Monday, January 01, 2007

About Saffron Tree

Saffron: Exotic. Hand-picked. Priceless.

Tree: Tall. Perennial. Extensive.

Saffron Tree: Treasure-trove. Children's Books. Reviews.

brainchild of Praba Ram, Saffron Tree collects and presents an eclectic mix of children's books primarily from India and the US, plus a host of others from around the world. It is our hope that this will enable children to connect with their cultural roots as well as help them understand and appreciate other cultures....

We hope the following set of FAQs provides more information about us . If you have any questions/comments, please don't hesitate to contact us at: saffrontree at gmail dot com.


  1. You know saffron doesn't grow on trees, right? So, what's with the name Saffron Tree?

    Good question. But hey, let's just not take the meaning literally! Saffron Tree is a name born out of imagination. To us, books, especially wonderful children's books, are as precious as exotic saffron. With the hope that children all over the world can enjoy the goodness of books, we dream of a great big Saffron Tree, always in full bloom, under which we come together to share with the world the joys of reading.
  2. How do you choose books to review here? Do publishers and authors send them to you?

    As parents passionate about reading to our kids, we typically handpick the books from local libraries, bookstores, book fairs. etc. to read to our children. Of course, not all the books we bring home click. We only review those books that truly resonate with our children.

    Children's books, especially ones with cross-cultural/multi-cultural flavors, happens to stir our passions. As a result, our reviews sometimes showcase our support for the fiercely independent small publishers from here in the U.S. and India. Occasionally we accept a copy or two from authors and illustrators who have worked on Indian/ South Asian themes and other multi-cultural genre. And, true to our belief, if the book resonates with us and our kids, we share it here.
  3. Why are all the reviews rather raving? Have you not come across books you didn't like?

    At ST, we like to promote positivity :) As mentioned above, we share books that have clicked with our children, and our personal philosophy and values.
  4. Why do you review children's books in particular? What do you hope to accomplish through this blog?

    Simple answer: Children's books bring out the inner child in us - the curiosity, the discovery, the unbridled wonder at the world around us - which we, as parents, manage to lose sight of in today's complex life.

    Reading children's books helps us take a step back and see the world through our children, making it an enriching experience for us that we've come to cherish. As all who are passionate about reading would agree, the benefits of exposing children to books from a very young age cannot be over-emphasized.

    And, we believe that blogging about the wonderful books, along with the delightful moments we experience while reading these books to our children, helps create a wider forum to discover and appreciate not just the books, but the joys of reading as well.

    As to what we hope to accomplish... nothing lofty, really, except to serve as a wonderful repository.
  5. Who are the ST contributors? How can I contribute?

    Our contributors are an assorted group of ordinary moms and dad(s) who came to adopt ST when it was a fledgling, nurturing and growing with it over the past few years with such dedication and passion that seems extraordinary.

    Readership and comments are a great way to contribute to ST. As for adding new members, unfortunately we seem to be bursting at our seams right now. However, please feel free to get in touch with us to check the status. And thanks for stopping by. Hope you find our repository of books and our reviews of them useful. Please write to us with any questions/comments/thoughts.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi, What a wonderful idea!
This site is a real treat.
I run a children's bookstore in Delhi called Eureka! and try to use every opportunity I get to bring books closer to children.
Thanks for maintaining such a world of information. Will be interested in cross-linking as soon as work on our site is done.
Swati

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Hi,
This is a great idea and it's good to see how active this community is.

However, I want to subscribe to your posts by e-mail so I don't miss out on any action here, or atleast I'd like to follow this blog somehow! Just not able to figure out how to do that!

Please do reply here, so I can subscribe.

Anonymous said...

I do share your passion of reading to your kids and blogging about it. I always thought it was easier to find picture books in the US was wondering what would I do when I move back to India.....truly glad I came across your site!

Anjana Gopal said...

Hi Anjana here, I came to this site through the MadMomma's site. I think it is a fantastic site and truly provides great info when selecting books for tiny tots.
Thanks to your work, i was introduced to the work of Eric Carle and Edith Baer whom both my daughter and I immensely enjoy
Great work and hope to see more such reviews!!!

Shyamkumar said...

Dear Admin,

Suprabhatham!

What type of education are you imparting to the kids?

You will have to think over again!!, You are creating a class of Indians, who will have no deep rooting into Indian culture. You guys are just producing more maculay putri and putras. Before claiming to know Indian Culture, teach them Sanskrit. Impart Sanskrit as medium of language to investigate Indian Culture. English cannot be used, get that basic thing first. With more english learning all through their childhood, these Kids grow up completely ignorant of Indian Culture and Ethos. Don't still be a British Slave, Embrace your culture and teach your roots to the kids. Take examples of countries like Germany and Japan.

I would urge you to read this small article and also do some self introspection " http://goo.gl/6VolF ".

Shubhamasthu,
Shyam.

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