Icky, Yucky, Mucky

Icky, Yucky, Mucky

Author: Natasha Sharma

Illustrations: Anitha Balachandran

Icky, Yucky, Mucky, as the name suggests, is truly one of the most disgusting books I've ever had the privilege of reading to my children. Goo, poo, snot and projectile rosogullas are just the tip of the iceberg. The book certainly does not let the title down.

The Maharaja of Ickhtarpur aka Maharaja Icky has the foulest table manners ever seen. From glugging down soup and letting it trickle down his chin to snorting through sherbet and squishing fistfuls of food, his ill-mannered ways know no bounds. Even the mirrors of the durbar have cracked in disgust.

Now King Icky has been on the lookout for a suitable bride but his manners (or the lack thereof) have led to many a princess fainting on sight, which obviously doesn't portend well for the future of any marriage. And then fate introduces him to King Dukhiman's daughter Princess Yucky, artlessly hidden by a pile of her own bitten nails. It is love at first sight followed by holy matrimony. What happens next is for you kind reader to find out for yourself. Suffice to say, the Kingdom of Ickhtarpur gives up all hope of ever being clean.

Author Natasha Sharma has her finger on the pulse of young readers and it is roll on the floor-and-laugh-out-loud and cringe-dramatically-at-each-page fun. In a world full of social messages and sermons, this is one for the kids' side. It's almost *gulp* anti-establishment. Yes, it is nice to find books that help you deal with bullies or the death of a pet but every once in a while they should be given a break in favour of out and out icky-ness.

Anitha Balachandran needs no introduction and outdoes herself in this one as she did in Mister Jeejeebhoy. Fine details, doe-eyed princesses, mustachioed maharajas, snarky little captions peeking out of places and splotches all over. Simply fantastic.

Although Zubaan is usually rather reticent about talking about their books, Sharma has been promoting the book heavily including a storytelling session in full Maharaja costume. You can check out Icky recipes and Yucky art and Mucky moments on the official website for the book at ickyyuckymucky.wordpress.com and even check out a trailer here. Delhi readers can click back to my blog for a list of upcoming events related to the book.

Fastidious parents might shudder at it, but this one has the kids' vote.

The View From Saturday By E.L.Konigsburg

Title: The View From Saturday
Author: E.L.Konigsburg
Publisher:Aladdin Paperbacks
Honors: Newbery Medal 1997
Age: 12+

There are books that are written to be read. There are books that you read and want to write about them.

Immediately.

Not because you would forget the book, the details and the characters. But because you want to savor the book for a little longer.

The View From Saturday clearly belongs to the second category.

The story line loosely follows Slum Dog Millionaire. Narrated by four sixth grade children are participating in the state level championship for the Academic Bowls and Mrs.Oliski, their teacher and coach. Every time there is a question, there is a flashback associated with the question, a slice of his/her life neatly laid out either by a child or Mrs.Olinsky. As you read the drama unfold, you get drawn in to the story.

Though the focal point of the story is the Academic Bowl finals, the story is much beyond the competition itself. The children are endearing, wise beyond their age without being precocious. As you read the book, you feel a certain something that you cannot name lift off from your shoulders. (That is Konigsburg talk for you and you would understand it when you read the book!)

At 160 pages, mellow language and appropriate content, the book is suitable for a 8 year old avid reader. But I would recommend it a good fit for a 12+ year old because the content and message is pithy. Like one of the characters in the book, Bella the calligraphy artist says, Konigsburg’s motto seems to be ‘LESS IS MORE’. So a 12+ year old will have the experience to appreciate the book better than a 8 year old and mind you this is a book that demands to be appreciated!

Happy reading peeps.

Vincent van Gogh

Over the years I have collected quite a pile of books about Vincent van Gogh for my kids. This artist holds particular appeal for children I suppose because of the vibrant colours he used and also because of the simplicity of what he captured on canvas. If you ever happen to be in Amsterdam, do check out the Van Gogh museum that houses the largest collection of the artist's works in the world. But if you are in London, you will get to see the creation most associated with him - the awesome sunflowers!

Here are what I think are the best three from the ones we have, each is awesome in its own way. They are all available on flipkart by the way. 

This post was triggered by a book I chanced upon in the amazing Blossom on Church Street. This place is a veritable paradise if you are hunting for bargain deals. You do have to dig in a bit and hunt, but that is part of the fun!

So the book in question is called Van Gogh by Jean-Phillipe Chabot and is part of First Discovery/Art series. I love this series mainly because it has these awesome see-through pages that make it all very interesting. This book takes the reader through Van Gogh's life in simple sentences and serves as a good way to familiarise young children with the artist's unique style as well as his most famous works.

Camille and the Sunflowers by Laurence Anholt, part of a set about famous artists and reviewed by Sheela earlier on SaffronTree. It is one of the best introductions to the artist I think because it is through the eyes of a young boy called Camille who was befriended by Van Gogh. This is a true tale by the way.

My Sticker Art Gallery: Van Gogh by Carole Armstrong, this one is bound to be a top hit with any child. Reason: it is full of miniature sticker reproductions of Van Gogh's works that you have to peel out and assemble in the right spot, following the clues given. Which child can resist that?!

S is for Shamrock

S is for Shamrock : an Ireland Alphabet (Discover the World)
written by Eve Bunting
illustrated by Matt Faulkner

Discover the World series of books present some interesting notes about each country working through the letters of the alphabet from A to Z.

We've read a few in the series. Some were more appealing than others to the six year old, and some were, to be honest, rather tiresome and contrived, possibly because it is not easy to find things that neatly present the letters of the alphabet.

B is for Bagpipes (Scotland), C is for Ciao (Italy), D is for Dancing Dragon (China), T is for Taj Mahal (India), and P is for Piñata (Mexico) are a few we've read so far.

However, S is for Shamrock readily appealed to the resident 6 yo. Possibly because she loves Ireland and Wales for some reason.

Although the book did not garner repeat reads, it had some things that fascinated her, like: B is for Blarney Stone, F is for Fairy Rings, I is for Irish Wolfhound, L is for Leprechauns, O is for O' (O'Brien, O'Neill, O'Dea), R is for Riverdance and of course, S is for Shamrock.

I liked it right away possibly because the author - Eve Bunting - is one of my favorites. I have tremendous respect for her. As the notes at the back mentions, Ms. Bunting has published more than 250 books, many of which have won awards, voted by children. Honored with Pen International Special Achievement award for her contribution to Children's Literature, she was also named the Irish American Woman of the Year in 2002 by the Irish American Heritage Committee of New York.

Each double page spread is dedicated to a letter of the alphabet. One side has a verse about the featured item as above, while the other side of the page has a few paragraphs of descriptive text about that item. Reading this description helps understand the verse better, but can be omitted for younger audience.


For example:

I is for Irish wolfhound
The wolfhound is a noble dog.
He'll seldom gallop, prance, or jog,
but strides along with stately grace
befitting his exalted place!


And on this page we also read that:
The Irish wolfhound is the tallest of all dogs....
Bred in Ireland to hunt wolves and giant elk, it could be owned only by kings and noblemen...
Strong and courageous, the hounds rode with their kings into battle...

and some more interesting facts which might not impress a very young reader but was quite interesting for me.

[image source: amazon.com]

Lenny and Tweek, Wanted: A Friend

Lenny and Tweek, Wanted: A Friend
Author and Illustrator: Klaus Baumgart
English Translation by Baumhaus Verlag
Ages 4-8

This sweet tale of friendship opens with lonely Lenny looking for a friend- a person who he will never get bored with. Tweek is his unlikely helper in this quest.

Together, they play- take an aeroplane ride ( refer the book cover), hunt for treasure, swim, cook and just talk, as they wait and look for the elusive friend.

And does Lenny find a friend in the end? What do you think?

There are some priceless observations, the kind you hear kids make: "Chocolate pudding is good for you if you put plenty of carrots in it..."

The illustrations are appealing and filled with interesting twists. For instance, the one where Lenny watches a real sunrise through a hollow television set is endearingly whimsical.

The author is also known for his series -Laura's Star. He was the first German to be shortlisted for the Children's Book Award in 1999. Here is a link to an interview with him.

A Story A Story

A Story, A Story
retold and illustrated by Gail E. Haley


Ever wonder where the stories came from - any story, all stories? And why Ananse, the spider man, seems to be tightly intertwined with all the stories we know today?

Many African stories, whether or not they are about Kwaku Ananse the "spider man", are called "Spider Stories". This book is about how that came to be.

Once, long long ago, all the stories belonged to Nyame, the Sky God, who kept them locked in his golden chest. Ananse wanted the stories. He spun a web up to the skies and bowed before the Sky God and requested for his stories. Amused by this brazen display, the Sky God stipulates a seemingly impossible set of tasks, at the fulfillment of which the stories will be released to Ananse.

Anase, being a clever trickster, manages to accomplish the 3 tasks set by Nyame, the Sky God. And true to his word, the Sky God hands over the golden chest of stories to Ananse.

And as Ananse brought it back down to earth, some stories spilled and scattered, including the one you are now reading.

Having read quite a few Ananse stories, this was an interesting beginning/back-story for the 6 yo; she does have a bit of a dilemma with trickster's tales - how does a small and defenseless creature outwit a powerful adversary against all odds? is that the right thing to do?

However, the 3 yo has no such qualms and requested it for bedtime read several nights in a row, with his own commentary on some of the events.

The woodcut  illustrations are unique, bright, and beautiful, with a distinctly African feel to them, and were cut and printed by Miss Haley, who researched African folklore for writing this book.

There are many African words in this story, and sometimes the phrases/words are repeated to show emphasis - for instance to say something is very very teeny tiny, they say "so small, so small, so small"... which resonated with me as this particular language aspect is present in my mother tongue,Tamil, as well, along with liberal use of onomatopoeic words in the vernacular.

Ananse ran along the jungle path - yiridi, yiridi, yiridi - till he came to Osebo the leopard-of-the-terrible-teeth.

It is raining, raining, raining. Should you not fly into my calabash...


The book reminded me of another favorite Why the Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears (Verna Aardema/The Dillons) published much later than A Story A Story, which retells another interesting West African tale.

[watch youtube video about this book]

[image source: gailehaley.com]

The Agenda of the Apprentice Scientist

Today is World Math Day and World Read-Aloud Day. Tomorrow is World Science Day. 2012 has been declared the National Mathematics Year in honour of the 125th anniversary of Ramanujan's birth. Tomorrow is also International Women's Day.

What better than to celebrate it with a book originally written by a woman physicist of some note, translated from the French into English by another woman? A book that encompasses all branches of science, as well as math.

Being in a montessori environment at school upto grade 3 meant that hands-on experience played a major part in my daughter's learning at school. Even now, in middle school, she prefers to be explained things through experiment. Quite often, when she is not quite convinced about a concept taught in the more by-rote manner, I found that it helps to get down to the hands-on method. So when I found this book, I knew it was just the right one for her.

The Agenda of the Apprentice Scientist
Written by Nicole Ostrowsky
Illustrated by Theresa Bronn
Translated from French by Radhika Viswanathan with Gillian Rosner
Published by Universities Press
Ages 7-70 (as it says in a foreword by none other than CNR Rao.)

As parents, we come across this experience almost daily- whether in the sphere of academics or otherwise- our children ask us something, and sometimes (OK, a lot of times) it is something that we may not be very sure of ourselves. When I am faced with such a situation, I often try to explain it to her, regardless, but smart cookie that she is, she sees through the attempt. Then I have to admit I need to learn more about / think through about the topic at hand, before I can explain it to her to her satisfaction.

Dr Nicole Ostrowsky, former head of
Laboratory of Physics and Condensed
Matter, University of Nice,
Current Professor Emeritus

So the acid test of whether one has understood something or not is if one can explain something to a child in clear, simple terms. That is just what this book, written by French physicist Dr Nicole Ostrowsky, who believes in a hands-on approach to education, is about.

There is one new idea / question / problem to ponder on for each day of the year, so we are introduced to 365 concepts, some known, some unknown. All fun to work on. The experiments involve easy-to-obtain-at-home articles, and some days it is just an observation that needs pondering on.

Of course, true to her interest in the field, Dr Ostrowsky deals more with physics here, with quite a bit of spillover into mathematics and the other basic sciences. Each day's topic eases into the next days at many places, with a whole spectrum of ideas discussed over many days.

An example - the topic of temperature and thermodynamics with these headings:
Aug 18: Are you a good thermometer?
Aug 19: Let's start again!
Aug 20: Step outside your house at night.
Aug 21: Does a dog need a coat?
Aug 22: Fast freeze and slow freeze.
Aug 23: Freeze- the old  fashioned way.
Aug 24: Gabriel (Fahrenheit) made some funny choices.
Aug 25: Let's simplify.
Aug 26: Blow hot and cold.
Aug 27: Why do we blow on our soup to cool it down?
Aug 28: How do you dry your hair?
Aug 29: Look at the mirror in your bathroom after a hot shower.
Aug 30: Where does rain come from?
Aug 31: Evaporation+condensation=distillation.

All this with many more questions, and very clear explanations as footnotes.

My favourite features, the quirky illustrations and the relevant quotes on each page! On the Aug 24 page-look above- there is a quote by Jean Loup Chiflet-"It was so hot that the thermometer read: see the next column!"

Book cover image courtesy flipkart, Dr Nicole Ostrowsky's photograph courtesy blog.hippocampus.in.
    

Jamie and Angus

I spotted The Jamie and Angus Stories in the library one day and was surprised to see a book for little ones by Anne Fine. Coincidentally just the day before I had spied her Flour Babies in the older child's library bag, she'd borrowed it from school and had quite liked it. I flipped through the Jamie and Angus book and it did seem like the 6-year old would like it. Sandhya the Walking-Talking Library was with me and endorsed it heartily so there of no question of not picking it up.

And turned out I was right. These gentle stories of a little boy called Jamie and his stuffed toy bull christened Angus are totally a hit. Which child, after all, can not relate to spotting that perfect toy in the store and begging to be given it for his/her birthday? She read it and declared that although they were a 'bit baby-ish' (yes we are all grown-up now) she quite liked them. She also thought her 4-year old cousin would love them.

The six stories are glimpses into the life of the boy and the toy - simple yet heart-warming. For example, the one about how Angus got chucked into the washing machine by accident while actually it was meant only to be dry-cleaned and yet how Jamie chose to keep the bed-raggled straggly toy even when his grandmother offered to get him a new one because, well, now Angus was his friend.

I found the two sequels - Jamie and Angus Together and Jamie and Angus Forever on flipkart and ordered them. Both have six stories each, just like the first book. Each story can be read on its own, just right to be read aloud one at a time or even for early readers. They arrived last evening and had both been read up by bedtime - they produced many smiles too.
Now off I go to check them out myself.

Happy 108th, Theodor Geisel!

You've inspired, educated and entertained millions around the world. Whether it is the numerous ridiculous rhymes or wacky words, or the aboundingly attractive alliterations, or fantabulous fantasy frameworks, for decades, your books have charmed their way into the hearts of children and grown-ups alike!

We at Saffron Tree thought what better way to celebrate but to revisit some Seussical gems that we have enjoyed sharing in the past!

1) Nonsensical sense - From 2011, here's all the wonderful books our contributors put together.

2) Delightfully delicious ones in inimitable Seussirific style here, celebrating the day in 2010!

Sure, you gave us the Cat in the Hat, the master balance-r of things! But, what I love most about your books is the manner in which you, much like the cat in your stories, so effortlessly balance countless fun words and quirky lines, page after page, giving grown-ups and children all over the world, some very clever content and peppy rhymes! You are a real master, Mr.Creator of Cat in the hat!

We love you, Ted! And a very happy birthday to you!:)

Image Source: www.seussville.com