And thus our fifth birthday celebrations and the third edition of our in-house book fest, CROCUS 2011 - embracing the five elements draws to a close.In fact, the elements were one of the themes in the running since mid year or so. It also tied in beautifully with Saffron Tree's fifth birthday.
Praba and Ranjani set the tone by allocation ( and shuffling) of elements among us motley bunch of fifteen contributors. Lavanya Karthik came up with a mind blowing flyer yet again. And in case you didn’t know, her book, Tara Tambe, with DC-Mango is out- go get it if you want a treat for your eyes. Sheela, ever resourceful and vigilant continued to provide technical and design assistance to all.
The scheduling, was handled with deceptive ease by Ranjani, Sheela and Praba. Must say this time they did not have to play teacher too much since the wards were fairly prompt- at least most of us!
Each day was dedicated to one element. Overall, we tried to bring you stories from different countries and genres of story telling. We ensured representation of books for kids across age bands. The books spoke the language of respect, conservation and oneness with nature.
We brought you 4-5 reviews and 1-2 interviews per day spread over 7 days. Vibha, Anusha and Lavanya exhibited their inimitable skill with art and craft related to the day's element, taking this CROCUS to another level. Apart from the element oriented art- crafts’ posts, UTBT brought us some creative curriculum related pointers, something those familiar with her personal blog will swear by. We also have linked up to old posts that relate to the elements.
The Mad Momma, Sandhya and Tharini outdid each other with their teaser, curtain raiser and introduction posts.
Then came the unveiling of the much awaited CROCUSWORD by Meera! Wow, how creative can a person get? This time with rebus clues!
We welcomed our readers with water, as is customary in any Indian home. We had a splash of beautiful tales. We were then sparked on by Fire, right on the eve of Diwali, the festival of lights. This element ignited us with imaginative tales from Africa to India. Then the wind blew and we enjoyed the breeze of reviews. Intrigued and awestruck by space and we traveled to explore the most abstract of the elements. Finally grounded by reassuring Mother Earth, we celebrated her beauty and prayed for her longevity.
We had a smorgasbord of interviews from people working in some way in the sphere of the Elements and some who are illustrious educators/ performers, one of whom coincidentally shares her name with an Element.The interview team was spearheaded by Anusha. We sincerely thank Nirmala Diaz, Sloka The Hyderabad Waldorf School, Patricia Graesser of the Army Corps of Engineers, Shanti Pappu, Julia Butterfly Hill, Vayu Naidu, Sarah Dyer, Gerry Martin, Suzanne- Pratham Books, Rick & Langley from Seattle Sailing club who were generous with their time and views.
As always, CROCUSWORD generated a lot of excitement. Thank you, participants. And winners, congrats!
We had a network of publishers and bloggers support us, such as Pratham, Tulika, Papertigers, Zoe, Monika, Shankari, Uma, Arundathi and of course our own blogs. Thanks to the PR team for this. ( The Mad Momma, Sandhya, Chox, Poppins Mom, Self).
Did I forget someone? YOU, dear reader, continue to be the star. We were overwhelmed by the comments and emails we received. It feels good to know someone cares. We really hope that you found us in our element this CROCUS!
And as you know, we will be back and soon. So make sure you drop by at least once a week for reviews- old and new at Saffron Tree. And leave us a comment or two when time permits.
ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING US! AND KEEP READING. CIAO CROCUS 2011!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
CROCUSWORD 2011 RESULTS
Announcing the winners of Crocusword 2011...
The most-correct answers came from (in no particular order) -
Arundhati Venkatesh
Samyukta (10 years)
Anju Pruthi
Nidhi (8 years)
Vaarun (8 years)
Dhrumil Shah
Congratulations!!!
And the winner of the FIRST PRIZE is 10 year old SAMYUKTA !!!
8 year old VAARUN wins the SECOND prize!!!
Congratulations Samyukta and Vaarun, we are proud of you!
You will receive an email soon regarding your prizes.
Thank you all for sending in your answers - we love your support and enthusiasm!!!
The answers below -
1. SPACED OUT
2. BLANK SPACE
3. WATERFALL(S)
4. BACKWATERS
5. BACKFIRE
6. UNDER FIRE
7. DOWN TO EARTH
8. EARTHQUAKE
9. COMPRESSED AIR OR AIR TIGHT
10. MID-AIR
A GREEN WORLD FOR ALL
And that's exactly what this CROCUS was all about!
The most-correct answers came from (in no particular order) -
Arundhati Venkatesh
Samyukta (10 years)
Anju Pruthi
Nidhi (8 years)
Vaarun (8 years)
Dhrumil Shah
Congratulations!!!
And the winner of the FIRST PRIZE is 10 year old SAMYUKTA !!!
8 year old VAARUN wins the SECOND prize!!!
Congratulations Samyukta and Vaarun, we are proud of you!
You will receive an email soon regarding your prizes.
Thank you all for sending in your answers - we love your support and enthusiasm!!!
The answers below -
1. SPACED OUT
2. BLANK SPACE
3. WATERFALL(S)
4. BACKWATERS
5. BACKFIRE
6. UNDER FIRE
7. DOWN TO EARTH
8. EARTHQUAKE
9. COMPRESSED AIR OR AIR TIGHT
10. MID-AIR
A GREEN WORLD FOR ALL
And that's exactly what this CROCUS was all about!
The Nature Teacher
We, at Saffron Tree love reading.
Well.... you all kind of knew it already I guess!
One big dichotomy we see in parents is whether to help their children focus on text books and home
work or to encourage them to read what in general is perceived as story books/leisure time reading.
This gap between curricular reading and extra curricular reading can be effectively bridged by smart book choices. Just like we did for CROCUS2010, we bring to you a teacher resource manual, based on our current theme - the five elements. In this guide we have incorporated a selection of books we have reviewed in the past few years to showcase how these books can supplement a classroom curriculum.
Target audience: Teachers and parents.
Theme: The five elements
What is included: A full year’s lesson planning guide based on the theme + book recommendations.
How to use the lesson planning guide
How to use the book recommendation.
Well.... you all kind of knew it already I guess!
One big dichotomy we see in parents is whether to help their children focus on text books and home
work or to encourage them to read what in general is perceived as story books/leisure time reading.
This gap between curricular reading and extra curricular reading can be effectively bridged by smart book choices. Just like we did for CROCUS2010, we bring to you a teacher resource manual, based on our current theme - the five elements. In this guide we have incorporated a selection of books we have reviewed in the past few years to showcase how these books can supplement a classroom curriculum.
Target audience: Teachers and parents.
Theme: The five elements
What is included: A full year’s lesson planning guide based on the theme + book recommendations.
How to use the lesson planning guide
- The pictorial representation of the lesson plan is provided. Click on the picture to view the clear, hi-resolution picture.
- What is presented here is strictly a skeleton structure. This can be developed based on the interest of the teacher and the students.
- The picture represents the topics and sub topics that can potentially be discussed under the broad topic THE FIVE ELEMENTS.
- If you see a key word repeated in multiple places, it is not redundancy. It just means that the key word can be introduced again and again in multiple ways. Young children connect better when the same topic is multiple ways. Help them get to the depth of things rather than shallow, surface level knowledge.
How to use the book recommendation.
- Book recommendation is available in Google docs. Click the picture below.
- View as is or download the excel spread sheet.
- The first column on the left has book titles. All the right columns are for the different tags/keywords associated with the title. Cross check the title with the tags to get a quick idea of the subject and age range.
- Click on the book title to read the review from SaffronTree.
Interview with Suzanne Singh - Managing Trustee of Pratham Books
I first came across Pratham Books on one of our jaunts to India when we lived in the UK. I was frantically looking for good books in Hindi for my daughter. When I chanced upon their books I felt like a kid in a candy store. The low-cost high-quality books meant I could buy multiple copies in different languages. This was about 8-9 years back and the bilingual language children's literature scene was not as rich as it is today. Pratham Books filled the gap nicely.
When you decide content for the books you publish, are there any particular themes you focus upon?
Our first premise while selecting any manuscript is whether it is an original, engaging story for children. Once the team of editors like the story, they review it for age-appropriateness, quality of writing, suitability for translation and relevance. We also evaluate it in the context of our overall content strategy for the year. Themes only come into play when we feel that some gaps exist in our range or the market then we are open to commissioning books on those themes.
Could you please elaborate some more?
We have an overall content map for the year based on our strategy, the manuscripts and also what we hear from children, their parents and other buyers. Our aim is to have a balanced range of books across age groups and genres. For instance, if we find that there is no book based on sports, then we would look for that.
We cater to a wide range of children - both urban and rural and therefore diversity is essential. In this context, it is limiting for us to define a set of themes that define our publishing. We like to expand our boundaries constantly so we are forever thinking up new ideas for our books!
What do you think is the role of nature in the life of a child in India today? In an urban scenario? Rural/semi-rural scenario?
Water:
Fire:
Sister Sister Where Does the Sun Go at Night
Sun in a Fury
Thanks Suzanne, it was a pleasure having you here on Saffron Tree!
I have today the happy opportunity of inviting Ms.Suzanne Singh, the Managing Trustee of Pratham Books, to discuss the impact of nature on children and the related role of books. Suzanne is a management graduate and has spent 13 years in the corporate world before moving on to the social sector in 2003. She has a deep interest in education. She has been on the Board of Trustees of Pratham Books since 2006 and its Managing Trustee since 2010. She also serves on the boards of Akshara Foundation and United Way Bengaluru.
Ladies and gentlemen, presenting to you, Suzanne Singh!
When you decide content for the books you publish, are there any particular themes you focus upon?
Our first premise while selecting any manuscript is whether it is an original, engaging story for children. Once the team of editors like the story, they review it for age-appropriateness, quality of writing, suitability for translation and relevance. We also evaluate it in the context of our overall content strategy for the year. Themes only come into play when we feel that some gaps exist in our range or the market then we are open to commissioning books on those themes.
Could you please elaborate some more?
We have an overall content map for the year based on our strategy, the manuscripts and also what we hear from children, their parents and other buyers. Our aim is to have a balanced range of books across age groups and genres. For instance, if we find that there is no book based on sports, then we would look for that.
We cater to a wide range of children - both urban and rural and therefore diversity is essential. In this context, it is limiting for us to define a set of themes that define our publishing. We like to expand our boundaries constantly so we are forever thinking up new ideas for our books!
What do you think is the role of nature in the life of a child in India today? In an urban scenario? Rural/semi-rural scenario?
Nature is still a theme close to a child's life. Whether in the city or elsewhere, the sky, the sun and stars are still visible and are able to get children dreaming and fantasizing. Trees and plants, birds and insects are all things around which hundreds of stories can be woven. Nature plays the role of provider of food, air, shelter, water and while children in cities may not be able to climb trees, they do go trekking, and enjoy other outdoor activities close to nature. As a not-for-profit publisher that works closely with children in both urban and rural areas, we are extremely particular about the situations and themes that we select for our books. Through our books we hope to sensitize the children to surroundings that maybe unfamiliar to them. For example one of our series 'Out and About with Ajja', has interesting stories about a city boy's little discoveries when he visits his grandfather in their village. Similarly 'City of Stories' gives our rural children a taste of life in the city.
Do you believe things are different from when we were growing up? Do you think there is cause for concern? If yes, how do you think it can addressed?
Times have changed a lot, and we must learn to accept the good with the bad. So while we may be shocked when we hear that an urban child actually thinks that vegetables come from the supermarket, it is our duty as parents and teachers to give the right exposure so that urban children are in as much touch with nature as their rural counterparts. Its also important not to pack their schedule tight with various activities but also leave some time for nature walks and explorations, even if they are limited to their own backyard.
Every generation has its own joys, expectations and sources of concern. Our grandmothers may have enjoyed all night storytelling sessions in her village, our mothers may have read storybooks, we have been able to read and write on the internet and our children can see, write and hear stories on the iPad!
Having said that, one major thing that mainstream publishers and urban India tends to forget is this - there are still millions of children out there for whom simple storybooks are out of reach either because of price or because of access.
So while on one hand we may worry abut an over-dose of information for the urban child, there is a serious dearth of the same on the other side of the spectrum. As a community we must also spend time thinking of ways to bridge the gap between the two.
We hope that irrespective of where the child lives, children can learn about the environment around them through books and become better citizens for tomorrow.
What is the role of books in that process?
Books were, are and will always be sources of enrichment. Books always trigger a child's imagination and encourage children to think creatively. We believe that if we produce more books for more children in their languages, children will have access to books, which is the first step to encouraging reading. And at Pratham Books we hope that we can spread the joy of reading to every child in India.
How do you incorporate the five elements of nature in your books to appeal to a child growing up in a city?
We do have books on environment and seasons, and on wildlife. These have the elements in them in some context. To make it appealing to a child (whether urban or rural), it’s important that they appeal to the child visually as well. Therefore all our books are vividly illustrated. Our recently launched 'A Walk among Trees' is a good example of great visuals supporting an interesting fact based book. As is 'King Cobra', which besides being beautifully illustrated by Maya Ramaswamy has a story written from the point of view of the cobra by famed naturalist Janaki Lenin.
Could you please give our readers a list of books that have been published by Pratham Books which center around nature and the five elements?
Sure, here are some:
Do you believe things are different from when we were growing up? Do you think there is cause for concern? If yes, how do you think it can addressed?
Times have changed a lot, and we must learn to accept the good with the bad. So while we may be shocked when we hear that an urban child actually thinks that vegetables come from the supermarket, it is our duty as parents and teachers to give the right exposure so that urban children are in as much touch with nature as their rural counterparts. Its also important not to pack their schedule tight with various activities but also leave some time for nature walks and explorations, even if they are limited to their own backyard.
Every generation has its own joys, expectations and sources of concern. Our grandmothers may have enjoyed all night storytelling sessions in her village, our mothers may have read storybooks, we have been able to read and write on the internet and our children can see, write and hear stories on the iPad!
Having said that, one major thing that mainstream publishers and urban India tends to forget is this - there are still millions of children out there for whom simple storybooks are out of reach either because of price or because of access.
So while on one hand we may worry abut an over-dose of information for the urban child, there is a serious dearth of the same on the other side of the spectrum. As a community we must also spend time thinking of ways to bridge the gap between the two.
We hope that irrespective of where the child lives, children can learn about the environment around them through books and become better citizens for tomorrow.What is the role of books in that process?
Books were, are and will always be sources of enrichment. Books always trigger a child's imagination and encourage children to think creatively. We believe that if we produce more books for more children in their languages, children will have access to books, which is the first step to encouraging reading. And at Pratham Books we hope that we can spread the joy of reading to every child in India.
How do you incorporate the five elements of nature in your books to appeal to a child growing up in a city?
We do have books on environment and seasons, and on wildlife. These have the elements in them in some context. To make it appealing to a child (whether urban or rural), it’s important that they appeal to the child visually as well. Therefore all our books are vividly illustrated. Our recently launched 'A Walk among Trees' is a good example of great visuals supporting an interesting fact based book. As is 'King Cobra', which besides being beautifully illustrated by Maya Ramaswamy has a story written from the point of view of the cobra by famed naturalist Janaki Lenin.
Could you please give our readers a list of books that have been published by Pratham Books which center around nature and the five elements?
Sure, here are some:
Water:
In Search of the Rain Woman
Sailing Home
Cauvery
Narmada
Ganga
Rainbow Fish
At the Seaside
Boat Ride
Turtle Story
Rain Rain
Freestyle
Ambili
Earth:
The Case of the Healing Herbs
A Walk Among Trees
Danger in the Forest
Jungle Brew
Manu Mixes Clay and Sunshine
Chasing the Plastic Pisach
Nono the Snow Leopard
Grandfather goes on Strike
Sailing Home
Cauvery
Narmada
Ganga
Rainbow Fish
At the Seaside
Boat Ride
Turtle Story
Rain Rain
Freestyle
Ambili
Earth:
The Case of the Healing Herbs
A Walk Among Trees
Danger in the Forest
Jungle Brew
Manu Mixes Clay and Sunshine
Chasing the Plastic Pisach
Nono the Snow Leopard
Grandfather goes on Strike
Rhino Charge
Air / Space:
Wandering Cloud
Sister Sister Why is the Sky So Blue
Vayu the Wind
Wonderful kite
Wandering Cloud
Sister Sister Why is the Sky So Blue
Vayu the Wind
Wonderful kite
Sister Sister Why Don't Things Fall Up?
Sister Sister Where Does Thunder Come From?
Sister Sister Where Does Thunder Come From?
Fire:
Sister Sister Where Does the Sun Go at Night
Sun in a Fury
Thanks Suzanne, it was a pleasure having you here on Saffron Tree!
Five little fiends
This book by illustrator/ author Sarah Dyer has five little fiends as the main characters. They live in a statue and come out each day to marvel at the world outside. Then, one day, they decide to keep their favorite part to themselves.
So each of them lay claim on the sun, the moon, the land, the sea and the sky!
But soon they discover that these elements of nature function only together- alone there is no beauty and all could be lost. Each of the fiends restores his favourite element and the world is complete and joy giving once again.This delightful little "ecological parable", urges us oh- so- subtly, to look at the bigger picture and share, respect and coexist.
The fiends are not scary and make the message more indirect and palatable. There is a predominant use of red, black and white in this large picture book which has also been translated into ten other languages! If that does not reflect the universal appeal of the story what will?
Here is a chat with the very forthcoming Sarah Dyer, a gifted illustrator and the author of this book:
ST: Five Little Fiends works at many levels and can appeal to a lot of ages. How did the concept evolve in your mind?
I wanted to concentrate on telling a good story and not try to hard to get a point across. I hope that is why it works because I haven’t forced an important point about sharing and the environment across. Children are much cleverer than some people give them credit for and I think they understand what the messages in the book. It also allows them to explore other themes surrounding my story.
How did the illustration come about and how did you arrive on Fiends as the main characters? The colours are predominantly red and white. Why so?
Fiends was a project I started in my second year of University so I had plenty of time to develop the characters. I had feedback from the tutors on the course which also helped develop them further. They started off looking a lot scarier at first so it took a while to get looking impish rather than threatening!I wanted to keep the illustrations simple and the message strong – I didn't want to decorate the pages with unnecessary things – I wanted the reader to really concentrate on the narrative and the Fiends as characters.
Tell us a bit more about your illustration style.
My style has developed over the years (Fiends is now 10 years old!) I use coloured pencil, collage paper, and oil pastels – but I’m not tied down to a particular way of working. I like being open to using whatever I feel is best for the illustration.
Who are your favourite kids authors? Can you recco some must read picturebooks?
Books I think are fantastic are: The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew it Was None of His Business by Werner Holzwarth and Wolf Erlbuch , Beegu by AexisDeacon, Banana! By Ed Vere, Whatever by William Bee, The Runaway Dinner byAllan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman, Three Monsters by David McKee and Rosie’sWalk by Pat Hutchins.....I could go on and on! I love children's picture books!
What other books on the Elements/ Nature do you feel children must read?
I think children should take an interest in nature by not only reading children’sbooks but also nature books, going outside and generally exploring whatever fantastic nature is on their doorstep. A book that is great that supports these themes is: Debi Gliori ‘The Trouble with Dragons’.
In today's context multi cultural books are extremely important. Which are your favourites? Why?
I think 'Bugs in a Blanket' by Beatrice Alemagna is a lovely book about inclusion, difference and tolerance. I think the best books dealing with multi culturism are not obvious…again children don’t need to be preached to, they understand a great deal and are very aware of what is going on around them.
What are your upcoming projects?
I've been a bit out of the loop with work for a while as I had my first baby in January. But now he’s 8 months old I've found some time to start a new project. I've recently collaborated with an author (Lucy Coats) for my next book. She has written the text based on an idea I had. I'm very excited to be working withher because it's given me a whole new way of working on the illustrations. It's nice to have someone to bounce ideas off and great for me to fully concentrate on just the images - definitely the bit I prefer. I enjoy coming up with ideas but find actually writing the text extremely difficult. Hopefully this new book with Bloomsbury will be out in 2013.
Any anecdotes you wish to share from your career writing/ illustrating for children?
Attending book festivals and schools let me meet the children that are actually reading my books. It gives me a real insight into who I am writing/illustrating for. I think it's healthy to connect with your audience every now and then – they can be very critical though at such a young age! I learnt very quickly after being heckled at my first festival not to let them totally take over! It always lovely to see their eager faces when I read them my stories and show them original artwork….makes me want to rush home and start new stories!
I wanted to concentrate on telling a good story and not try to hard to get a point across. I hope that is why it works because I haven’t forced an important point about sharing and the environment across. Children are much cleverer than some people give them credit for and I think they understand what the messages in the book. It also allows them to explore other themes surrounding my story.
How did the illustration come about and how did you arrive on Fiends as the main characters? The colours are predominantly red and white. Why so?
Fiends was a project I started in my second year of University so I had plenty of time to develop the characters. I had feedback from the tutors on the course which also helped develop them further. They started off looking a lot scarier at first so it took a while to get looking impish rather than threatening!I wanted to keep the illustrations simple and the message strong – I didn't want to decorate the pages with unnecessary things – I wanted the reader to really concentrate on the narrative and the Fiends as characters.
Tell us a bit more about your illustration style.
My style has developed over the years (Fiends is now 10 years old!) I use coloured pencil, collage paper, and oil pastels – but I’m not tied down to a particular way of working. I like being open to using whatever I feel is best for the illustration.
Who are your favourite kids authors? Can you recco some must read picturebooks?
Books I think are fantastic are: The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew it Was None of His Business by Werner Holzwarth and Wolf Erlbuch , Beegu by AexisDeacon, Banana! By Ed Vere, Whatever by William Bee, The Runaway Dinner byAllan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman, Three Monsters by David McKee and Rosie’sWalk by Pat Hutchins.....I could go on and on! I love children's picture books!
What other books on the Elements/ Nature do you feel children must read?
I think children should take an interest in nature by not only reading children’sbooks but also nature books, going outside and generally exploring whatever fantastic nature is on their doorstep. A book that is great that supports these themes is: Debi Gliori ‘The Trouble with Dragons’.
In today's context multi cultural books are extremely important. Which are your favourites? Why?
I think 'Bugs in a Blanket' by Beatrice Alemagna is a lovely book about inclusion, difference and tolerance. I think the best books dealing with multi culturism are not obvious…again children don’t need to be preached to, they understand a great deal and are very aware of what is going on around them.
What are your upcoming projects?
I've been a bit out of the loop with work for a while as I had my first baby in January. But now he’s 8 months old I've found some time to start a new project. I've recently collaborated with an author (Lucy Coats) for my next book. She has written the text based on an idea I had. I'm very excited to be working withher because it's given me a whole new way of working on the illustrations. It's nice to have someone to bounce ideas off and great for me to fully concentrate on just the images - definitely the bit I prefer. I enjoy coming up with ideas but find actually writing the text extremely difficult. Hopefully this new book with Bloomsbury will be out in 2013.
Any anecdotes you wish to share from your career writing/ illustrating for children?
Attending book festivals and schools let me meet the children that are actually reading my books. It gives me a real insight into who I am writing/illustrating for. I think it's healthy to connect with your audience every now and then – they can be very critical though at such a young age! I learnt very quickly after being heckled at my first festival not to let them totally take over! It always lovely to see their eager faces when I read them my stories and show them original artwork….makes me want to rush home and start new stories!
****************
Sarah graduated from Kingston University in Illustration in 2001. Her first book 'Five Little Fiends' won the Bronze Smarties Prize and the UKRA (United Kingdom Reading Award) award. It has been an international success, translated into eight languages. Since then she has written and illustrated six more books with publishers Bloomsbury and Frances Lincoln. The most recent called 'Batty'. She attends many Festivals, Workshops, and Schools to carry out events and readings. Recent visits include Bath, Cheltenham, Edinburgh and Hay. When she is not writing and illustrating she teaches on the Foundation and Illustration BA Courses part-time at Kingston University. She lives in Hove with her husband and son and her cat, Betty.
And I could not resist this- another book from Sarah that looks and sounds delightful- 
Craft V : Celebrating 'Earth'
I am sure we all have seen, admired and marveled at the various patterns that our eyes have deciphered in the soft cottony clouds - a giant, a tiny baby, a strange animal, a ferocious monster or sometimes a scene of a big party going on in the sky. But are clouds the only ones which tempt us to see patterns in them, I think it is just extending the reigns of beautiful mind's imagination and voila we are called out by amazing ideas and patterns by almost everything surrounding us.
My son(when he was 2 yrs old) started recognizing the models of cars as 'happy faced', 'frowning', 'angry faced' or 'having a moustache' cars. And having the blessing of watching the world through his eyes, I am reminded of this fact every day - how enriching and exuberant this world is. The only gear we need to be equipped with is letting our mind, heart and senses lose on this track and explore as much as possible.
The theme of CROCUS 2011 is the five essential elements of life and we are celebrating it through some wonderful books from around the world as well as some interesting art/craft ideas based on these elements.
Here are some ideas for the craft activities that our little ones can do in their free time. I am sure, the temptation and lure of these wonderful craft ideas is such that even the grown ups will not be able to hold their imagination back for very long.
Part 1
-------
Lets begin the fun filled journey with the element 'Earth', by paying humble tribute to The Plants - our silent companions on this planet.
Here are some ideas:
Try creating different shapes, animals and plants with leaves, flowers and twigs...
Decorate greeting cards and envelopes with pressed leaves and flowers…
More animals with different leaves…
Lend personal touch to your notebooks, journals and diaries with transparent pressed leaves and flowers…
How about a nice pond scene with leafy fish ….
Use the fine veins of leaves to good use too. They can work as your own blocks for block printing. So load them with colours and see the magic…
You can even create an authentic tribal scene with dresses and head gears made of dry leaves and twigs.
What are you waiting for? Go ahead, send us the pictures of your children's adventures in arts/crafts using the five elements we have presented. We will add it to CROCUS gallery. Our email - saffrontree@gmail.com. Thank you!
The Beast with Nine Billion Feet
,The Beast with Nine Billion FeetAuthor: Anil Menon
Publisher: Young Zubaan
'The Beast With Nine Billion Feet' is that rare creature - science fiction based in, and convincingly portraying , India. It also addresses some issues currently at the heart of public debate - farmers' rights to traditional knowledge , threatened by multinational seed companies claiming intellectual property rights over genetically modified seeds.
It is Pune in the year 2040 and thirteen year old Tara battles the usual teen maladies – a losing battle with her weight, a complexion that has earned her the nickname ‘kauva’ (crow) at school, Sanskrit class, chronic friendlessness – and parental abandonment. For Sivan, her charismatic dad, a brilliant genetic scientist turned activist has been in hiding from the law ever since his campaign against the genetically modified seeds he once helped create, has caused him to be labeled a terrorist. Yet she remains positive, finding comfort in books and her own sharp wit, and forging a strong bond with Aunt Sita, her aging guardian and her troubled older sibling. For seventeen year old Adi is chalk to her cheese – a surly and introverted teenager with a gift for genetic design , despite his dyslexia. Adi chooses the solitary joys of parkour over more conventional social contact, and uses a minimum wage job in an entertainment centre as a front to communicate with his virtual ‘posse’ – a team of skilled scientists, of which he is a valuable member, seeking to push back the frontiers of genetic engineering. Adi longs to escape the narrow confines of Pune for the icebound freedom of faraway Nurth, an island near the North Pole where cutting edge genetic engineering is being fostered, and where he could rise to his true potential.
Adi is also in thrall to his shadowy mentor Vispala/ Mandira, an enigmatic older woman and veteran genetic scientist who offers him the promise of a better life if he can only finish high school and stay out of trouble until he turns eighteen. Mandira seeks to transform the world with unrestricted use of genetic engineering but finds herself fettered by Sivan’s Dharma Protocols, a set of laws designed to check misuse of genetic modification, possible contamination of natural stock and abuse of ‘tweaked’ birds and animals. She is, in essence the anti-Sivan, aggressively voicing the interests of multinationals seeking to dominate the Indian market for profit, even as Sivan campaigns for open licensing and farmers’ rights to seed stock and intellectual property.
Things change with the abrupt return of Sivan, restored to his status as folk hero by a turn in the political tide. Tara now finds herself torn between Sivan and Adi, as the father and son fail to bridge the gap in their relationship. When Sivan is instrumental in confiscating a genetically ‘tweaked’ bird that Adi has been caring for, he sets in motion a series of events that will reveal unpleasant facts about her beloved father’s past and force Adi to confront the truth about his own origins, and his resentment for his father. Meanwhile, Mandira and Sivan face off, as much over their opposing ideological views as for control of Adi. It is left to Tara, steadfast in her loyalty and unwavering in her ethical stand, to engineer a rescue.
The book has a great pace, and finely crafted characters – everyone, including the demigod Sivan , is etched in shades of grey. Much like another Mahatma from history, he manages to make a connection with everyone except his own son. Mandira’s stand is as compelling as Sivan’s argument for free life; why, after all, should humanity not tamper with nature if they have the chance to transcend disease, hunger and even death itself, even if this comes at a humongous cost, both monetary and social? Set in Pune, as opposed to a huge metro like Mumbai or Delhi, the book successfully captures everyday details - the noise, the traffic, prominent landmarks, the people.
Menon’s vision of a future India brims with tantalizing visions . Technology dominates every aspect of life - houses talk to their inhabitants; cars fly , sulk and 'munch' on corn derivatives,; reality reinvents the mundane history lesson . Yet some things - and some people, like Aunt Sita, stay stubbornly old school. Salon makeovers can quite literally transform you, while gay marriages are legal. Idlis and Madras coffee – and Sanskrit rap! - will be as popular as ever, as will the ubiquitous auto rickshaw , in a new hi-tech avatar. But the great divide between rich and poor , he suggests, will remain, and religion – and the narrow mindedness that goes with it - be as contentious an issue in politics as ever. In fact, Siva’s return is made possible only because a right wing Hindu party sweeps the Lok Sabha polls and, even as the new powers champion his cause and fight off multinational seed companies, they also begin spreading their brand of hate for minorities, like Tara’s gay teacher.
‘The Beast..’ is a great book for anyone interested in speculative fiction and, if the ending is any indication, an even better sequel just might be waiting in the wings.
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The Magic Gamla Pot
By: Trupti Godbole | Govind Mukundan | Poonam Bir KasturiIllustrated by: Radha Ramachandran
Saving the Earth seems to be the latest mantra in today's world. Everywhere we look there is green consciousness, so much so it's trendy now to "Go Green". But like everything else, going green begins first and foremost at home. And who better to reach out to, than the youngest generation at home. After all, it's them we're saving the Earth for! But recycling and conserving are complicated topics for your average 4 year old. And that is where this book scores.
This first section of this activity based book by Daily Dump is a story of the leftovers from Mummy's cooking, what is referred to as 'kachamucha waste'. ( The very word 'kachamucha' is sure to elicit giggles from the little ones) What happens to these banana peels, fish and egg shells, the where do they all go?.
They all go into a magic pot - Grandma's gamla pot.
Peels and stale food of any type,
Go and dump in the Gamla pipe.
Worms and boochies too small to see
Will eat my kachamucha waste for free!
There's a second section, that has lots of questions, additional information related to living/non living things, fermentation, fun facts about 'boochies', and a detailed look into the biology of composting (definitely for the adult) and ends with a step by step guide to making your own Gamla pot. Parents reading this book beware - now you have a knowledgeable consumer in your hands, who will watch hawk eyed to see if you're throwing away the waste of your house instead of dumping it into the magic Gamla pot!
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Interview with Julia Butterfly Hill
Julia Butterfly Hill was born in the U.S in 1974. She found herself amidst the ancient California redwoods while on a road trip, a self-discovering journey after an almost fatal car accident. The experience turned out to be her calling. In 1997 she volunteered to join a group of people guarding the redwoods from being cleared out by a lumber company. This was the first step towards Julia’s tree-sit that spread great awareness about the redwoods and gained international attention. The tree she lived on was called Luna. Then on, Julia has been traveling, writing and motivating people about caring for the environment.
Julia Butterfly Hill is also the co-founder of the Engage Network and is the inspiration behind What’s Your Tree. She is also the author of the book The Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, a Woman and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods and an environmental Handbook called One Makes the Difference.
Below is an excerpt from Julia’s thought-provoking Letter For Kids. It also gives details about her Luna experience. It’s a privilege to present it here.
Now, scoot up little ones, this is for you!
For 738 days, I lived on a platform made from reused scrap wood that was 6 feet by 8 feet. The roof and walls were made out of tarps. Living in a tree is fun sometimes, but sometimes it is scary and very hard - like in the storms. Also, it was hard to go for two years without being able to walk. I was in Luna from December 10, 1997 to December 18, 1999. I saw all kinds of animals including birds, mice, chipmunks, northern flying squirrels, deer and bears. I was not afraid of falling because I was VERY careful when I climbed around.
These redwood forests are actually part of a rainforest. Did you know that over half of the world's animals live only in the rainforests? Luna is about 200 feet tall and over 1,000 years old! She was named Luna by activists who built the tree fort during the full moon of October, 1997. "Luna" means "the moon" in Spanish. My friends hiked food, mail, and supplies up the mountain to me and packed out waste. I had a bag attached to a rope that I lowered down to the ground, then my friends put the supplies in the bag and I pulled it to the top! I did not have too many visitors because I was so busy! I wrote a lot of letters, and did a lot of interviews. I listened to a radio with a crank that I wound up to power it. I used a phone for interviews. There were solar panels in Luna to power the batteries for my phone.
I came down from Luna in December, 1999 after we made an agreement with the Lumber Company to protect her and 3 acres of trees all around her. After I came down, someone tried to cut Luna down in November, 2000. They cut through almost 2/3 of Luna's trunk, but some really smart scientists, tree experts and lots of loving friends were able to protect her with metal cables and filled her cut with a special clay mixture that a friend of mine recommended to help Luna heal naturally. When I went to visit Luna last year, she was doing great.
Did you know that Redwood trees live in families? They have very shallow roots, but redwood trees are connected to each other through their root system. When you see a group of redwood trees, often they are all part of the same roots, and they feed one another that way. So Luna's family of trees living all around her is now feeding her and helping her to heal.
And now Julia Butterfly Hill talks to our readers - welcome Julia! We are deeply honored to have you on Saffron Tree. Especially during Crocus! Thank you!!!
While you sat there alone and atop the ancient redwood, Luna, for 2 years, you obviously felt connected to Luna – did you have any dialogues with Luna? Did you feel Luna coming alive in some way? Also, I’m sure you missed Luna when you went back home, how did it feel?
I realized while living in Luna, that all of Nature has always been communicating since the beginning, but the problem is, we have forgotten how to listen. I experienced Luna communicating, but I also experienced bears and birds and the forest around me communicating as well. So much of what I learned came through the communication from Luna. (I talk about this in my book, The Legacy of Luna.)
Luna is so much a part of me that I do not miss the tree. I do sometimes however miss that experience of living on and with that magnificent over 1,000 year old tree.
As an adult I can easily get a grasp of the enormity and need for your brave act back in 1997-99. How do you translate the power and purpose of your tree-sit experience to smaller children?
The greatest changes in history (and her-story) have happened when people were willing to put their bodies where their beliefs are. And at the same time, every single choice we make impacts our world. Because no choice happens in a vacuum, it is literally scientifically impossible to make no difference!
Our world depends on us working to respect, preserve, and restore this planet that we share and that gives us life. It takes care of us and all it asks in return is for us to take care of it.
It is quite easy for children to take the natural things around them for granted. Unless there is an obvious and heightened dearth of a certain resource where they live. So, how do we make kids see the preciousness of nature on a daily basis?
It is up to parents and schools to help children see the cause and effect of our choices and the world around us. It is incumbent on parents and teachers to make the link between when you turn on a faucet and water comes out, where does that come from, what does that effect; when you turn on a light switch and the light comes on, where did that energy come from and who and what was impacted by that choice; when you go to get a paper towel, paper bag, plastic bag, plastic to-go-container, to-go-coffee, where does that all come from and who and what and where is impacted on the front end and back end of that choice. You want to impact children? Look at your own life as a parent and educator and look at what kind of behavior you are modeling.
Can you suggest ways in which children can get involved in their own communities to help trees, water, and their immediate environments?
Simplify, simplify, simplify. DON’T buy yet more things that you do not actually need. Look at how much you throw away and realize the very real and huge impact that has on the planet and find ways to reduce your consumption. Look at how much energy and water you use in your home and find ways to reduce that usage. (I have a lot of facts, information, and resources for solutions in every day choices in my book One Makes The Difference.)
All of my books are printed on 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper, processed chlorine free and printed with plant-based inks instead of petroleum based inks.
THANK YOU once again Julia! Good luck with everything you do!
Redwoods by Jason Chin reviewed here by Tharini will be our relevant pick!
The Green Earth
Life on earth as we know it today is quite unimaginable without those luscious green plants all around us - the only living things that take the brilliance of our star, the sun, and convert it to energy and in turn fuel the rest of us who co-habit the earth.
In celebration of these hardy and amazing life form that not only can make their own food, but share it with us, and give off much-needed oxygen for our existence, we enjoyed reading a few books that inspired awe and wonder in us.
Celebritrees : Historic & Famous Trees of the World
by Margi Preus
illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon
Trees are the oldest, biggest, and tallest living organisms on earth, says this book that celebrates trees in a novel way. Fourteen of the most beloved trees that have earned a name for themselves are showcased in this non-fiction volume.
From Methuselah (Bristlecone Pine) in California to The Tule Tree (Montezuma Cypress) in Mexico, to The Bodhi Tree (Ficus religiosa) in Sri Lanka where Buddha is believed to have gained enlightenment to The Chapel Oak (Chene-Chapelle Oak) in France, trees as old as 4800 years to as young as 50 years are presented, one per page.
And to safeguard them, the exact location is not disclosed, and only illustrations of them accompany the book, no photographs. The Tree of One Hundred Horses, a Chestnut in Sicily is considered to be the thickest tree ever known, which has now split into three sections and yet is still alive. And how did it get its fancy name? When the Queen of Aragon went sight-seeing to Mount Etna, a rainstorm made them take shelter; the queen and her one hundered horsemen all found shelter under the wide branches of this benevolent tree.
We read not only that they are tallest or oldest or widest, but that they have a story of their own, things they have seen and done just by being themselves, witnessing history unfolding.
More About The Trees section at the back of the book provides further information about each kind of tree in the book, like the Oak, Cypress, Giant Sequoia and Baobab among others.
What Can We Do To Help Grow Celebritrees section gives some ideas on how we can help trees.
Incidentally, Redwoods by Jason Chin (reviewed here at Saffron Tree) is another interesting book a couple of years ago.
Trout Are Made of Trees
by April Pulley Sayre
illustrated by Kate Endle
April Pulley Sayre's books are a favorite, like Meet the Howlers and Honk, Honk Goose.
In Trouts Are Made of Trees, we learn how we are all part of one whole circle, all thanks to trees.
Trees who let go of their leaves in autumn. Leaves that fall into a nearby stream and settle down to let algae grow on them. Algae that are eaten by the caddisflies, and shrimp, which are in turn eaten by the bigger predators and finally by trout.
Trout are made of trees. So are the bears and the people who catch the trout and eat them.
The Gift of the Tree
by Alvin Tresselt
illustrated by Henri Sorensen
A great oak tree lived in a forest for over a 100 years, providing home, shelter, food and shade.
As the years went by termites and rot set in, making the tree weaker. Winter storms tore off the branches one by one until only the trunk remained. With hurricane and slashing rain, only a stump marked its once proud existence. Even then the tree didn't give up.
Deer mice family, rabbits, dormant grubs and fungus found shelter from the harsh winter, awaiting warmer spring. Woodpecker, chipmunks, raccoons lived with their families in the hollow trunk that had fallen down.
However the tree lived on through the acorns it had dropped years ago which have now taken root even as the great oak tree returns to the earth to rest.
The illustrations are evocative and gorgeous, capturing the vagaries of nature with the bright lush greens of spring and summer to the orange browns of autumn to the cold gray whites of winter. [Browse Inside at HarperCollins.]
[image sources: books.google.com, amazon.com, betterworldbooks.com]
In celebration of these hardy and amazing life form that not only can make their own food, but share it with us, and give off much-needed oxygen for our existence, we enjoyed reading a few books that inspired awe and wonder in us.
by Margi Preus
illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon
Trees are the oldest, biggest, and tallest living organisms on earth, says this book that celebrates trees in a novel way. Fourteen of the most beloved trees that have earned a name for themselves are showcased in this non-fiction volume.
From Methuselah (Bristlecone Pine) in California to The Tule Tree (Montezuma Cypress) in Mexico, to The Bodhi Tree (Ficus religiosa) in Sri Lanka where Buddha is believed to have gained enlightenment to The Chapel Oak (Chene-Chapelle Oak) in France, trees as old as 4800 years to as young as 50 years are presented, one per page.
And to safeguard them, the exact location is not disclosed, and only illustrations of them accompany the book, no photographs. The Tree of One Hundred Horses, a Chestnut in Sicily is considered to be the thickest tree ever known, which has now split into three sections and yet is still alive. And how did it get its fancy name? When the Queen of Aragon went sight-seeing to Mount Etna, a rainstorm made them take shelter; the queen and her one hundered horsemen all found shelter under the wide branches of this benevolent tree.
We read not only that they are tallest or oldest or widest, but that they have a story of their own, things they have seen and done just by being themselves, witnessing history unfolding.
More About The Trees section at the back of the book provides further information about each kind of tree in the book, like the Oak, Cypress, Giant Sequoia and Baobab among others.
What Can We Do To Help Grow Celebritrees section gives some ideas on how we can help trees.
Incidentally, Redwoods by Jason Chin (reviewed here at Saffron Tree) is another interesting book a couple of years ago.
by April Pulley Sayre
illustrated by Kate Endle
April Pulley Sayre's books are a favorite, like Meet the Howlers and Honk, Honk Goose.
In Trouts Are Made of Trees, we learn how we are all part of one whole circle, all thanks to trees.
Trees who let go of their leaves in autumn. Leaves that fall into a nearby stream and settle down to let algae grow on them. Algae that are eaten by the caddisflies, and shrimp, which are in turn eaten by the bigger predators and finally by trout.
Trout are made of trees. So are the bears and the people who catch the trout and eat them.
by Alvin Tresselt
illustrated by Henri Sorensen
A great oak tree lived in a forest for over a 100 years, providing home, shelter, food and shade.
As the years went by termites and rot set in, making the tree weaker. Winter storms tore off the branches one by one until only the trunk remained. With hurricane and slashing rain, only a stump marked its once proud existence. Even then the tree didn't give up.
Deer mice family, rabbits, dormant grubs and fungus found shelter from the harsh winter, awaiting warmer spring. Woodpecker, chipmunks, raccoons lived with their families in the hollow trunk that had fallen down.
However the tree lived on through the acorns it had dropped years ago which have now taken root even as the great oak tree returns to the earth to rest.
The illustrations are evocative and gorgeous, capturing the vagaries of nature with the bright lush greens of spring and summer to the orange browns of autumn to the cold gray whites of winter. [Browse Inside at HarperCollins.]
[image sources: books.google.com, amazon.com, betterworldbooks.com]
Last Child In The Woods
Author: Richard Louv
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Ages: All Ages
Picture courtesy: http://richardlouv.com
The target audience of this book:
Teachers. Parents. Health professionals. Education consultants. Property developers. If you are pondering how much technology is too much technology. Debating if children need unstructured free time or if they thrive in a structured and highly organized environment. If you fit in to any of the above and want facts before you decide either way, then this book is a must read.
This book is an eye opener that will help us rethink how we view our children spend their time.
- "A 2003 survey, published in the journal of Psychiatric Services, found the rate at which American children are prescribed antidepressants almost doubled in five years: the steepest increase - 66 percent was among preschool children."
- "In 2004, data analysis by Medco Health Solutions, the nation’s largest prescription benefit manager, found that between 2000 and 2003 there was a 49% increase in the use of psychotic drugs - antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, and anti depressants. For the first time, spending on such drugs, if medications for attention disorders are included, surpassed spending on antibiotics and asthma medications for children."
Are you sitting up? Are you alert? Did I get your attention? I thought so!
For the most part that is exactly what the book aims to do. To give hard facts and shake us out of the constantly shrinking world we are creating in our heads.
He makes his stand clear within the first ten pages of the book by writing:
“Often I climbed(trees) alone. Sometimes lost in wonderment, I’d go deep into the woods, and imagine myself as Rudrayd Kipling’s Mowgli, the boy raised by the wolves, and strip off most of my clothes for the ascent. If I climbed high enough, the branches thinned to the point where, when the wind came, the world would tip down and up and around and up and to the side and up. It was frightening and wonderful to surrender to the wind’s power. My senses were filled with the sensations of falling, rising, swinging; all around me the leaves snapped like fingers and the wind came in sighs and gruff whispers. The wind carried smells, too, and the tree itself surely released its scents faster in the gusts. Finally there was only the wind that moved through everything.”
As I read this, I imagined myself climbing a tree and I am sure you did too! Now, is there any gadget that would give us this COMPLETE sensory experience?
Also in the section Why the Young (and the Rest of Us) Need Nature, he quotes community college teacher Elaine Brooks, who says that we are genetically same as our tree climbing ancestors, filled with the fight or flee instinct. Both fighting and fleeing pumps us with adrenaline. Our ancestors succumbed to nature as soon as they were out of danger and nature helped them calm down. The author extrapolates based on this interview, “Today, we find ourselves continually on the alert, chased by an unending stampede of two thousand pound automobiles and four thousand pound SUVs. Even inside our homes the assault continues, with unsettling, threatening images charging through the television cable in to our living rooms and bedrooms. At the same time the urban and suburban landscape is rapidly being stripped of its peace-inducing elements.”
Is there any substitute for nature which has the capacity to calm us down with out NUMBING OR OVER STIMULATING OUR SENSES?
Case in point.
But the author does not stop here. He acknowledges that times have changed. He has organized the book in to sections and thoroughly goes over the increasing divide between man and nature, how it affects our children, why do we need nature in a more involved level, the reasons for our reducing experience with nature, how to make the best of what we have instead trying to recreate nostalgia, discussions with students and nature as a spiritual guide. My personal favorite is the section about the importance of nature and unstructured nature play in school curriculum, the positive effects of validating what Howard Gardner calls ‘naturalist intelligence’.
This book is no easy read, not because of its size or language, but because one has to stop every now and then to connect the dots and assimilate the information. But the author does have a sense of humor, which makes you smile as you read.
Richard Louv will be known for many things, but first on that list would be as the person who coined the term ‘NATURE DEFICIT DISORDER’. The Last Child In The Woods has culminated in the NO CHILD LEFT INSIDE movement. He is also the co-founder of Children And Nature Network, an organization dedicated to give children from various communities ample opportunities to interact with nature.
For more resources/ideas/articles check
http://www.childrenandnature.org/
http://richardlouv.com/
http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/240/
Interview with Dr. Shanti Pappu
Shanti Pappu is an archaeologist and founder/director of Sharma Centre of Heritage Education and Sharma Children's Museum, Chennai/Pune. Dr. Pappu has published various research papers. Please read more about Dr. Shanti Pappu over here. She is the author of the book 'The Shining Stones' published by Tulika. The book is reviewed as part of CROCUS 2011 here.
Dr. Pappu, Many thanks for answering our queries.
At the beginning of the book you mentioned that this site (Attirampakkam) was discovered in 1863. Has there been continuous activity at the site from that time? That is really fascinating that archaeologist are still finding tools at the same location. How long will you keep going back to the same location?
The site was sporadically investigated by many scholars after its discovery by R.B.Foote in the 19th century. After my doctorate in this region, we felt that there was potential for excavating the site in the light of new problems in Indian prehistory. We began in 1999 with test pits and have been excavating and conducting other research at this site since then. We have also been studying other prehistoric sites in this region in order to put together a comprehensive picture of these early hunter-gatherers.
The book 'Shining Stones' is an wonderful combination of fact, fiction and story telling along with some wonderful illustrations by Ashok Rajagopalan? What made you think up of this wonderful idea for this book?
I really don't know. I just came to me while I was analysing the stone tools from the site and then it just developed on its own.
It was interesting to learn that you work in tandem with the local villagers while excavating a site. Does it always work out well with the local villagers? And how do you come to know that a particular site could be considered for excavation?
We would not be able to work without the wondeful support and love and affection from the villagers. Before excavating a site we study the landscape carefully-look at the exposed sections along the gully beds cutting through the site, examine previous reports and look at the types of tools eroding out of the sediments. Only then do we decide whether it is worth excavating or not.
Why do archaeologist go only during some seasons for the excavations sites? Why not work on it year long?
Firstly, funding! It is very difficult in India to raise funds for research in prehistory. We just can't afford it. Also, we can't excavate during the monsoons or in the extreme heat of summer. We need time to analyse what we have found and to plan how to go about next. At Attirampakkam we had a short season of around 3-4 months every year. We do work on other aspects of what we have excavated during the rest of the year.
If one of the readers or their kids find an interesting stone, is there some way the kids can find out if it is a fossil or a normal stone or probably a hand axe used by our ancestors? While visiting Sedgewick Museum of Earth Sciences in Cambridge, I had a fascinating experience - A mother and her kid walked in and started talking with a curator and showed him a stone they found near their house. The curator looked at the stone, congratulated the girl and said that it might be a fossil. He went on to tell her how it is easy to dismiss a fossil as a stone. The kid listened with her eyes open with fascination. The kid and mother were very happy and I am sure a small interesting talk like that to the kid would make a great difference in how the kid would approach the subject.
Firstly, they should not pick it up. If you pick up a tool or fossil it gets removed from its original context and its value is completely lost. They should if they can, take a photo and they can send it to experts who can advise them further. We are always happy to advise people on what they have found.
What are the various options for a kid in India, interested in archaeology, to study more about it - that is pursue it for studies and a career?
Well in India, you can only do so at a few universities at the graduate level and at others at the post-graduate level. It is however, a very tough career as there are practically no jobs available and very little funding for independent research.
Can you suggest some other books for kids, similar to Shining Stones, that you think are great books for the kids to understand about archaeology, evolution?
There are lots of books published from abroad. There are also some very nice books by Dr. Upinder Singh for children on archaeology and ancient history, and one on dinosaurs published from Tulika. There's also a lovely book on the Harappans published by Scholastic.
Please let us know more about the Kolam Children's Museum that you have established. Is it open through out the year for people to visit? You mentioned in your earlier email that you are working on your next book. Please tell us about this book.
We started our children's museum (Sharma Children's Museum) in 1999 in a small classroom. Now we are renovating and expanding over a bigger area. We are closed to the public for the next 2 years till this is completed. Our books are on Indian pre and protohistory and follow different styles to bring the past alive.
How did you get interested in archaeology?
My grandfather and aunt were very interested and influenced me a lot.
And finally, what books are you reading right now.
Only books and journals related to world prehistory-as we are writing up a series of excavation volumes on our research. Very boring for kids !
Thank you, Shanti Pappu.
The Shining Stones
Title - The Shining StonesAuthor -Shanti Pappu
Illustrator - Ashok Rajagopalan
Publisher - Tulika Books
Ages - 8+
Dr.Shanti Pappu is a professional archeologist and this book is based on the actual excavations done by her team. The shining stones is a child friendly book on archaeology, which has the right mix of facts and stories, to keep a young reader engaged. The story unfolds in the village of Attirampakkam, which is a Lower and Middle Paleolithic site, located in Tamilnadu. Selvi a young girl in the village, is highly excited about the events that are to take place in the next few days. The archaelogists are back in the village again for that year and the entire village is buzzing with life.
As Shanti explains, the village people are roped in to help in all possible ways, so that the locals can take ownership and pride in the prehistoric sites of their village. As the excavation process starts, men with pickaxes and brushes sit in the trenches clearing the sand, silt, clay from the ancient stone tools. The women use big sieves to sort out the finds and bag them away neatly. The process of excavation is explained lucidly through the main story and a lot of other facts and information are presented in bubbles on the pages, which make for an interesting read.
The shining stones or the "chakka kal" which are discovered in these sites are actually the handaxes of the Homo Erectus, people belonging to a specific period in the prehistoric times. This is a symbol of highly advanced technology for that era. Exciting finds keep surfacing like - the footprints of a baby elephant, a tooth and few handaxes. With these, the author creatively visualises a story set in the pre historic times, the imprints of which are left undisturbed in the earth, only to be found millions of years later ! This story narrated by Selvi's grandfather keeps the village kids spellbound along with the readers.
Towards the end of the book, more information is provided on - the various Lower Paleolithic sites of India, the evolution of man along with the tools used by them and the tools used by an archaelogist for his work. This book has lot of photographs from the actual excavation site and Ashok Rajagopalan has provided a few simple but striking illustrations to supplement the story. The last page with the drawings of the various tools of an archaelogist, is very pleasing to the eye.
This kind of book would be perfect for a child to get interested in archaelogy and feel inspired to know more on the subject. For more information on the author and her organisation - Sharma Centre for Heritage Education, please click here.
And land was born
Title: And Land Was BornAuthor: Sandhya Rao
Illustrator: Uma Krishnaswamy
Publisher: Tulika
Ages:4-8 years
How the land came about is a topic ripe for mythology. A question that every community and civilization has sought to answer in their own way. Like all stories born in the heart, this one was born in Madhya Pradesh, also known as the heart of India. This tale belongs to the Bhilala tribe. Sitting in his village, Jhinjhini, in the Jhabua district, Guna Baba, a wise old tribal tells his tale.
First, there was only water, no land. Humans, birds and animals, all floated, swam and waded around in this water. Frustrated, tired and wet, they appealed to the four Jugni Matas or the mothers of the Universe to help them. The jugni matas got to it immediately, searching high and low for land and coming up with nothing. Finally they decide to ask God. God, in this case is a sleepy, lazy God. He snores through the pleas and finally one of the jugni matas changes herself into a crying baby and lies down next to him, wailing in a bid to wake him up. The sleepy God turns over, plugs his finger in her mouth to pacify her and snores on. Of course, being a God, his finger does more than just pacify her. It begins to release milk, that the jugni mata drinks and drinks and drinks. The baby grew fatter and God grows thinner. Finally he wakes up in a panic and wonders what to do with this baby who won't stop growing or drinking. An astrologer tells him the story behind her and also tells him that finding land is not in his fate.
The story goes on and suffice to say, land is found after much hard work, many years and by somebody who is not God. A rather humourous tale about the impotence of God in this time of need and the contributions of much humbler creatures, it is fast paced and unpredictable. Just when you think you are nearing the end, there is yet another twist in the tale, keeping you quite hooked.
The art work by Uma Krishnaswamy is inspired by paintings she found on the mud walls of the houses of the tribals. Definitely one fun way to answer the question - How was the earth created, Mama?
Friday, October 28, 2011
Interview: Gerry Martin, Naturalist and Conservationist
Today, his is an easily recognisable face. With his vision of catching the next generations early, in an effort to educate them about Nature and the need for conserving it for the future of our planet, he is a wonderful role model.
Meet Gerry Martin, Herpetologist, Naturalist and Conservationist. You can find more details about his work at his official website with more updates at the project blog.
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Why did you become a naturalist? For how long have you been doing this work?
I've been completely enamoured by Nature for as long as I can remember. I've always been surrounded by animals and had pets. Growing up on the farm made it easier to connect with and relate to the natural world. Becoming a naturalist was just a logical progression. I started my professional life when I was 19 years old in 1995 by joining Rom Whitaker at the Madras Crocodile Bank.
I wasn't very good at school and all I wanted to do was to work with reptiles and Rom Whitaker. So, I went over to the Madras Crocodile Bank and asked Rom if I could work there. I started at the bottom and Rom gave me all the breaks that allowed me to progress.
Tell us about your work, Gerry.
My work involves creating conservation solutions and involving the general public in it. We are in the process of tackling the problem of snakebite in the country now. Almost fifty thousand people die each year in India from snakebite. We are researching the various species and venoms causing the damage and also working with scientists to figure out how we can deal with this clinically.
The other part to this work is a concerted education campaign about snakes, snakebite and first aid.
We also enable research and conservation projects around India.
I'm a herpetologist. This means I work with reptiles and amphibians. I work with snakes, crocodiles, lizards, turtles, frogs, etc.
We have seen you handling a spectacled cobra and a scorpion. It was amazing. Did you need to do any specific course or something to learn how to handle these dangerous animals before you actually started working with them?
Nope! There's no such course. I started handling snakes when I was a child and just like any other kid who starts something early, I got quite used to it. It's just like learning to ride a bike!
I strongly believe that children connect very well with nature and that they don't have much opportunity to do so in today's scenarios. What we do with them is give them substantial experiences with Nature and wildlife while helping them build the skills that they need while exploring the outdoors and Nature. The workshops that we conduct are designed to help children comprehensively experience different aspects of wilderness and wildlife.
Tell us about these workshops.
Our workshops focus on various aspects of Nature and wildlife from herpetology and rainforest ecology to Nature photography and large game ecology. They are all hands-on and use real experience to help participants build not only skills in the domain but also in their own context. Participants get to be involved in real work and exploration rather than learning things through presentations and in classrooms.
What is usually the response from children at your workshops?
Children generally leave the workshops very satisfied, as the experiences they have are new and unique. Also, they are constantly learning through the workshop and this keeps them engaged and interested.
Having said that, there are some children who have been 'sent' on the workshops against their will and they obviously have a bad time. It is really important that the choice to come along on the workshop has to be the child's.
You work a lot with Romulus Whitaker. Could you tell us about this work?
Rom and I work together on a few things every now and then. I have been working with him since the beginning of my career. Right now we are focusing on the snakebite issue. We've been running expeditions together and also steering a lot of this work as well.
Yes! Most of the fearfulness comes from ignorance. Once there is some real context and a guided experience, children learn that these animals are not out to get us and there is quite a charismatic enigma to them.
Do you do anything similar for adults?
Yes, we do! There are a lot of similar opportunities for adults as well. Many of our workshops are targeted at adults.
There are many myths surrounding snakes and their behaviour. Have you encountered much of this in your work? How do you deal with it?
These myths have come to be over hundreds of years. It is very difficult to break them. However, with repeated interventions and showcasing of examples that prove the myths wrong, people sometimes rethink their stance.
Do you regularly get calls in the capacity of your reputation as the 'snake man'?
Yes I do. I try to simply convince people that snakes (especially non-venomous ones) are OK to have around.
How does one make out if the snake lurking in your garden/ car-park is a venomous one?
You need to know what species it is. There are no rules that you can follow, unfortunately.
There have been a lot of species.
Have you ever been bitten by a snake?
I've been bitten twice. Once by a spectacled cobra and recently by a medo pit viper in Arunachal Pradesh while trying to capture it for our snake-bite study. Both times were because I made a mistake.
Tell us about what can be done in case of a snake-bite before the person can be taken to a hospital.
The most important thing is to keep the patient as still and rested as possible. Also take out anything that might become constrictive like bangles, rings, watches, etc. Then the most important thing is to get the patient to the hospital as soon as is safely possible. It is also very important to make note of any symptoms along the way.
Tell us about how snake venom can be safely collected, and its uses.
The process of extracting snake venom is dangerous. Venom is used in the production of anti-venom and other medicinal drugs. There is also a fair amount of research done on various venoms, looking at what the numerous components can achieve and how they can be helpful medically.
A word about snake charmers?
I think all that needs to be known is that they defang snakes and end up killing them within a matter of weeks. They also prey on people's fears rather than rely on the truth about these spectacular animals.
Your farm, Martin Farm, has become a 'must visit' destination for many Bangaloreans. Please tell us about it.
The farm belongs to my parents. It is a place where children get to connect with animals. Most children today have no such opportunities and they completely revel in the time they have with the various animals there.
Images courtesy Gerry Martin, the Alternative, the Guardian.
The Little Prince
The Little Prince
Author and illustrator: Antoine De Saint-Exupery
Gallimard
First published in 1943, ‘The Little Prince’ has enchanted millions of readers around the world with its strange tale of a mysterious boy and his adventures. I first encountered the book as a ten year old, and my memories of it were of a charming and funny story about a boy and his fantastic interplanetary travels. It was also the first book I ever read (I hadn’t discovered Roald Dahl yet) that suggested grown ups weren’t powerful all knowing gods, that they often missed the woods for the trees and obsessed over trivial things like appearance and rules and the monetary value of things.
Revisiting ‘The Little Prince’ now for the purpose of this review, I seem to prove the author’s point, as I find myself engaging in the all too adult exercise of classifying it. Is it science fiction, with its tale of strange worlds and their stranger denizens? An ode to innocence and the infinite possibility of childhood? A parable about love , the power it possesses to change a life and give it purpose? An allegory about the power of hope and belief? A philosophical – and pro suicide- fable about spiritual freedom? Or a tragedy about the sacrifices one must make for the sake of that which we are responsible for? Interestingly, my eight year old shares none of my curiosity – the book is, to her, a funny story about silly grownups , bizarre worlds and the importance of loyalty to a friend.
“Grown ups never understand anything by themselves and it is rather tedious for children to explain things to them again and again.” Thus begins Saint-Exupery’s story of his meeting with the Little Prince, and the lessons he learns from his diminutive friend. Stranded in the middle of the Sahara desert after the airplane he is flying breaks down, our adult narrator is approached by the little boy who claims to be from a different planet, an asteroid called B612 that he shares with a single rose and three volcanoes, and on which he enjoys forty four sunsets a day. The prince loves the rose and tends to her with care, but it is her fickle nature that drives him away, as he begins his journeys to other stars. He meets a motley crew of eccentric people – all grown ups, of course – each with his individual take on life and its meaning. But it takes a little fox to explain the purpose of his life and his responsibility to the things he loves that finally sets the Little Prince free and eager to return home to the things he has left behind.
It is only with one’s heart, says the wise fox, that one can see clearly. What is essential is invisible to the eye. Powerful words these, and sure to resonate with readers of all ages. And though the Prince finally chooses a corporeal death as a solution to his quandaries, the book’s ambiguous ending manages to offer us both hope and a lesson in the healing powers of selfless love.
Image
Revisiting ‘The Little Prince’ now for the purpose of this review, I seem to prove the author’s point, as I find myself engaging in the all too adult exercise of classifying it. Is it science fiction, with its tale of strange worlds and their stranger denizens? An ode to innocence and the infinite possibility of childhood? A parable about love , the power it possesses to change a life and give it purpose? An allegory about the power of hope and belief? A philosophical – and pro suicide- fable about spiritual freedom? Or a tragedy about the sacrifices one must make for the sake of that which we are responsible for? Interestingly, my eight year old shares none of my curiosity – the book is, to her, a funny story about silly grownups , bizarre worlds and the importance of loyalty to a friend.
“Grown ups never understand anything by themselves and it is rather tedious for children to explain things to them again and again.” Thus begins Saint-Exupery’s story of his meeting with the Little Prince, and the lessons he learns from his diminutive friend. Stranded in the middle of the Sahara desert after the airplane he is flying breaks down, our adult narrator is approached by the little boy who claims to be from a different planet, an asteroid called B612 that he shares with a single rose and three volcanoes, and on which he enjoys forty four sunsets a day. The prince loves the rose and tends to her with care, but it is her fickle nature that drives him away, as he begins his journeys to other stars. He meets a motley crew of eccentric people – all grown ups, of course – each with his individual take on life and its meaning. But it takes a little fox to explain the purpose of his life and his responsibility to the things he loves that finally sets the Little Prince free and eager to return home to the things he has left behind.
It is only with one’s heart, says the wise fox, that one can see clearly. What is essential is invisible to the eye. Powerful words these, and sure to resonate with readers of all ages. And though the Prince finally chooses a corporeal death as a solution to his quandaries, the book’s ambiguous ending manages to offer us both hope and a lesson in the healing powers of selfless love.
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George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt and George and the Big Bang
When I first spotted George's Secret Key to the Universe, I could not believe my eyes. Stephen Hawking for kids? Wow!
Needless to say I picked a copy and my (then) 7-year old loved it. She would read it over and over and it triggered many discussions about space, universe and the very nature of our lives - does our comfort matter more than the impact it has in the universe? Is our selfishness greater than our consideration for the planet? Is the fact that humans are so intelligent creating problems? Questions that I never thought I'd be discussing so early on in my parenting career!
Sathish has already taken you through that book earlier in the week.
I am going to tell you about the second and the third of this trilogy produced by the father-daughter duo of the great scientist and Lucy Hawking. I will make a confession before I start off. My daughter had to do a book review for her Physics homework - and these three are what she chose. I have shamelessly, with her permission, copied off from her work. Hey, come on, it's payback time! In exchange for all those years of reading the same books a zillion times, this is the least she can do!
Right at the beginning of the second book George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt, we get headlong into action. George learns that his friend Annie and her dad Eric will move away to America as Eric has got a new job with the Global Space Agency there, to search for signs of life outside Earth. George is heart-broken. As a parting gift Eric gives him a book called The User's Guide to the Universe, saying that it contains all the information he might need if he were to ever go on a cosmic voyage. George dips into the book as we march on into the book, and this is how the authors have cleverly interspersed the story with two-page spreads with space facts. We learn about the way light travels, robotic space travel, binary code, aliens, how sound travels through space and about Titan the largest of Saturn's moons. There are discussions on why humans want to go to space, what exactly a voyage into space means and much more. All of these essays have been written in simple language by eminent cosmologists.
What about George's story you ask? Well, to cut a long one short, Annie summons George to the US soon after she reaches there as she believes she has got a message from aliens which says that unless they took action Earth would blow up. The two of them enlist the help of her genius cousin Emmet to open a 'portal' using the computer Cosmos, and they all go on a voyage following clues like in a treasure hunt and finally land at the very edge of the known universe. Here, waiting on an exoplanet, is the evil Dr.Reeper, a disgruntled former colleague of Eric.
How does it all end? Well read the book to find out. I promise you you won't be disappointed! It is every bit as exciting as a thriller and yet manages to refresh all the physics you may (or may not) have learnt!
Book 3 is called George and the Big Bang and it takes us to CERN in Europe where the biggest science experiments of all times is on. In a nutshell, the experiment seeks to find out more about the fundamental particles of the Universe. When we lived in the UK, one time we went to the Science Festival in Cambridge. There we were introduced to the Large Hadron Collider in a very child-friendly manner and it fascinated the (then) 8-year olds with us - my older child and her friend. We also had two friends in London who had previously worked at CERN, and they would tell us many interesting things about the LHC. We were therefore thrilled when we spotted this book online and could not wait for the wonderful Flipkart folks to deliver it to us. By the way it was a CERN scientist who invented the World Wide Web in the 90's to facilitate quick exchanges of thoughts between the community of scientists, and it is that www that you are reading this on at this very minute!
Back to our story then - Annie and her family have returned to England and her father Eric now leads the LHC experiment (this guy seems to get all the funnest jobs!). An organisation called TOERAG does not want the experiment to succeed and are spreading rumours about how 'a bubble of destruction would leak from the LHC and ruin the Universe'. Then suddenly Eric is in danger. George joins forces with the foe-turned-friend Dr.Reeper and figures out that the actual reason is that the TOERAG is made up of powerful people who do not want scientists to succeed for their own selfish reasons. How George and Annie manage to crack this one to rescue both Eric and the entire experiment from blowing up is what forms the rest of the story. In the process we learn more about the LHC and the quantum world than a pile of books on the subject could have ever taught us. There is even a cat called Schroedy in it. Clearly this is a book with a sense of humour!
The entire series has awesome illustrations by Garry Parsons and is full of actual photographs with explanations.
And with this I (okay, we - also a parent-daughter duo) conclude this long telling of an absolutely gripping set of stories. It is all rocket science, and it did take a rocket scientist (and his daughter) to tell us all about it in a way that it makes it seem like a child's play!
Image Courtesy 1, 2
Needless to say I picked a copy and my (then) 7-year old loved it. She would read it over and over and it triggered many discussions about space, universe and the very nature of our lives - does our comfort matter more than the impact it has in the universe? Is our selfishness greater than our consideration for the planet? Is the fact that humans are so intelligent creating problems? Questions that I never thought I'd be discussing so early on in my parenting career!
Sathish has already taken you through that book earlier in the week.
I am going to tell you about the second and the third of this trilogy produced by the father-daughter duo of the great scientist and Lucy Hawking. I will make a confession before I start off. My daughter had to do a book review for her Physics homework - and these three are what she chose. I have shamelessly, with her permission, copied off from her work. Hey, come on, it's payback time! In exchange for all those years of reading the same books a zillion times, this is the least she can do!
What about George's story you ask? Well, to cut a long one short, Annie summons George to the US soon after she reaches there as she believes she has got a message from aliens which says that unless they took action Earth would blow up. The two of them enlist the help of her genius cousin Emmet to open a 'portal' using the computer Cosmos, and they all go on a voyage following clues like in a treasure hunt and finally land at the very edge of the known universe. Here, waiting on an exoplanet, is the evil Dr.Reeper, a disgruntled former colleague of Eric.
How does it all end? Well read the book to find out. I promise you you won't be disappointed! It is every bit as exciting as a thriller and yet manages to refresh all the physics you may (or may not) have learnt!
Back to our story then - Annie and her family have returned to England and her father Eric now leads the LHC experiment (this guy seems to get all the funnest jobs!). An organisation called TOERAG does not want the experiment to succeed and are spreading rumours about how 'a bubble of destruction would leak from the LHC and ruin the Universe'. Then suddenly Eric is in danger. George joins forces with the foe-turned-friend Dr.Reeper and figures out that the actual reason is that the TOERAG is made up of powerful people who do not want scientists to succeed for their own selfish reasons. How George and Annie manage to crack this one to rescue both Eric and the entire experiment from blowing up is what forms the rest of the story. In the process we learn more about the LHC and the quantum world than a pile of books on the subject could have ever taught us. There is even a cat called Schroedy in it. Clearly this is a book with a sense of humour!
The entire series has awesome illustrations by Garry Parsons and is full of actual photographs with explanations.
And with this I (okay, we - also a parent-daughter duo) conclude this long telling of an absolutely gripping set of stories. It is all rocket science, and it did take a rocket scientist (and his daughter) to tell us all about it in a way that it makes it seem like a child's play!
Image Courtesy 1, 2
