon’s fraught history of conflict and disaster. These visual choices enrich the narrative and push the boundaries of what mermaid stories can be.

The narrative created unfolds with brisk pacing and carefully planted twists, with each chapter closing on a note that propels the reader forward; with each hand on the chapter headings almost beckoning the reader onward.

Thematically, the novel revolves around solidarity and exclusion. The Freezies comprehend in Christaki a mirror of their dislocation. Friendship with him is a granting of symbolic asylum. Dhondy employs that friendship to offer us a reflection on asylum and sympathy.

From an educational perspective, the book opens up discussions about the Irula tribe, Dr. N. Kalyani, and the lives of all tribal communities living in forests. The poem conveys compassion for animals and nature. It sparks curiosity and sensitivity among children—especially those from rural or marginalized backgrounds.

‘Mahesh ka Saanp-Prem’ is an interesting anecdote about Mahesh’s love of, and living with snakes since his childhood, carrying them to school and taking them for a ride on his motorcycle. Mahesh doesn’t just keep snakes as a hobby; he builds an entire world around them. His separate house, his carefully designed pots with air holes, his daily routine of taking each snake for a walk—all these details turn his fascination into a way of life.

This story could unfold in any tribal village or rural area of central and northern India. The village is situated close to the forest where people from almost all households go to collect mahua.

From tales of the wild, we soar to J.R.D. Tata’s life in The Five Fantastic Flights of Jeh. The bilingual book presents itself as a visual biography in which J.R.D.’s five flights chart a trajectory of curiosity, risks, and public service. Yellow backgrounds in the first and last flights create a circular structure, emphasizing continuity. Each flight teaches a lesson, initiation, generosity, perseverance, dignity of labor, and resilience,

‘Baaya aur Dahina Haath’ follows a severed ghost-hand carried by a ghost dog, turning memory and belonging into riddles. In ‘Sone ke Beat’, pigeon droppings turn to gold, while ‘Kukadkoo aur Kankad Koo’ brings a hen that lays golden eggs, stirring gossip through the village.

The illustrations are somewhat uneven but many capture well the close relationship between the little girl and the Kabuliwallah.

Eamonn O’Boyle’s illustrations add a wonderful layer to the story, bringing the vibrant and whimsical world of Minky and Rama to life. The visuals perfectly capture the fun and wonder of their journey, making the book even more engaging and enjoyable.

Overall, Baloo’s Big Win is a powerful tale of perseverance, passion, and social change. It not only emphasizes the importance of following one’s dreams but also addresses a critical social issue that remains relevant today. This book is bound to inspire young readers to chase their aspirations

The Hero Cake as a prize, initially presented as a mysterious reward, ends up being somewhat unconvincing. While this twist adds surprise, it may not fully satisfy readers who were expecting a more symbolic conclusion, especially in light of the uplifting identity revelation that precedes the end.

The storytelling and illustrations are simple and straightforward. The language even feels rudimentary at places, lacking polish.

The positive aspect of this story is that the individuals who raise the rooster accept its gender and behaviour. Children’s reaction to it provides many opportunities to discuss this story with them. Accepting someone as they are is a challenge, but it’s not impossible.

The illustrations by Fahad Faizal add another layer to the narrative, vividly bringing the story to life. The gray colour palette reflects the oppressive atmosphere of fear and dullness in the school, which is sharply contrasted by the bright colours that appear when Laila enters the scene.

This is an important book for children to read, to perhaps start to understand that not all of us are the same, and that sometimes some of us cannot confidently express ourselves.