Gruffalo

This book is written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. Having heard a lot about this book from my husband, I was quite eager to read this to my son when I got hold of it. I fell in love with it the very first time I read it :-). It is the story of a little mouse who takes a stroll through the woods and encounters a few animals who are quite eager to devour him. He makes up an imaginary creature called "Gruffalo" and presents a frightful image of it to all these animals. It has the intended scary effect and makes them take to their heels. But finally who does he meet and how does he save his own skin smartly? This forms the rest of the story and I don't want to let out the suspense :-).


Now I will move on to what I loved about this book! The illustrations of the deep dark woods are excellent and makes you feel as though you are walking through them yourself. The story line is simple, very interesting and witty. The sentences are also simple and the rhyming words add a charm as you read the story aloud! Some of the lines which caught my fancy -


When the fox asks the mouse where he is meeting the gruffalo he says


Here, by these rocks,
And his favourite food is roasted fox



When the owl repeats this question to the mouse he says


Here, by this stream,
And his favourite food is owl ice cream



Sooraj smiled as I read these lines to him, as he thought it was quite funny!


It is mentioned at the back of the book that there are eight wonderful picture books by the same author and illustrator pair. I have a feeling they will also be quite interesting. We have another lovely book of Julia Donaldson at home called "The Magic paint brush" .



Vist Gruffalo's site for activities, games and fun!

Tiger on a Tree

Tiger on a Tree
by Anushka Ravishankar
illustrated by Pulak Biswas,
2004

A tiger on the shore, dares to explore,
and gets stuck on a tree.
A group of men find him, wanting to bind him,
but end up setting him free!

Pardon my attempt at verse, but, this book seems to have grown on me. And the lines above sort of sums up the story in this book.

It evoked a mixed reaction at first: while the book boasts stellar awards to its credit, at first glance I felt let down. But, it grew on me. After reading it over a dozen times to my toddler, I started looking forward to making the sounds: "Baaaaa", "Yaaaaahh", "Splash", "Thump", and "Dum Duma Dum Dum". I still feel a little lost at the end as it felt abrupt, as if something was missing. Perhaps that was the author's intent all along?

Anushka Ravishankar has been dubbed "Dr.Seuss of India". She broke new ground with her nonsense verse form aimed at children, and is now internationally appreciated for it.

The black and orange illustrations at first glance seemed bland when I tried to view through my toddler's eyes, but, as I started gazing at them more, I began to love them - especially the expressions on the men's faces when they try to figure out what to do with the tiger.

Now, I wish toddlers around the world had the ability to state why they like certain books and not others. I am not sure why my toddler likes this book, but, she has asked me to read it in repeat-mode several times so far, eagerly waiting for the one word sounds and the rhyming parts: "Send him to the zoo? Stick him up with glue? Paint him electric blue?"

I think early readers will like this book as it has just enough text to help build confidence in their reading skills, while keeping them entertained. The illustrations are clean and simple, and apparently were made before the author added the text. I am not sure if there is a board book version of this book, but, the original picture book was silk-screened by hand on handmade paper, according to Tara Publishers, India

In addition to being simple, I like the fact that there is a message buried in the book: a ferocious, albeit trapped, tiger - should we respect his right to live and set him free or should we preemptively get rid of him to protect mankind from potential harm?

This book has been published in French, Italian and German. Visiting Tara Books catalog was like opening a secret treasure chest for me.

On thinking about this book some more, I really wish I could talk to Anushka Ravishankar to get some inside scoop - to get what she was trying to convey. The few I have talked to seem confused about this book. The rhymes were abrupt at times and I had a hard time staying on track while reading aloud

Let me close with a note that in my opinion this book is refreshing, and is not just for young readers.

Why?

"Never has there been a good war or a bad peace. " - Benjamin Franklin



Is there any reason for a war/battle? As the war drags on, does any one remember why the whole battle started? At the end, only devastation remains. There would probably be victors, but what is the price? Or is there ever a victor? Is there any sense in a war?



All these are big questions. Something that one would not want our children to know about. Do we want our children to know about war and violence? At what age do we tell them about war and violence. Nikolai Popov thinks it is never too early to talk about violence and war with children. He talks about the senselessness of a war in simple and understandable format of a wordless book called Why?



In a very peaceful environment; a buttoned up frog is sitting peacefully on a rock and enjoying the pleasant evening(or morning) with beautiful flower in its hand. Very soon, a rodent digs out a nearby hole with an umbrella and for no reason attacks the frog. The frog is crestfallen, but, it has a few buddies around and they gang up and attack the rodent. The rodent flees leaving the yellow umbrella. The frogs use the yellow umbrella to pick up flower and enjoy among themselves. Soon, the rodent is back with its own friends and launches a fresh attack on the frogs. Soon, every one joins together and there is a big war in progress. For absolutely no reason, the frogs and rodents keep bashing each other up. The final page shows the first frog with the torn umbrella and the rodent with a completely smashed flower in hand. Both look crestfallen and seem to wonder why the whole incident happened?



All the illustrations are in green water colour initially to depict the greenery and peace and slowly the colours change as we scroll through the various pages. By the end, the whole page is brownish depicting the ravages and destruction of the war. There is no bloodshed, the illustrations emote the dreadfulness and senselessness of the violence very well.



It is an extremely loaded picture book. It is probably a good gift for all adults and kids of all ages. I am not sure if kids might be able understand the depth of the tale, but, it would probably stay in their mind. Sooraj and I went through this book once or twice. But, he did not seem to enjoy it that much - atleast there were no visible signs. I have a feeling he might enjoy it and appreciate more as he grows older.



"An eye for an eye makes the entire world blind" - M K Gandhi

Tuesday

Some of the wonderful moments that I have had with Sooraj is when we talk about dragons and other imaginary creatures that inhabit the stories that I concoct for him. I enjoy science fantasy, therefore, most of the stories that I make up for him includes some wild and imaginary beings.


There are very few children's books that are fantasy based - atleast I do not come across them very often. One such book that captured my attention is Tuesday - a great book by David Weisner, the king of wordless books.


Tuesday is an imaginary story that begins when three smug frogs lying on lily pads, one tuesday evening, suddenly find themselves afloat or flying. Soon, almost every frog on every lily pad is afloat. The lily pads look like small magic carpets specifically designed for the frogs to fly. Slowly and quietly, all the frogs fly up and decide to explore the neighbourhood sleepy town. As they frog explore the town, the book follows their adventurous journey. The illustrations are extremely life like and done in green, blue and purple water colours. They depict the silent Tuesday night in extremely vivid detail. At times, one could almost feel that one is travelling along with the frogs on those green magic carpets. As time passes on, the daylight breaks and the lily pads lose their flighty nature and fall down. The rather proud frogs can no longer stay afloat and start falling down to their huge dismay and return back to the marshes feeling rather forlorn.


And then, the next Tuesday evening breaks and the next flying adventure starts! This time it is some one else; read(is that the correct word to describe the book?) the book to find out who it is.


It is great book to spend with you kid. Keep turning the pages and let your kid make up the story as it goes along. Sooraj loved the story and we ended watching out in the dark sky for some flying frogs. Although, we did not find any; we are hopeful that we would find one soon. We did spot a flying dragon eye though!


If you have not watched a silent movie; do not worry - Tuesday is the book for you and your kid.

Where does the Garbage go?

The following review is a contribution from Aparna of Chinuku's. One can't ask for a more appropriate pick for this year's Earth Day!

Not to forget, we would like to wish all the readers at Saffron Tree "A Very Happy Earth Day"

"Where Does the Garbage Go?" By Paul Showers, Illustrated by Randy Chewning. Not an appetizing subject, but it's something everybody should know about. We dump food scraps, packaging, dirty diapers, disposable dishes, and even old refrigerators, computers, and furniture. So where does all this go, after the garbage truck takes it away? Should out of sight mean out of mind? Not for the disposable-diaper generation, it shouldn't. This book talks about what happens to trash, in a way that's easy to understand.

It starts out by letting us know what used to happen to garbage (everything ended up in the dump or in the ocean). This part makes one cringe, as the author talks about the stink and the flies and the rats. But it does get better. People started using landfills, covering up the garbage with dirt, and putting up parks over them when the landfills grew big. But, the garbage never stops piling up. Incinerators can burn up trash, but they also make ashes that have to go into a landfill, and also pollute the air. So now, the book looks for solutions. It talks about how much trash each of us makes, and how much of it could have been reused. It shows us how paper, plastic, and glass is mushed up or melted down and recycled, with illustrations.

But, in the end, the book concludes, there is only one good answer to the garbage problem. To reuse things, and to make less trash in the first place. This is a wonderful message for children, who are very much capable of being concerned about their world, and very much eager to be responsible for it.

Last Word: The book itself was not exceptional, though good enough. Neither were the illustrations, but they were cartoon-like and appealed well enough to my daughter. What is exceptional is the effect of this book on her, which (and whom) I underestimated. My four-year-old daughter now monitors how many sheets of toilet paper are being used, how much garbage we're putting at the curb each week, and questions why I threw a bit of paper into trash when it could have been recycled. Now that's priceless.

Rating: Five Bindis for the unique science concept/theme the book addresses!

Note: One thing that I wondered about is how technologically accurate this book is now. Adults who are interested can follow up with "Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash" by Elizabeth Royte and "Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage" by Heather Rogers.

Publisher: Harper Collins

For a complete list of Let's Read and Find Out Science: Click here at: Stage 1 Science -
and Stage 2 Science
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Celebrate this Earth Day singing these songs with your children:

Recycling Song sung to: "Row Row Row Your Boat"

Source: http://www.preschooleducation.com/searth.shtml

Save, save, save the cans, throw them in the bin,

We can help to save the earth if we all pitch in.

Save, save, save the paper....

Save, save, save the bottles....

Save, save, save the plastics....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Earth Day song sung to: "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"

Source: http://www.preschooleducation.com/searth.shtml

Earth Day, Earth Day,

Comes once a year.

But we should make our message clear.

Love and clean our Earth each day.

Make that plan a plan to stay.

Earth Day, Earth Day,

Comes once a year,

Love and care for our Earth so dear.

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And lastly, one of our all time favorites: The Tree song from Mr.Rogers' neighborhood

My Granny Went to Market

My Granny Went to Market: A Round-the-World Counting Rhyme

by Stella Blackstone

Suggested: Read Alone Ages 4-7, Read Together Ages 0-4

If you are a granny with an incredibly adorable grand daughter (as if there is any other kind!), looking to get a wonderful gift, then, you cannot go wrong with this book!

In My Granny Went To Market, granny flies in her magic carpet, stopping at various places around the world to collect unique, exotic and charming things and brings them back for the little girl. And, that's not all, because granny buys a certain number of each item she finds in each place, making this a wonderful counting book as well.

First she goes to Istanbul, gets a magic carpet and then embarks on her trip around the rest of the world

Next she went to Thailand
And flew down from the sky
To buy herself two temple cats
Puyin and Puchai

Then granny goes to Switzerland, Russia, Tokyo, Peru among other places.

The illustrations have a folksy feel to them and are quite charming. It is hard to turn the pages in a hurry as each page offers a variety of images to process and appreciate. Plus, each page manages to capture the essence of the country/region/continent being depicted: Zebras, Gazelles and Elephants of Africa, Boomerangs and Kangaroos in Australia, to name a few.

In addition, while some of the items pictured there are new and exotic, some are very familiar and quite possibly already present in her environment - like the nesting dolls (Russia), or the kitties (Thailand), or the cowbells (Switzerland), or the masks (Mexico). This offers a great opportunity for parents to talk to their children about the various items collected in each picture, what is unique about those items, what purpose might they serve and what would you do if you had such an item at hand and so on. The illustrations are vivid and lush without appearing crammed or overwhelming.

The rhymes are nice and easy. In addition to introducing places and things, I find that they convey emotions and sounds beautifully:

...Granny sighed I've bought so much but nothing Japanese
"To Australia!" granny ordered...
...she bought five cowbells there that made a funny clanking sound

The last page shows Granny's purchases, from one carpet to ten llamas, providing a simple and compact method to teach counting.

When children start understanding the world around them, this book provides an opportunity to ask them where they would like to fly to and what they expect to find there.

This clear-cut and uncomplicated book will let the children venture outside their doorstep and get a glimpse of the world around them and perhaps inspire a few of them to become explorers and globe-trotters.

While this book is available at any online book store or local retailer, if time permits, please browse through Barefoot Books, the publishers. I love their philosophy. I admire their mission:

At Barefoot Books, we celebrate art and story that opens the hearts and minds of children from all walks of life, inspiring them to read deeper, search further, and explore their own creative gifts. Taking our inspiration from many different cultures, we focus on themes that encourage independence of spirit, enthusiasm for learning, and sharing of the world’s diversity.

Alphabeasts by Wallace Edwards

Alphabeasts

by Wallace Edwards


There are many abecedary books, mostly aimed at introducing letters of the alphabet, each with its own charm and merit. Some are favored by teachers and parents alike, some just by the kids who happened upon them. This book, Alphabeasts, at first glance, drew me in with its brilliant illustrations.

As the cover might suggest, the illustrations have a surreal quality at times. Very eye-catching. In addition, they have layers of subtleties infused that hopefully will become apparent as the child grows.

And, as the title suggests, each letter of the alphabet teaches an animal name, in the form of simple couplets, like:
A is for alligator awake from a dream
B is for bat slurping ice cream

Each illustration depicts a single animal placed in a rather incongruous setting, without obvious elucidation. An alligator comfortably stretches in a plush red recliner, a comically stout hippopotamus prepares to play a dainty violin, a majestic lion sits styling his locks...

"I didn't want there to be a story," I remember reading Edwards' observation. "Kids make up their own stories."

It is not surprising that Edwards won the Governor General’s Award (Canada) for children’s illustration for this book.

In addition to the usual array of animals like P is for Pig and C is for Cat, this book introduces exotic animals such as: I is for Ibis, M is for Mandrill, N is for Narwhal, Q is for Quetzal, X is for Xenosaur, without appearing patronizing or condescending at any level... Not many kids get introduced to these animals in a standard alphabet book.

Although the rhymes in Alphabeasts are a bit bizarre, seemingly prosaic, and possibly beyond comprehension for a toddler, it definitely could double as an interesting coffee table book: The Victorian-looking house has different animals in different rooms in various states, doing different things that is sort of summed up or suggested in the rhyming couplets.

One of my favorites in this book

C is for Cat,
Who reflects on its self

shows a Siamese cat in front of a mirror gazing at the tiger staring back at him!

Another favorite for visual tease is

J is for Jaguar
Checking the stairs

where the jaguar's intricate coat pattern blends in with the checkered carpet on the stairs.

And the funny one

Y is a Yak
Seeking a Path

shows a yak, with a paint brush in mouth and a paint bucket hanging from his horn, looking perplexed as he has painted himself into a corner.

Peeling the layers of meaning that suggest themselves in the dreamlike illustrations is the greatest appeal of this book. As the child grows with the book, and starts getting the subtleties, this book will be treasured by both the parent and the child.

I do believe visual stimuli and very simple rhymes catch children's fancy, help bring them in, and encourage them to enjoy reading. So, I love this book, and can't wait for my daughter to start appreciating it in her own way as she grows up, pointing out her interpretation of the illustrations.

Meanwhile, I enjoy reading the couplets out loud to her while she drinks in the page visually, scanning every inch, pointing out things she already recognizes, asking about things that catch her fancy.

This is a wonderful book for children of all ages, merging childhood fancy with adult finesse.

Based on the new rating system here at ST, I would like to give Alphabeasts by Wallace Edwards Five Bindis for visual treat and lasting value.

Mama's Saris

When I first turned the pages of Mama's Saris, I stood entranced staring at the beauty of this magnificent children's book. I had to rub my eyes hard to believe that I was actually turning the pages of a children's book, and not in fact the fabrics of a real sari! I almost put the book over my left shoulder to stand before the mirror to see how the sari/book looked on me. :-)

Mama's Saris, by Pooja Makhijani is an eloquent and colorful presentation of a story that celebrates the beauty of saris, and the special role they play in an East Indian family. The story is a vivid portrayal of a conversation between a mother and her daughter around the daughter's desire to wear one of Mama's precious saris for her 7th birthday party. It is based on a simple fact common to every culture -
"little girls LOVE to play dress up in their moms' clothes, and discover in themselves the images of their mothers."

A little girl is celebrating her seventh birthday. And obviously, there is a party for which Mama is planning to wear a sari. The little girl has to help her mother decide which sari to wear for the party. When Mama flips open the suitcase filled with saris that she wears only for special occasions, the girl's excitement to wear one on herself naturally increases. They talk about the different occasions Mama wore each of her saris - a black chiffon one "that shimmers like the night-time sky" she wore for Devi Masi's annniversary; the magenta one with "a herd of galloping deer embroidered on it" is the one she wore when Nanima came to visit the first time. And so on and so forth....Finally, the little girl picks an orange one that Mama tells her she wore when the little girl was first brought home from the hospital. She watches her mama elegantly tie the sari, and "weave the fabric into an accordion between her slim fingers."

Seeing her mother shimmer in a beautiful sari, the girl naturally feels ready to look all grown-up and beautiful like Mama. She explains to her Mama she wants to pick a sari for herself because she is a big girl who can "pour her own glass of milk in the morning without spilling and also, does not need the nightlight anymore." Finally, Mama agrees to grant her wish only because it's her birthday. So Mama ties a beautiful, blue sari with gold flowers on her little girl by wrapping the fabric around her again and again. She also gives her bangles to match, and then puts a beautiful glittery bindi in the middle of her forehead! And then asks, "So, what do you think?", and the girl answers with a sparkle in her eye, "I think I look like you!"

I love books like this one where the text and the illustrations enhance each other so much that you can actually feel the textures, and fabrics of the different saris that the little daughter admires in her mother's collection. In fact, wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe that the text and the illustrations flow together just as beautifully as the pleats and folds of an elegantly clad sari. I loved the part in which the author so beautifully describes the little girl's fond memories of her nanima's saris - "the folds and nooks of nanima's saris holding lots of secrets; safety pins and coins fastened on the inside; the smell of cardamom and sandalwood soap all over." That was a neat treat!

Final say:This book can be just as pretty, stylish, delicate and dignified as your mother's collection of saris! So, let's share the tender and delicate tale of Mama's Saris with our children. Add this to your mother/daughter collection of all things precious! I am sure your family will cherish the book, and talk about it for a long time. Moms/dads of sons, may be the author is considering doing a sequel - Papa's Kurtas???? :D

Additional Resources for Mama's Saris: There's a teacher's guide available on the author's website. A great resource to discuss some of the things that the book highlights. The guide has discussion questions, and project ideas.

Aside from seeing, touching, smelling,and of course, reading the book many,many times, my daughter and I loved singing the lyrics of Mama's Saris available on the author's website to the tune of "Frere Jacques"...LOVELY,LOVELY IDEA! (I wanted to sing the song with my daughter, and podcast it here. But realized, first I need to learn how to podcast...! If someone knows how to, would appreciate if you send me instructions. Or send me an MP3 file, and will upload!)

"Mama's Saris
Mama's Saris
Orange and Blue
Eggplant too

Folded Pleats of secrets
Folded Pleats of secrets
Try one on!
Try one on!"

Pooja Makhijani's Mama's Saris offers a culturally appropriate children's book celebrating one of India's richest traditions.
Mama's Sari is a multi-cultural and a multi-sensory treat!"

Author:Pooja Makhijani
Illustrator: Elena Gomez
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Amazon link to the book: http://www.amazon.com/Mamas-Saris-Pooja-Makhijani/dp/0316011053

Red is a Dragon

Kodi's Mom is a good friend of Saffron Tree. This is her first guest review for Saffron Tree. It is about a wonderfully refresing, Chinese-themed picture book titled "Red is a Dragon". I thank K's Mom for this engaging and insightful review. Don't miss her new rating system at the end of the review! We've tried to make it a little Desi/Indian style rating! We welcome feedback/suggestions. Enjoy, Red is a Dragon!

Introducing the concept of colors to a toddler is a very tricky venture.

A color is not an object you can name, color does not have shape you can trace, color is not finite to count. Color is, at best, an abstract concept.
Add this complexity to the different hues and shades of the same color in a regular household, and you've got yourself a confused toddler and an even more
perplexed mom. So, when it came to teaching my 18mo colors, I sought guidance from the best of teachers - books.

I was browsing through the collection at my local library and came across this exceptional find - Red is a Dragon by Roseanne Thong,
illustrated by Grace Lin. I found this book to be exceptional for three reasons. One, because of how it emphasises colors as opposed to the objects that are of that color.

See the difference between: that ball is red versus red is a ball. Red is no longer a descriptor, but a subject. Red is what happens to the ball.
The ball can be replaced with anything red. By rephrasing this way, the author shows how red can be so different many things, and it is still red.
This is how the book starts:
Red is a dragon, Red is a drum
Red are firecrackers, here they come

A dragon! And firecrackers! Not apples and strawberries - but mythical dragons and noisy firecrackers. That is the second thing about the book that bowled me over. With just those four lines, the book promised to break convention and paint colors from another world.

The illustration on the first page is one of a Chinese New Year parade...where kids are playing the aforementioned red drums and bursting firecrackers, and others are carrying the effigy of a snaky dragon, as a family looks on. [enter picture of page 1 here] The colors are not jarring red with bright contrast but soft, almost washed over shades of red. Which is the third thing that endeared the book to me. The illustrator teams up perfectly with the author and brings alive a vibrant dragon. The people portrayed in the book are of Oriental origin, and they wear elegant, traditional Oriental clothes, their house is decorated with Chinese artifacts, they eat Chinese food with chopsticks.

As I turned the pages, I was mesmerized by jade bangles and yellow incense sticks. At one point, I was convinced the setting could not be any western country - it had to be mainland China. But one picture threw me off a bit from that theory - that of a yellow New York style taxi cab, accompanied by
Yellow are taxicabs
That Honk and toot.
My Chinese born friend confirmed that there were no yellow cabs in China...HongKong, mabye? But that is when it struck me that the setting did not have to be
in China - it could be any city in the world with a large enough Chinese population. New York, Chicago, San Fransciso - they all have a large scale
Chinese New Year parades, and several families that have migrated over from the Far East carrying with them the material representations of their culture - their clothes, art, cuisine. After all, there are a lot of Indian families in the west, in which the women wear sarees and light agarbathis, so perhaps the same is true of the family portrayed in this book. The situational city is irrelevant, the author and artist offer us a peek into the colorful lives of a Chinese family. All the while, subtly showing toddlers a whole rainbow of colors.

Last read: An excellent book for introducing colors to the littlest ones, for pointing out objects from about a different culture for the not-so-little ones and for
mesmerizing in far away lands for the little-at-heart ones.

Author, Rosseane Thong's website: http://www.greenfield-thong.com. Do check out her other books - Round is a Mooncake to introduce shapes, and One is a Drummer to offer some fresh counting fun to your kids!

Illustrator, Grace Lin's website: http://www.gracelin.com

Little Pea

Little Pea
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Illustrated by Jen Corace

Ages : 3-6

Feel like taking a break from all the books that teach something vital? Just want a fun fun funny book to have a good laugh over? Want to delight in how a simple theme can evoke such enjoyment? Well then, grab a spoon, a couple of peas and some play doh! Yup! You heard me right! This book is not just a read...its a DO too! Let me elaborate...

There is a cute Little Pea with a Mama Pea and a Papa Pea. He is a regular little pea who does fun things, like rolling down hills superfast, hanging out with his pea pals, playing fun spoon games with his Papa, and cuddling with Mama Pea during bedtime. BUT...and there's always a but....there is just one thing that our Little Pea does not like. Candy!!!! (Sound like fun already?)

And what a miserable state of affairs that Little Pea has to eat candy EVERYDAY. Red candy, Yellow. Orange Candy. Polka dots. Striped. Swirly candy. Rainbow candy. Little Pea hated all of it! How do Mama and Papa Pea handle it? How would YOU handle it?

Somehow, with a lot of difficulty, Little Pea finishes all the candy on his plate because Mama and Papa Pea have his favorite dessert waiting for him. Sounds familiar? Its the story of every home. But wait! What does a pea, that does not like candy for dinner, like to have for dessert???? Take a wiiiiiiiild guess. And hold on to that. For mum's the word out here.

And to complete the fun of this delightful book, you can grab that spoon right about now, and play the game that had Little Pea in peas of.....oops...I mean peals of laughter. What game is that?..you wonder. Like I said, mum's the word.

Author : Amy Krouse Rosenthal. She is a Chicago based writer and this is her first book. Do visit her website. Its pretty cute.

Illustrator : Jen Corace. She is from south New Jersey and this is also her first book for children. The illustrations are quite minimal and no-nonsense. But its a delight to note how with a few arches and curves, she depicts the fun game Little Pea and Papa Pea played together.

And long after you've put the book down, you can still continue the pea-fun. Remember the play doh? Well, here's where it comes in handy. Me and my son had a ruckus of a time, and this is what we had to show for it!

And if you'd still feel better if a book taught your child something, well then *psssssssssstt*......you won't be disappointed! And you will live hap-pea-ly every after!!!

Basava and the dots of fire

Basava and the Dots of Fire

by Radhika Chadha
Illustrations by Bhakti Phatak

Ages : 3-6

When my Mom was to come from India, one of the top items on my list for her was books for my son. I scoured the Tulika website for age appropriate Indian books, and emailed the shortlisted titles across to my father, who hit Landmark and procured as many as he could find.

Basava and the dots of fire is one of them, that both me and my son enjoyed exceedingly. The story is a simple engaging one of a little boy from a remote village in India, who lives with his mother at the edge of a forest. Everyday, he makes a trip into the forest to collect firewood to help his mother cook food and keep them warm. And everyday, he returns home before sunset, head laden with firewood, back to the safety of his mother's arms.

One day Basava leaves home a little later than usual. And some unexpected incidents take place that test his character and presence of mind. As a result, he does not manage to make it out of the forest before sunset and gets lost. A little boy, all alone in the deep dark forest with no one to help!!! How does he manage? What does he do? What are those incidents that took place? Will he make it back home? What are the dots of fire? How are they related to the story? All these and more will run in your mind, and you can't wait to turn to the next page to find out.

The story is written by Radhika Chadha who in between consulting in innovation & strategy and tending to her bonsai plants, also manages to dream up stories for her son. This is the second book she has written with Tulika. And she has come up with a real page turner.

The illustrations are by Bhakti Phatak, who I believe is a PG student at National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, and this book was part of her summer internship with Tulika. Now I really appreciated the fact that Tulika affords opportunities to upcoming illustrators and young talents. She has illustrated the cover beautifully. Its in a shade of blue which I can only think of as midnight blue. And the illustrations inside, though a little brooding, are still very beautiful. She has the ability to show a lot of detail with just a few strokes.

Some of the other things that rise from this book is the fact that Basava is unlike any child we would normally read about. For one, he is not a regular school-goer and has to collect firewood everyday to help to make the livelihood. Its a good opportunity to present to your child that there are also children in the world that lead a different kind of life. Also, I was quite taken with the resourcefulness with which he dealt with those said incidents in the forest. And finally discovering what the dots of fire represented was a beautiful finale to this simple story.

Read it and see what you think!