Kachru Rabbit

Title : Kachru Rabbit

Author : Sangeeta Gupta and Vinita Krishna

Illustrated by : Neeta Gangopadhya

Publisher : CBT

I remember having very specific preferences for some food items while not being open to some, when I was very small. On my mother's coaxing to try something new, I used to say "Sher mar jaayega par ghaas nahin khaayega" (Lion can die but will never eat grass). But with time, this "sher" has undergone great transformation and now eats and actually likes everything without any hangups.
As a mother of two little children now, I am on the other side doing exactly what my mother did - convincing children to try different fruits, vegetables and other food items to get desired nutrients.

'Kachru Rabbit' is a great book to bring the same point across to the children. All parents go through times when they look for some innovative ideas to make children try new food items to get a balanced diet. Kachru Rabbit is one such kid who just likes to eat his favourite carrots all the time and refuses to try anything but carrots. He has his graden full of carrots and he enjoys them in all forms. He munches his favourite food and sings along -

"Yummy yummy carrots, thick and juicy,
Eat them as halwa, eat them soupy,
Tender carrots as salad I chew,
I like them, I love them, what about you?"

Unlike Kachru, his neighbour Matru likes all vegetables and sings along munching his medley of veggies.

Something coerces Kachru to consider options other than carrots and what happens when he tries them - does he like different vegetables or does his loyalty to carrots grow even stronger. Read the book to find out.

Young readers of 3 to 6 yrs, would enjoy reading this simple picture book. My younger one esecially liked the small poems that Kachru and his neighbour sang along expressing their love for what they eat.

Salim Ali for schools

Salim Ali for schools

A Children's biography

by Zai Whitaker

Publisher: Permanent Black

'Salim Ali for schools' - An intriguing title. Why add the words 'for schools' in the title? In addition, the cover of the book also says - A Children's Biography. Once I started reading the book, the title made a lot more sense. As the acknowledgement of the book says, this is a great introduction to Bird man of India, Salim Ali, and could be of great encouragement for kids who show interest in wild life and conservation. If you have a kid who shows great enthusiasm for nature treks, keeping track of animals and birds or his/her face lights up when they see a bird/animal - this is a book that you need to check out. It would provide an idea how a similar kid many years ago, grew up to become India's most famous naturalist.

Zai Whitaker, grand niece of Salim Ali, who has given some great gems like the Andamans Boy, Kali and the Rat Snake, The Rumbling Island gives a great introduction to the note-worthy naturalist. The story of this man begins with an unlikely incident - killing sparrows. A rather cringe-worthy story for parents of today - Salim is given a new air gun at the young age and he starts off by killing a male-sparrow guarding a brooding female. He observes that the sparrow is quickly replaced by another male-sparrow - a new husband. He kills again to find out that the dead male is replaced again by another male sparrow and so on. This rather interesting observation by Salim Ali at an very young age ends up being an important addition to ornithology. This incident would no doubt have many parents nodding their heads in disagreement and thinking - 'Why should this be mentioned in the first page on a book supposedly written for kids'. Before we start venting our frustration, Zai goes on to explain how the age when Salim Ali was born was different and how there was no diference between a shikari and a naturalist. Both were same - hundred years back. A lot of things have changed in the last hundred years and this book takes you through these years from the point of view of Salim Ali and how he changed the landscape(literally too!) of ornithology in India.

As the title suggests, the book sometimes meanders away from the story of Salim to explain a few natural concepts. For example, when Zai is talking about Salim Ali's trip to Afghanistan, it talks about science of camouflaging that some animals/birds have adapted to based on the natural landscape of that area.

A great biography, irrespective of whether it is written for kids or otherwise, should have the ability also to talk about all aspects of the person. If it keeps trumpeting a person's greatness, it becomes a fan book rather than a biography - A biography to a fan book is a rather thin rope and Zai walks this tightrope admirably. She does not hesitate, subtly though, from pointing out some of the other aspects of a great person - like his legendary anger, his madcap car or bike driving and her own opinion of him when she was a kid(who would want to be woken up early in the morning for a nature walk or shouted at for not being allowed to play raucous hide-n-seek).

A wonderful book and highly recommended. It is published by Permanent Black. There are very few hard bound children's books published in India. This book is hard bound - a great indication that it is a keep-for-ever book. The book is interspersed with some very good line drawings by Anuradha Roy.

Interview with Uma Krishnaswamy

Uma Krishnaswamy, a freelance artist from Chennai, has illustrated for several leading publishing houses such as Penguin India, Puffin, Scholastic and Tulika. Her recent work has been for the delightful tale Out of the way! Out of the way! ( written by her almost namesake). The details in her drawings are enchanting and enhance the text each time you read these picture books. Most Tulika readers would also be familiar with her work in And land was born, The story of Tipu Sultan....

Let us begin with Out of the Way ! Out of the Way! How did you decide this is THE book that you will link up with Uma on? Are there any more projects you plan to undertake together?
I got a call from the publisher one day asking if I’d like to work on a book by Uma. I was taken by surprise and of course very excited about doing it because I’ve known Uma’s work and her, personally, for quite some years now.

So the collaboration didn’t happen quite in the manner that the question suggests. The author worked closely with the publisher and when I got on board the text had been more or less finalised. It was Uma’s story all the way.

My contribution, the pictures. Once we (publisher, Uma and I) agreed on the style which we’d thought would suit the text, I set about working on the pictures as I ‘saw’ the story. Naturally I was in constant touch with Tulika regarding the progress but we were fortunate that Uma made a trip to India in between. This gave us an opportunity to sit down together, review and discuss the pictures. A good thing because it gave me the author’s insight which is not always the case.

I hope Uma is listening....most certainly if she dreams up more stories for us to collaborate on.

How did you decide on taking up art as a career? What inspires you?
My sister, a good artist, encouraged my interest actively when I was young and even allowed me to dabble with her pots of paint! And later, my aunt took it further suggesting I study Art for an undergraduate degree. It’s thanks to both of them I thoroughly enjoy what I do and am today.

Anything can be inspirational. It’s what you choose to see that’s important. As far as illustrators are concerned there are so many fantastic ones like Quentin Blake, Pulak Biswas, Lisbeth Zwerger etc, and the world over, who will be inspiration for generations to come. I discover a new one every day thanks to the internet and it ranges from amateurs to well established artists.

Folk art is seeing a resurgence in India. How do you incorporate those elements into your work?
Folk art is dynamic, colourful and vibrant and very forceful; it demands attention. And though it has its set of norms, it lends itself to any story, traditional or modern, because its own roots lie in storytelling, concise yet artistic. It also has this enviable history of being painted on walls, parchment, cloth, whatever.

The resurgence that we see is because there was a need for us to develop our own language, to express home grown sentiments. The craft revival movement of Kamladevi went a long way in ensuring appreciation of our traditional and folk arts. But also a worldwide movement of ‘other’ art, a voice that continues to grow stronger, did change perceptions across the globe.

How do I use it? I love folk and other traditions for their sheer exuberance and freedom in terms of perspective, colour etc. I study the folk art in some detail and definitely work at matching it to the right story. Coming from a non-folk background I naturally come with a different visual heritage. The greatest joy is in mixing and matching these myriad elements. Just like mixing paints!

Do you use the same style of art – the Uma style- across books or does it differ? Can you ‘illustrate’ this…
Hopefully not! I much prefer to sing in different tunes! Having said that I must confess that most of us would have a particular way of expressing ourselves in the way we use line and colour.

When you collaborate with a writer, do they tell you the style/ content or do they offer you complete freedom?
Complete freedom cannot exist when you collaborate. There will be differences and you must have the strength and flexibility to accept it to produce what you believe is the best. I have not been involved, so far, in the concept of presenting a readymade package (author + illustrator + work) to a publisher. My work comes through publishers so I work almost exclusively with the art directors and editors. So suggestions and changes come from them. Unless I am working on a book, say a non-fiction title that needs the author to verify and authenticate what is being done.

Does it happen that a story is conceived by the illustrator and someone else authors it?
Not that I know of, because if the illustrator comes up with a story, he/she is most likely to write it as well, especially in books for the young.

How do you go about illustrating? Does one need formal training? If yes, what?
The usual way! Reading and re-reading the text all the time to catch those nuances and high moments that just ask to be made into pictures. I have an undergraduate and postgraduate degree in Art that I believe has done much for my understanding and appreciation of the subject. I also know successful artists with no formal training, so there is no hard and fast rule here. But if you ask me a degree is worthwhile and one must choose to specialise in the field where one’s talent lies.

How is illustration targeting children different?
Well for a start the subject matter can be so different. It can range from a simple word or counting book to complex fantasy tales depending on the age group. The younger the children the more pictures happen and it reduces progressively as the text becomes denser. For younger children the pictures have to not only be attractive but also clear. The older they get more interesting details, not always found in the text, can be added and the pictures can move to becoming to more sophisticated images too. Children are very receptive and absorb much more than the adult mind is ready to.

What are your thoughts on Art Appreciation for children, especially since you teach art…?
Should be a part of the school curriculum, most definitely, as it is a natural extension of subjects such as History, Geography and the Life Sciences. History of Art is the social, economic and political history of a particular era and civilisation. It does not happen in splendid isolation.

What are your future projects and ultimate goal?
To be eternally involved in the study and practice of as many forms of visual arts as I can master, in myriad ways.

Uma has a master’s degree in visual communication from the University of Central England in Birmingham, UK. She was awarded the Charles Wallace Art Scholarship for the year 1997-98 tenable at the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design.

Out of the Way! Out of the way!

Author- Uma Krishnaswami
Illustrations- Uma Krishnaswamy
Publisher- Tulika
Ages- 3 plus

Yes, indeed! There are two Umas in the children's writing space. One an illustrator and the other an author. If that is not out of the way, what is??! Saffron Tree is pleased to review Out of the way! Out of the way!, a lively- lovely picture book from both of them, launched under the Tulika umberella.

When I received the book from Tulika, I was completely charmed by the illustrations - so vivid and energetic, full of detail and folk art-like. The vehicles and the activities around clearly communicate the stage of urbanisation even to young minds. The refrain ( the book's title) is woven into the illustrations, almost on every other page, engaging early readers, who will enjoy spotting and replaying it.

The refrain-illustrations in various languages, courtesy Tulika, for ST

The first time I read the book, it triggered memories of Leisure-a poem learnt a long time ago and written even earlier by W.H. Davies..."We have no time to stand and stare..."

However when I re-read it, I realised that the author is very optimistic in her view that man and tree, urbanisation and nature coexist, making room for each other. It is difficult at times to pin point who is IN the way!!

That there is a mid way, despite the apathy that seems to colour most people's world view, is so reassuring in today's context. The book reminds and goads us in a subtle manner to pause and take in life in all its beauty and nuances.

The main characters are a sapling, a path and a young boy. The sapling maintains its glory and evolves into a tree- a care giver. It is also a spectator- in the sense it watches the village turn into a town and then a bustling city. The path grows into a lane and into a street and finally a main road. While most people are too "busy", the boy enjoys the tree. He grows into a man, a father and then a grandpa who reminisces about the past and the stories gone by. And where else does he do all these but under that very tree.

The book ends on a cheerful high- focusing on the positive- the few people who make time to stop and listen. And the word listen stands solo- above a flourishing bird filled tree- dramatising it further.

The richness of illustration together with the simplicity of language help express a deep philosophy of life that is all too easy to forget in today's mad (and maddening) rush, where even summer vacations are often about activity camps and "purpose", devoid of the spontaneous joy of chilling out.

As I was reading to her, I wondered if Anushka, my four year old daughter, was only excited by the visuals and the chant "Out of the way! Out of the way!" which she eagerly took up. After a while, I asked her what she thought about the story. She said that the tree and the boy were friends and they grow up together and take care of each other. The message had definitely hit home and in a very non-patronising or didactic way. Kudos to all those involved in the making of this engaging book!

***************

The Two Umas- the author(L) and the illustrator(R)

A short but insightful Q & A with the author Uma:

ST: How did the idea occur to you?
In his latter years my father, to whom the book is dedicated, and who passed away this January, used to tell me stories whenever we spoke on the phone. Or he'd tell me about some odd anecdote or other he'd read about in the newspaper. I started writing them down. This one came from a news report about a group of people who dealt with potholes in their local road by planting trees in them. It was such an eccentric and subversive action that I was fascinated. From there it grew into a story about a child finding a tree growing in a road, and over successive revisions it became the story it is now.

ST: Any anecdotes around writing the story?
For a long time I tried to make the boy a central character whose actions drove the story, and it didn't work. After the initial act of placing rocks around the tree, everything I made him do felt too authorial and contrived. It was Sandhya Rao, my editor at Tulika, who suggested placing the boy at the edge of the story rather than its centre. Take the focus off character? How does that work?

As I revised the text I began to realize what I needed to pursue as a central idea--not an either/or but the road and the tree, with the child as witness rather than actor. It was a huge narrative shift, and I'm grateful to Sandhya for accessing the intent behind my story before I could see it. I was getting a little troubled by the didacticism creeping into earlier versions of the story, so her suggestion made complete thematic sense. As the words began to reflect the content, I started to see the curves of the road echoing the curving sounds of the refrain.

ST: How did you decide this was the book to link up with the illustrator Uma on?
I didn't at first. A few illustrator options were explored and nothing seemed to fit. Uma and I had been corresponding for a while, and had become friends, and I loved her work. She'd also illustrated a poem I wrote for Cicada magazine a couple of years before. It seemed a natural connection, especially as they were looking for a folk-meets-contemporary kind of style and she'd done other books with them before. Of course I was thrilled with the result. And it sort of fits the way that words in the text repeat themselves, to have the author and illustrator names doing that as well.

The book has been published in English and 8 Indian languages. You can order your copy online from Tulika.

Tashi

Tashi Series

Story by: Anna Fienbery, Barbara Fienberg

Illustrations by: Kim Gamble

Although the number of times that I get to tell a bed-time story is very less(thanks to rather odd office timing) my stories would involve fierce looking dragons, magic painting coming to life, scary monsters, magicians, fierce competitions and so on. It would be a mash-up of all the fantasy books that I read and old folk tales. It would some times turn scary and Ranjani would scowl and say - "Do not say such stories for kids during the night".

Imagine every such story making into a book with some wonderful illustrations and a very smart boy fighting and tackling all these fierce-some creatures and demons - That for you is the wonderful series called Tashi. One of the reasons I love this series is that it is very similar to many of my own weird stories. For example, we all know the folk tale of a lion jumping into a well to fight its mirror image and drowning itself. The same story gets a wonderful treatment in this series with a smelly dragon and the smart kid instead.

Anna Fienbery and Barbara Fienberg, a mother and daughter, team up to create a very, very smart character called Tashi. Tashi, the story teller, has come from a far, far away country on a swan and has become a friend of Jack. Tashi keeps Jack entertained with his great dare-devil stories and heroic acts that he was involved in his old country. Jack sometimes relates these stories to his father and mother too.

Every book in the series has two stories and illustrations add a great sense of fun to the whole book. Illustrations are by Kim Gamble and done in pencil. These pencil drawings come to life and enliven the fascinating adventures of Tashi.

The series has around 16 books in total and the reading level of the books increase as we go up the series. This is a very nice way to help kids read. Sooraj was fascinated when he picked up this book and he would read a book in 30-40 minutes and keep asking for the next one. After reading around 5-6 books in the series, he has now lost interest. But, if pressed to tell his favourite, I would not doubt that he would pick up Tashi as his favourite series (although Jack Stalwart is slowly gaining prominence).

The series is re-published in India by Viva Books Private Limited and each book cost Rs.60/-. A great buy and would keep kids awake for long.

Although, there are great many reasons to enjoy this book, the one reason why one should buy these books are for their wonderful illustrations. Kim Gamble rocks.

I strongly recommend it and as the book cover says - "Tashi's brave. Tashi's bold. Tashi's the best".

Img Src: Allen&Unwin website

One Lonely Seahorse

One Lonely Seahorse,
Food For Thought,
Gus and Button,
How Are You Peeling?
by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers



Three lovely picture books by the same author have managed to become a hit with us (and the world over), which is quite an endorsement for the innovative work - edible art.

In this short video, Saxton Freymann talks about his art.

A while back, Food for Thought came into Oggie's hands, and was met with an enthusiastic response. The ingenious way in which vegetables and fruits were used to represent faces with emotions and creatures with features made a suitable  impression as expected.

When I found One Lonely Seahorse (for $1.99 at a garage sale), by the same team, I had to add it to our bookshelf. The distinctive pictures immediately appealed to the kid. It is a counting book of sorts - from 1 lonely Chioggia Beet seahorse to 10 Bell Peppers angelfish. [sample images available here]

The seahorse wonders if she is all alone in the vast ocean. But one by one, 2 small crabs, 3 puffer fish, 4 lobsters, 5 turtles, 6 dolphins, 7 eels, 8 octopi, 9 mackerel and 10 angelfish come by and reassure her that, "We're here too!"

But the most attractive part for the kiddo has been the last page which lists all the fruits and vegetables used to make the said sea creatures, sea plants and scenery. His favorite part of the reading experience is a sort of made-up "I Spy" where he goes back to the pages of the book to point out where the ginger root or fava beans or horseradish or white squash is all 'hiding in plain sight' making up the scenery.

Oyster mushroom, kale, morel, hen-of-the-woods mushroom, enoki mushroom appear on various pages to make up the coral reef or other ocean features.  Horned melon puffer fish, long eggplant mackerel, banana dolphins, shiitake mushrooms and tamarind crabs, pineapple turtles, cranberry bean eels... all kinds of exotic vegetables and fruits arranged creatively to tell a simple story.

Most definitely the illustrations take center-stage for this book, and the text keeps up. Unlike How Are You Peeling?, which did not get as much repeat reads possibly because of the open-ended-ness of the questions therein,  One Lonely Seahorse is a huge hit, eagerly shared with friends in school as well.

Besides exposing the young ones to the various edible natural foods and piquing their curiosity about their taste and appearance, I am sure the book has inspired many kids to play with their food (something quite discouraged in today's society for some reason) and come up with edible art of their own.

[image source: arthuralevinebooks.com]

When Jessie Came Across The Sea

Author: Amy Hest

Illustrator: P.J.Lynch

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Ages: 6-12

This book was lent to me by a friend when we lived in London. I remember the lump in my throat that the story brought when I read it the first time. As for the watercolour illustrations, there is only one word that can do justice to them - exquisite. You can imagine my delight when I saw it at a book fair in Bangalore last year. I of course got a copy and it was only then that I noticed the long list of awards and mentions in honour lists the book has got, including the Kate Greenaway Medal.

The story revolves around a 13-year old orphan called Jessie who lives with her grandmother in a village somewhere in eastern Europe. Jessie teaches her grandmother to read and write while her grandmother teaches her to sew lace. Life goes on.

One day the rabbi of the village declares that he has a ticket to go to America but would like someone else to go in his place. He chooses Jessie, saying that she would help his brother's widow to sew and make money. Jessie and her grandmother cannot bear the thought of parting with each other but eventually are persuaded.

Jessie boards the ship to New York with a heavy heart. The passengers are all herded together on the cramped open deck. Jessie hates it initially but her cheerful spirit cannot remain subdued for long. She sews lace for the women and comforts others. A young boy called Lou becomes her favourite friend.

After a long stormy journey they reach New York. Upon landing Jessie meets the rabbi's brother's widow who will be her hostess. She joins her dress shop and works hard making lace. She also starts school. She regularly writes to her grandmother telling her about her life in the great city.

Three years pass. One day she meets Lou, her friend from the ship, by sheer chance in a park. They are delighted to see each other and start meeting every Sunday. Lou takes Jessie to meet his family and they all take a great liking to her immediately. Lou proposes but Jessie asks him to wait some more.

All this while, Jessie had been saving whatever she earned. Finally she has enough money to buy a ticket for her grandmother to come to America and be with her forever. When Grandmother finally arrives, she brings Jessie a gift - her mother's wedding ring.

The story touched a chord with me, all the more because I was in a country not my own. Though in no way facing any of the hardships Jessie did, I could relate to her emotions - immigrating to an unknown land is scary and exciting at the same time. Hope and hard work triumph and the new land eventually becomes Home.

Image courtesy 

Number the Stars

As promised, another book by Lois Lowry.

NUMBER THE STARS. Written by Lois Lowry.
Cover photograph of Anne Johnson.
Published by Yearling books, an imprint of Random House Children's books.
Winner of the John Newberry Medal.
Ages: 10+

Image: Courtesy Amazon.

Annemarie Johansen is a 10 yr old living in Denmark in 1943, at a time when the Nazis invaded her country. Her best friend is her neighbour, Ellen Rosen. Life is still pretty much normal, except for soldiers at every street corner. The girls have been warned by their mothers to avoid the soldiers on the way to school, and to not give too many answers to any questions.

Annemarie has two other sisters, the older Lise had died a few days before her wedding to Peter, who is still very close to the family, and who now works underground to help the Jews. The younger one is Kirsti.

Then one day in September, Ellen's mother sent her to the little shop where Mrs. Hirsch sells threads and buttons for a matching button for her old jacket. When the girls went there, they found the shop closed.

"There was a new padlock on the door, and a sign. But the sign was in German. They couldn't read the words."

This is the first ominous sign in the girls' world which was sheltered till now inspite of the German occupation of Denmark and small everyday privations (Kirsti longs for cupcakes with pink frosting and new, shiny shoes.) for almost two years. That night, Peter visits them, and Annemarie too is woken from her sleep and included in their talk. He tells the Johansens that the Germans have begun the rounding up of Jews. They still do not know to what purpose, but it is serious. Annemarie realises that her best friend, Ellen, too, is in danger, as the Rosens are Jewish, and it is up to them to help them. She remembers the incident where a boy on the street remarks to a German soldier that Denmark's king Christian X was safe on the streets because all of Denmark would protect him with their lives. "And now she- and all the Danes- were to be bodyguard for Ellen, and Ellen's parents, and all of Denmark's Jews."

But a few days later, on the Jewish New Year, when the Rosens came back from the synagogue, Mrs Rosen spoke hurriedly to Annemarie's mother,who came and told them that Ellen will be coming to stay with them for a few days, as her parents had to go away to visit some relatives. Annemarie is puzzled, but welcomes the idea of having her best friend stay.

The soldiers come in the night. And they ask-"Who is the dark-haired one?" Annemarie's father saves the day by showing baby photos of his three daughters : golden-haired Annemarie and Kirsti, and dark-haired Lise, with their names written on each photograph.

When they went, "Annemarie relaxed the clenched fingers of her right hand, which still clutched Ellen's necklace." (which she had yanked off Ellen's neck moments before they had entered the bedroom.) "She looked down, and saw that she had imprinted the Star of David into her palm."

The next day, Mrs Johansen took the girls with her to Gilleleje near Helsingor, where her brother Henrik was a fisherman, and had his own fishing trawler. Annemarie tells Ellen that it is on the sea-shore and that they could see Sweden from there.

Inspite of their worry and the danger they are in, the girls enjoy their visit to Gilleleje. They have to wait a few days during which Annemarie hears things which puzzle her. "Is the weather good for fishing?" When she knew that Uncle Henrik went fishing in all weathers. "There will be one case of cigarettes delivered. There are many more such cases in Copenhagen." When she knew very well that there had been no cigarettes since the beginning of the war. And the most puzzling- "There has been a death, and tonight your Great-aunt Birte will be resting in the living room, in her casket, before she is buried tomorrow. It is the old custom, you know, for the dead to rest at home, and their loved ones to be with them before burial." When she knew very well that there was no Great-aunt Birte!

When Annemarie confronts her uncle for both him and her mother lying to her, he asks her not to try and find out more than she is told, as "it is easier to be brave if you do not know everything.........We know only what we need to know."

Annemarie soon realises the wisdom in these words. Ellen's parents and some other fugitives (brought there by Peter who had arranged to hide them all this time) join them as mourners at Great-aunt Birte's funeral, so that the German soldiers do not become suspicious. Uncle Henrik prepares to ferry the Rosens along with some other Jews across to Sweden. They are taken in twos and threes to the boat in the dead of the night. In the confusion, Annemarie's mother stumbles in the dark on the way back and sprains her ankle. She panics when she realises that a very vital packet, without which all would be lost, has been left behind. It is now left to Annemarie to summon her courage and deliver the packet to the fugitives. Is she able to help her friends escape? Is she able to confront her fear of the dark woods, the German soldiers searching for the Jews, and their hounds? What is of such vital importance in the packet? And most important of all, is she able to return the Star of David to her friend Ellen when the war ends? Read the book to find out.

Lois Lowry has written a wonderful story of friendship in the face of very real danger. She gives us a peek into the everyday life of ordinary people who have had to do extraordinary things. Annemarie's innocence, her realisation of the grave danger and her courage comes across very vividly. The last chapter has the flavour of a thriller. In an afterword, the author tells us that the story has been based on real-life events at the time it has been set in, and has been dedicated to her friend Annelise Platt, who was a child living in Copenhagen during the German occupation. And the contents of the packet, too, are not something out of a sci-fi scenario, but based on fact.

This is one of the many books based on one of the biggest horrors of the last century, the Holocaust. It has been a topic by which I have been fascinated ever since I read the Diary of Anne Frank in my teens. I have been trying to find books suitable for A on this topic. Most books depict the horror in terms too explicit for her age. NUMBER THE STARS touches very lightly on it, when the soldiers are around. It focuses more on the friendships of the Jew and non-Jew characters, the commitment with which help is given and the trust with which it is received. It also ends on a hopeful note.

Sweden was a neutral country during World War 2, and received Jewish refugees from Finland, Norway and Denmark. Almost all of the 8000 Jews in Denmark at the time of German occupation were successfully helped across to Sweden by the Danes in their ferry and fishing boats. Sweden saved the maximum number of Jews during WW2.

Crossposted here.

Grandpa fights an Ostrich

Grandpa fights an Ostrich and other animal stories

Illustrator : Amit Vaccharajni

Publisher : Scholastic India

Image source : Flipkart

Here is a collection of animal stories by renowned Indian authors. The stories range from funny, witty, amusing to down right hilarious incidents ! Some of the well known authors are Ruskin Bond, Asha Nehemiah, Anushka Ravishankar, Zai whitaker. The stories were very entertaining to my kids when I read it out to them during their bed time sessions!

My eight year old son, loved the story by Ruskin Bond called "Grandpa fights on ostrich", wherein the author talks about his own grandpa's encounter with a wild ostrich in Africa. The story keeps you on your toes and you breathe a sign of relief when the story ends!! So what actually happens when Grandpa meets the wild ostrich? You have to pick the book and read for yourself :-).

He liked the story so much that he wanted to read more of Ruskin Bond (he has not read Ruskin Bond books before this) and we found another interesting book called "The Hidden Pool". This book talks about the interesting adventures of three boys in the hill side and my son thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

Coming back to this collection of animal stories, I was very impressed with Asha Nehemiah's story involving a talking cat! Two children travelling back to their home after the summer holidays in a train all alone (due to unavoidable reasons), their problems with the ticket collector and the talking cat coming to their rescue, make for a very riveting and witty read. Along with the children you wonder ...a talking cat? It is not a fantasy story, so how do you explain a talking cat? The mystery unravels itself in the end and you can't help admiring the author for an intelligent story like this :-).

Zai Whitaker's "Kali and the rat snake" also figures in this book. The simple and beautiful black and white illustrations in the stories are by Amit Vachharajani. This book is available at flipkart.

WE, THE CHILDREN OF INDIA A Preamble to our Constitution

India became independent in 1947 and a republic in 1950. Our constitution, the backbone of our country and the document that defines and governs all aspects of our lives as the Citizens of India came into force at that time. All of us, as citizens of independent India, have been introduced to its Preamble. But how many of us actually know what it really means? It has been usually seen at the beginning of textbooks, learnt by rote, and then put into the slot of dreary civics and all but forgotten. Here is book which hopes to change all that, which brings out the essence of it in a fun way.

WE, THE CHILDREN OF INDIA
THE PREAMBLE TO OUR CONSTITUTION

Written by Leila Seth.
Illustrations by Bindia Thapar.
Published by Puffin books.
Ages: All.

Image: Courtesy Penguin books India

Leila Seth was the first woman judge of the Delhi High Court and the first woman Chief Justice of a state in India. Her credentials listed on the introductory page amply testify to her being the best person to have taken up this project. By her own admission, this book has been written with the help of her grandchildren, ages 5 and 8. She is also mother to another writer of note, Vikram Seth.

Leila Seth has beautifully deconstructed the heavy vocabulary of the preamble to make it comprehensible to all. She has gone word by word, giving succint examples and explanations with the help of speech bubbles--with a lot of help from the vivid illustrations by Bindia Thapar.

For example while discussing the word "Socialist" she explains:"socialism meant bettering the life of the people of India". Bettering the life is such an abstract concept. Seth makes it very simple and specific for us. Here the children in the illustrations explain to us:
"so that
everyone should have enough food
everyone should be able to go to school
everyone should have a safe home
everyone should be able to lead a healthy life and be able to go to a doctor when they need to"

Clearly explained, with happy illustrations.

My favourite are the words used while explaining "Secular". To the names of all the religions prevalent in India, she has added other belief groups: "Agnosticism, Atheism, Rationalism, Humanism, Animism". There are so many people who belong to these categories, too, other than those belonging to known, documented religions. They are part of "We, the people", and are included in the whole. Secular!

On each page, there are boxes where we are given the facts pertaining to those words. There is also a short account of the events leading up to and culminating in our constitution as well as an account of the people involved in writing it, with wonderful photographs.

The book ends with a simplified version of the Preamble with the word "people" replaced by "children", a short account of what needs to be done, and a short poem to help us remember the spirit of the preamble.

"Let's be equal, just and free-
Strong in our diversity:
Free in thought and free in prayer,
Free to dream and free to dare,
Free to love and free to care.
Let's be equal, just and free-
Strong in our diversity."
"Let's be equal, free and just,
Unified in love and trust:
Strong to lend the weak a hand,
Strong to help and understand,
Strong to build a happier land.
Let's be equal, free and just,
Unified in love and trust."

A wonderful and timely book, making the preamble easy to understand for all, and more important, easy to remember and follow. A true gem.

Crossposted here.

That Summer At Kalagarh

5th June 2010, Saturday, was World Environment Day. Here's a book by a naturalist, Ranjit Lal. His books remind me of books by Gerard Durrell, which is a writer I would like to feature in some future post.  

THAT SUMMER AT KALAGARH.
Written by Ranjit Lal.
Cover illustration by Ashok Rajagopalan.
Published by Tulika Books.
Ages 10-14yrs.

Cover picture: Courtesy Tulika Books.

It was a fast read. Gitanjali is an overweight 12 yr old, with all the placidity that we normally associate with a plump child. The book, though starts on a note where she is extremely angry and almost throwing a tantrum. Reason: her three boy cousins have come to stay, and they have hit upon the nickname 'Hathini' for her. She is affronted as she not only thinks they are making fun of her, but also thinks they have somehow guessed her deepest secret, something she is not willing to share with people she is not even sure she likes.

She has a secret love of elephants, a deep love that even she does not know much about.

Her mother is upset by the nickname, but wisely does not interfere. She knows her daughter, and knows that she will be able to handle the situation herself. And Gitanjali does. That too, in a way that earns her the friendship of the two older boys, and the devotion of the youngest, 5yr old Aneek.

The family travels to Kalagarh, in the Kumaon hills--Corbett area, for the summer vacation. Her mother again notices that Gitanjali seems strangely at home here. When the four children go for a hike in the jungle, Gitanjali uncannily senses the presence of the rogue elephant, Paagal, when not even the more experienced guides realise he is there. She halts the party, calls them back, and protects little Aneek when the rogue charges. She realises, however, that he is just bluffing, and faces him to call his bluff. The rogue retreats at this. Here, we are just as baffled as the characters in the story by this strange power Gitanjali possesses. How does she do it? Also, there is her strange behaviour in the middle of the night, when she insists she can hear the screaming of elephants and a baby elephant in distress, when no-one else can hear anything. She also displays a strange uneasiness and distress at a certain place where some elephants had drowned when the dam had been built and the place had been flooded many years ago.

Then the children go for an elephant ride and the wizened old mahout tells them the legend of Gitanjali, an elephant who died trying to save a baby elephant in that flooding incident in which her mahout also died. After her death, there had been sightings of what was believed to be Gitanjali's ghost who was still searching for the baby elephant. These sightings went on for many years, terrorising locals and tourists, and then suddenly stopped 12 yrs ago.

The children come back from their elephant ride overwhelmed by the tale told to them by the mahout. Soon, it is time for them to return home. When Gitanjali's parents get a bill for the services rendered to them at the resort there is no charge levied against the elephant ride. No-one knows about any elephant ride. The regular elephants and their mahouts had been elsewhere at the time the children claim to have taken the ride.

Who is the mahout who took them for a ride? What had really happened all those years ago? What is Gitanjali's secret? How does she have these inexplicable powers? You will have to read the book to find out.

Tulika books has come out with a well written suspense book for 10-14 yr olds, who, I am sure, will enjoy it. Ranjit Lal has given us a story with a wildlife background, and gives us a veiled message about conservation of forests and protection of the wildlife that inhabits it.

There are some threads in the book which have been left loose, like the musings of Gitanjali's parents and the story of Paagal, the rogue elephant. What do her parents know? Do they, in fact, know anything at all? Why is Paagal the way he is? Does he have any connection to the tragedy of the baby elephant? It would have been interesting to know, and would have made for a tighter plot. In all, an excellent book from Tulika.

Here is a review of the book by Srividya Natarajan at SAWNET. Read for a completely different take on the book.

Crossposted here.

The Rumbling Island

The Rumbling Island

True Stories from the Forests of India

Edited by Zai Whitaker

A few years back, our family went on a wonderful trip to Kabini Jungle Lodges. We were excited and acted like hyper-excited, dumb eco-tourists on our safaris. Much before the other safari-engaged jeeps would start from the lodging, one of the jeeps with a single passenger carrying a massive camera started early. A few of us grumbled and wondered why that person got special treatment and was taken in the jeep alone. Our guide later informed us that that person was on the hunt for that elusive tiger photo and he has been coming there for almost every weekend from Bangalore for the last 4-5 months. Our safari started and I soon forgot about him.

Some time later, our guide got a radio message informing that one of the jeeps have spotted a leopard and all the safari jeeps turned around from various locations in the forest to catch the elusive cat. Our jeep was one of the first to reach that spot. Much before we reached there, was that man standing on the jeep waiting for taking his shot. The leopard is mighty secretive animal and all these massive jeeps made him keep to his hiding place behind one of the tree branches. The whole place was quiet for 10-15 minutes and after that every one started fidgeting, a few cursed, a few started yawning and few others just kept clicking away the branch - hoping that camera would magically capture the cat. After 30 minutes, every one lost their patience and all the jeeps turned around(except one) and went to look for much easier animals to spot like a herd of elephants. While we fidgeted, that man was standing still on his jeep without even a slightest change in his posture for the whole 30 minutes. We left soon afterwards and later came to know that he had waited for almost 3 hours before the leopard had decided to bless him with a darshan and he must have clicked away happily. We met him during the dinner and he was surrounded by all the guides to check out his photos. But, he was not satisfied - his quest to capture the tiger was still on and he would be back the next weekend.

I wondered what drove this man? I did not find the answer, but, realised there are many such interesting wild life enthusiasts who help us understand the mysterious and fast disappearing natural world around us.

Zai Whitaker, an wild life enthusiast, collects and brings together some amazing stories of Indian natural history. The book 'Rumbling Island' gives us a glimpse behind the Indian stories of these naturalists and their struggle. The book starts with an interesting story by Cliff Rice on how he has spent many months alone in the forests of Nilgiris to understand the endemic mountain goats of South India - the Nilgiri Tahr. There are other amazing stories including the story by Ashish Chandola as he spent many days next to a tiger cave to capture the photograph and understand their living; Rom Whitaker's hunt to find massive crocodiles, monster crocs as he calls it; Sally Walker's work in Mysore Zoo and many other interesting stories.

My favourite was Ian Lockwood's writeup on climbing up Agastyamalai and his madcap plan on staying up the peak the whole night. (By the way Agastyamalai, has a statue of Sage Agastya on its peak, who is supposed to have discovered/invented the Tamil language)

If you are looking for a book to introduce older kids regarding the adventure and thrill of wild life and nature, I would strongly suggest and recommend this wonderful book. Ranjani accidently came across this book and it turned out to be a great treat. We exchanged the book as she and I read one story after another (sometime even snatching it away from each other - ok, I am just exaggerating - but, you should get the idea regarding how much we were hooked on to this book).

This book is interspersed with small and funky illustrations by Uma Krishnaswamy. Zai Whitaker also has a story regarding her relative, the great Salim Ali in this collection. Do also check out her book on Salim Ali - Salim Ali for Schools. (a review for another day).

Karadi Chitra Books

Karadi tales has come out with Karadi Chitra, hard bound english story books for the three+ and five+ year old children. We were lucky to get the whole set as gift. We read all the books of which two are clear winners.

Title: When The Earth Lost Its Shapes
Author: Shobha Viswanath
Illustration: Chirstine Kastl
Publisher: Karadi Tales

Ages: 3+

My four year old loved this book. Ever since I read the title and the blurb, I was intrigued too. Shobha Viswanath starts the story with the earth losing all its shapes. Can you imagine a world with out triangles, straight lines, squares or circles?

An adult mind races with images of buildings, architecture, art etc that are possible because of shapes. But a pre-operational child’s mind to which shape is a very 2-d, strictly theoretical concept, knows not of any of the complications. Now a good story teller makes the audience relate and this exactly what Shobha Vishwanath does.

Subsequent pages show in illustration and text what a shapeless earth would look like. The eggs are not oval but are already scrambled, oranges are not semi-spheres, but look squeezed, the kite looks windswept and the stick looks beaten. These are little, day to day things that make the children think about the importance of shapes in every day life.

At this point in comes the hero - Little Dot, which is literally a dot, which some how holds on to its shape. The rest of the story is how Little Dot saves the world from the shapeless confusion.

The story does not go in to detail how the shapes were lost. I was half expecting an onslaught of questions about the how part. But there were none. The author quickly gets in to the practical difficulties of living in a shapeless world and the children were engrossed.

Christine Kastl’s brilliant acrylic pallette knife illustrations in bright colors bring fleeting images of Eric Carle to my mind.

Definitely a book Karadi can be proud of.

Title: The Rumor
Author: Anushka Ravishankar
Illustration: Kanyika Kini
Publisher: Karadi Tales

Ages: 5+

This is our very first Anushka Ravishankar book and I regret for having waited so long to lay my hands on one of her books. Like in CitiCard ads: Silly verse - check, funny story - check, nonsense names - check, non-preachy and fun just for the sake of having fun - check, engaging - check, perfect for story telling - check, vibrant illustrations - check, simple enough to read and follow - check, the experience - priceless. My five year old enjoys this book a great deal.

The Story of Chopsticks, Noodles, Kites, Paper

The Story of Chopsticks,
The Story of Noodles,
The Story of Kites,
The Story of Paper

by Ying Chang Compestine
illustrated by YongSheng Xuan

Ages 4-8

Chopsticks and Noodles, we easily associate with China. Kite? Maybe. Paper? Possibly, not readily. But, these four items did indeed originate in China and the author proceeds to tell us about it through an imaginative yet believable tale involving three young rambunctious boys of the Kang family.

Our introduction to the Kang boys starts with The Story of Chopsticks.

A long time ago, in a small village in China, lived the Kang family - Mama, Papa, and the three boys Pan, Ting and Kùai. In those days, people ate with their hands, no cutlery.

Poor Kùai never got to eat much as by the time the food was cool enough for him to handle, his older brothers have wolfed down a major share leaving him with scraps. Kùai had to find a quick and easy way to get the hot delicious food first or remain hungry.

The story goes that Kùai picked two small kindling sticks by the stove, used them as mini spears to jab into hot chicken legs and steaming sweet potatoes, and proceeded to eat them with relish not worrying about burning his fingers, while his family was still washing up for the meal.

Of course, this left my daughter wondering how the food didn't burn his mouth, but, this is a fanciful tale, so not everything has to fit our sense of reality.

It doesn't end there... this imaginative tale goes on to relate how the village wise man, Mr. Lee, got word of this new "Kùai zi" (KHWY-zzuh in Mandarin Chinese) or "quick sticks", declared it a useful invention, and proceeded to establish simple rules for using them properly. He then sent a report to the emperor, who, fortunately, liked eating with it. Before long, everybody in all parts of China wanted to use these "Kùai zi", and with traders substituting "chop" for "quick", we now have Chopsticks.

The story unfolds rather plainly. I found it rather wordy but my five-year-old enjoyed every bit of it.

What attracted me first was the illustrations: they have a stark, stained-glass-style feel, with bright colors and dark lines, making it hard to believe that it was all cut-paper collage work.

Author's Note at the back gives a brief history of Chopsticks and the proper way to use them, plus a recipe for Sweet Eight Treasures Rice Pudding, which I hope to try soon.

In The Story of Noodles, we meet the Kang boys again. This time, while helping their mom make rice dumplings for the annual cooking contest, they accidentally cut the dough into long strips. Rather than being horrified, the resourceful boys tell their mom that they've invented a new dish and proceed to show her how to roll these strips (aka Noodles) around the chopsticks and eat them.

Author's note mentions that Noodles originated in China and is considered an invention of the common people; from there Marco Polo introduced it to Italy; and from there it spread to the whole Western World.

Slurping noises are allowed when eating the noodles, the louder the noise, the more delicious the meal supposedly is. This fact amused my daughter who has been learning to eat as quietly as possible. Plus, there is also a recipe for Long-Life Noodles, at the back, which I have tried and must say is delicious.

The other two books in this series, The Story of Kites and The Story of Paper are along similar lines, with some brief history/facts/useful information at the back.

In The Story of Kites, the Kang boys try to find a way to scare the birds away from the rice fields without exerting themselves too much by making these elaborate and colorful kites. Among the few books we have read that speculate on the origin of kites, the story in this book seems lively and fun to read.

Since we've tried "making" paper at home, my daughter related very well to The Story of Paper: "Oh, so that's how the first paper was made!" she exclaimed after we read the book.

As usual, the Kang boys are credited with the invention of paper in the book: while not quite a serendipitous accident like the Noodles, their motivation to make something that their teacher could write on, and the resourcefulness to adapt available tools and techniques to produce results, make it an interesting tale.

While the facts are probably distorted in this presentation, the idea that each of these items that we take for granted today didn't exist until someone invented it, and the fact that they all originated in China, plus a plausible suggestion of how it might have come about seems to have impressed upon the five-year-old. And I like the simple way in which the books have managed to achieve this. All in all, a delightful, entertaining, and fairly instructive set of books with beautiful illustrations.