Star Seeker: A Journey to Outer Space

Star Seeker
A Journey to Outer Space
by Theresa Heine
illustrated by Victor Tavares

Universe, as much (or as little) as we know about it, is absolutely mind-blowing. No doubt about it.

And, here is a book that blends fantasy, adventure, mythology, facts and poetry as a girl and a boy explore our magical reality.

Venturing farther from our own planet, into our solar system, out to our galaxy, past our neighboring nebulae and bright constellations, the book blends poetic whimsy and visual fancy as we take a far-fetched tour of our universe.

I'll spin like a pinwheel
Through the Milky Way's froth,
Take a ride on the Great Bear
And never fall off.

While not the book to learn scientific facts from, a prior knowledge of facts makes the reading experience rich and rewarding. Knowing about Neptune's Great Dark Spot (storm) much like Jupiter's Great Red Spot, Venus's volcanoes and hot climate, the many moons of Jupiter, the mythological stories of the constellations like Orion and Pegasus, all help us enjoy the text with jaw-dropping wonder as we take this imaginary trip around the universe.

The illustrations are stunning! Absolutely inspiring. Rich colors and enchanting images with swirls and action depict movement and adventure in this journey of fantasy undertaken by a bespectacled boy and long-haired girl.

I'll steal Neptune's winds,
'Round his rings I will whirl;
Across his Dark Spot
Like a cyclone I'll swirl.

Back of the book presents space facts, brief, clear and concise, along with tidbits from Greek mythology and Native American traditions and ancient Egyptian beliefs.

Knowing that Uranus rolls rather than spins like the rest of the planets as it orbits the sun, reading the bold declaration of the girl

I'll seize blue Uranus,
Then teach him to fly;
Like a Frisbee I'll fling him
Across the night sky.

along with the gorgeous illustration that captures the coldness and remoteness and yet the warm determination of the little girl makes it both fascinating and engaging.

It is one of the top favorites in our bookshelf. On and off for the last 2 years, the older child simply loved sitting with the book open to her favorite page and dreaming about the possibilities. Now, the younger one enjoys it just as much, adding his own objections like, "No they can't do that, they can't bake ginger cookies on Venus, they'll get  burned before they get to it" or "No, they can't follow the sun, why do they say that they can?", as he is too literal sometimes for this fanciful adventure.

I simply gaze at the illustrations, marveling at the talent and then sit back quietly awed by the author's clever poetry. Yet another Barefoot Books publication we have on our bookshelf that affirms my faith in their commitment for presenting quality books for the children.

[image source: barefoot books]

Tales from Old Ireland

Tales from Old Ireland
retold by Malachy Doyle
illustrated by Niamh Sharkey


Folktales have a certain charm that is hard to pin down. Could it be the intentional disregard for distinguishing between humans and other creatures? Or the rich infusion of imagination, moral values and codes of the times? Or the larger-than-life depiction of the everyday folk? Or the magic and the simplicity of the place itself where the stories originated?

Tales from Old Ireland collects and presents 7 gems from Irish folklore that were passed down by the oral tradition of storytelling and still survive today. Notes at the back of the book cite the sources for these stories.

Illustrations by Niamh Sharkey are quirky and whimsical, much like the stories themselves, and are quite the visual treat. The deep burgundies, and velvety emerald greens, and the midnight blues, and the earthy browns, and the golden yellows, together with deceptively simple drawings make it a pure pleasure to behold.

The text preserves the magic of storytelling with its adroit use of the language. The stories transport the reader and the listener to an enchanted world that is full of possibilities, urging us to step forward with a willing suspension of disbelief.

Some stories could be quite intense for the younger ones, there is no reason to dilute the fulsomeness and allure to satisfy a younger reader. While all seven were equally enthralling, our  top favorites were The Children of Lir and The Soul Cages. A Pronunciation Guide helped us enjoy the read-aloud sessions better.

Barefoot Books have earned a name for presenting superb children's books. Their 'Celebrating Art and Story' is not a gimmick, a tagline to attract attention, but a genuine commitment to bringing wonderful artists and writers to the forefront. This book is a wonderful example of one such.

[image source: barefootbooks.com]

Christmas with Karadi

Just so happened that two recent books from Karadi came in right in time for Christmas. And what a pleasure they were.

The Bookworm

Author: Lavanya R. N.

Illustrator: Shilo Shiv Suleman

Ages- 5 plus

The Bookworm highlights a very important yet underplayed reality of school life - bullying. After all, power struggles often start young!

The story is narrated effectively and efficiently,without much ado and is a lesson in acceptance and respecting everyone's uniqueness.

A spectacled bookworm who is gifted yet different, a pair of bullies, a set of typical kids, a sensible teacher are all brought to life by a much loved illustrator in these parts- Shilo. She delights us with her style and the added details on every page.

This is a must read for every child - bullied or otherwise- to sensitise them and equip them to face such realities in a mature manner.

The Story and the Song

Author: Manasi Subramaniam

Illustrator: Ayswarya Sankaranaryanan

Ages- 5 plus

This is a lovingly retold South Indian folk tale on what happens to stories and songs that do not get shared. Do they get lost forever? Do they make their way out somehow?

The protagonist Parvati is endearing and her husband and his repentance of his hasty behaviour are refreshing and genuine. As often the case in older folk tales, here too there is a grandma as a key character and the story teller.

The story literally takes a turn before it ends in a song.

The illustrations are engaging in their details and the text is easy to read and follow. Set in a rural landscape, some of the scenes are really beautiful and vivid.

The story highlights the need for oral communication and sharing, in a subtle manner. Very relevant in today's world!

Happy Birthday To Srinivasa Ramanujan!

As we celebrate the 125th birthday of the Indian mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan, we are delighted to present all the wonderful books on Mathematics, that were earlier reviewed during CROCUS.

We had endless fun bringing a myriad of Math picks! Now, join us in revisiting a few of them once again! We will offer them in little bite-sizes throughout this week. Enjoy!

1) Math Games and Activities from around the World, by Claudia Zaslavsky

2) Math Appeal by Greg Tang

3) Math Trek:Adventures in Math Zone by Ivars Peterson and Nancy Henderson -

4) Math Curse by Jon Scieszka

5) Math-terpieces by Greg Tang

The Bronze Bow

Title : The Bronze Bow

Author : Elizabeth George Speare

Publisher : HMCo

Age : Young Adult

In the times when incidents inspired by hate outnumber the ones driven by love and affection, when compassion seems to be running low in our hearts, when patience is looked down upon as a tool of meek and weak and when display of aggression seems to be the new and modern flavor, it is extremely essential to go back to the priceless teachings of the enlightened souls who graced the Earth with their divine presence. And what better time than around Christmas - the festival of light, which symbolizes happiness and merriment.

Daniel bar Jamin happens to witness the crucifixion of his father by Roman soldiers. Taking revenge by driving the Roman dominion out of the land of Israel becomes his only motto in life. Harboring deep hatred in his heart, he joins the band of an outlaw who resides in the hills outside the city limits. Forced by circumstances post his grandmother's death, he finds himself to be the only one who now needs to take care of his sister. But while living in the village he establishes a group of like minded guerrillas with sole mission of taking revenge. Fired by hatred, he fails to see and acknowledge tender feelings of his sister Leah, his friend Joel and Joel's sister Malthace.

There is one thing which empowers him and provides solace to his agitated nerves always and that is the Song of David

"God is my safe refuge,

And has made my way safe.

He made my feet like hind's feet,

And set me secure on the heights.

He trains my hands for war,

So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze."

and Malthace beautifully interprets the meaning as - When God strengthens us, we can do anything that seems impossible.

While he nurtured the hatred towards Romans passionately in his heart, teachings of Jesus of Nazareth had some other message to convey. Calm demeanor of Jesus always attracted Daniel but his words 'It is the hate that is the enemy, not men. Hate does not die with killing. It only springs up a hundredfold. The only thing stronger than hate is love', made Daniel's whole fabric of being shake. He always found hatred and feeling of vengeance so much closer to him that imagining his self devoid of these two was almost impossible for him. But after having experienced the pain of losing two of his dear ones with his own sword of hatred and after having pushed his sister to life threatening isolation again, he could finally understand the true meaning of David's words - 'He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze' - that perhaps only love could bend the bow of bronze.

"The only chains that matter are fear and hate because they chain our souls. If we do not hate anyone and do not fear anyone then we are free."

The scene here is set in Jerusalem at the time of Christ. Author beautifully conveys Jesus's message of peace amidst chaos, hatred, violence, pain and distress through the story of Daniel. It is indeed a moving and sensitive tale to emphasize that no matter how big and dear revenge and hatred appear to be, forgiveness and love pave the way for actual deliverance.

'The Bronze Bow' is the winner of the 1962 Newbery Medal

The Pleasant Rakshasa

The Pleasant Rakshasa

Story : Sowmya Rajendran

Art : Niveditha Subramaniam

Publisher- Tulika

Ages- 4 plus

 

I had resolved  not to buy picture books this year at the Bangalore Book Fair since my older one has graduated to chapter books and we really do have way too many of them. But this book just yelled out " Pick me up".

The art is what primarily drew me to the book. And that someone had finally thought of having a pleasant rakhshasa instead of a ferocious or unkind one.

The theme reminded me a bit of an old Tulika title - Anna and Chenna- that one need not subscribe to any standard definition of beauty to find happiness or beauty even. The joy of giving and friendship is what life is about.

The book is a visual treat in an off beat sense- the cute monsters ( remember Five Little Fiends) , the vivid colours, the finger print art in places, all tie in beautifully with a story about generosity and the common good.

Karimuga is the pleasant Rakshasa ( Sowmya does it again with this name, after her Kattaboman series ) envied for his pot belly, his hairy legs, dark skin. He decides to share his many attributes to spread cheer but rather realistically finds himself a little dull and down after all the giving. 

Read the book and you will know how he discovers all is not lost and finds pleasure in another of his imperfectly perfect features.

And the young chapter book convert at home, gave the book a Thumbs up as well!!

Indian History

For a lot of us, history subject in school might have been just about memorisation of facts/dates and boredom. Imagine if we can go back to those history classes and make them come alive? What if history became a "live" subject wherein we time travelled to specific eras, got a peek into the lives and culture of our ancestors, shared their emotions, marvelled at their achievements, felt inspired by their lives and learned from their mistakes? Our present has been shaped by the past and the people who inhabited it. Is it not imperative for us to understand our - past, ancestors and heritage?

Ofcourse we cannot change our "student past", but may be we can try to make history more interesting for our kids and enjoy ourselves too in the process :-). More specifically, a personal quest for books on Indian history for my ten year old son, opened up a treasure chest for me. When my Saffron Tree friends started sharing the books which they/their kids have enjoyed, it led  to an amazing list of books. The joy of discovery can be paralleled only by the joy of sharing. So here are a few of the books that we Saffron Tree members have enjoyed on Indian history - some of them are completely fact based, some are historical fiction and some of them have both facts and fiction. We hope that you share our excitement and enthusiasm, as we present these.

Most of these books are predominantly for children 10 years and above.

For books on Indian history which cover the entire breadth from the Indus valley civilisation to the Independence time and beyond, check out Indian History - Facts and Fiction - from Indus valley to the Independence times and beyond.

If you love, historical fiction/fact set in a particular era, Indian Historical Fact/Fiction spanning various eras, is the right place for you !

If you have read the above two posts, you know there is a familiar author name popping up everywhere. Have you guessed the author's name ?! We are very happy to present Choxbox's Interview with Subhadra Sen Gupta, who has published numerous wonderful books for children on Indian historical fiction.

Specifically, if you would like to know more about Delhi, it's history and the Mughal times, check out - Fact and Fiction books on (New) Delhi and the Mughal times.

There have been quite a few books on Indian History which have been reviewed on ST in the past. Here are the links to the same.

1) In the Country of Gold Digging Ants by Anu Kumar

2) Pratham Books - Indian History Series by Subhadra Sen Gupta

3) The Forbidden Temple by TV Padma

4) A beautiful Lie by Irfan Master

This is not the only list, we do have a lot more books lined up, which will come up next year !

Fact and Fiction - Books on (New) Delhi and the Mughal times

Books on (New)Delhi and historical fiction set in the Mughal times

On Delhi, Vibha writes.....

In William Dlarymple's words, "Though it had been burned by the invaders time and time again, millennium after millennium, still the city was rebuilt, each time it rose like a phoenix from the fire."

Delhi - A diversely and thickly populated city and one of the oldest inhabited cities of the world has been successful in working its charm on many natives and visitors alike. The city which has been adorned and plundered numerous times, the city which has witnessed zeniths and nadirs of dynasties and rulers has been the epicenter of activities all through the history of our country.

Delhi has mesmerized people with its resilience, its  endurance and its extendable cover for all who took refuge in its folds from time to time. Anyone who headed towards the city, whether it was after the partition of India or during the ethnic violence many times thereafter, has been offered succor first and subsequently home and belongingness in some by-lanes of this city. An epitome of being a perfect melting pot, Delhi seems to be holding onto some parts ofevery bygone period and has much to educate people through its monuments, ruins, buildings and even streets and bazaars.

Tales of Historic Delhi - A walk through its many cities
Author and Illustrator : Premola Ghose
Publisher : Young Zubaan and Amber Books
Age : 8-12years
Historical Fiction
Review by Vibha

Tales of Historic Delhi by Premola Ghose is a fun-filled illustrated book on Delhi. Animal friends from the forests of Ranthambore decide to embark on a historical journey to the country's capital on the occasion of city celebrating its 100th birthday in 2011. The super-excited animals begin Dilli-Darshan from the world's tallest minaret - Qutb Minar and cover Siri Fort, Nizamuddin, Tughlaqabad,  Hauz Khas,Lodi Gardens, Humayun's Tomb, Lal Qila, Chandni Chowk,Safdarjung's Tomb, and New Delhi in that order. A chapter is dedicated to each monument and each chapter begins with facts about that particular monument. To go through the timeline of Delhi in brief, there is one provided at the end. The book offers nice introduction to various monuments in Delhi, however, the animal banter which goes on and on, gets a little annoying at times.

(Pic Src : Flipkart)

 New Delhi (Glo Adventure)
Publisher : GLO bOOKS
Age : 8-12 years
Review by Vibha
Historical Facts

Glo adventure on New Delhi is a perfect supplement to the course book (Frank's Social Studies Book Class III). There is a brief mention of almost every aspect of the city in the magazine ranging from features,weather, culture, religion, lifestyle, food, art, to tales of Delhi. The entertainment quotient has not been ignored wither and some fun exercises are provided too but otherwise it gives fact based information mostly.

(Pic Src : Glo Books)

The Ash and Tara Adventures
By Jeanne Perrett
Penguin India
Ages 8 and above
Historical Fiction
Review by Wordjunkie

The Ash and Tara adventures (there seem to be two so far) feature a young brother and sister duo and is set against the backdrop of Akbar’s Agra. A young Akbar at that – he was, after all, a teenaged king. Quick paced and fun, the books have the kids battling all kinds of sinister villains, ferreting out clues and running wild through the bylanes of Agra in the 1500s. 

(Pic Src : Penguin Books India) 

The DOA Detective Files
By Sonja Chandrachud
Penguin India
Ages 10 and above
Historical Fiction
Review by Wordjunkie

Magic meets mayhem meets time travel in this new series about three kids with some very unusual powers solving crimes with the help of a time travelling rikshaw. In ‘Trouble at the Taj’, first of the series, the kids travel to Agra circa 1636, summoned by a ghost, no less! For  the chief architect of the Taj Mahal has been kidnapped while the beautiful building is only half done and the dead queen is worried that she will be stuck with an ugly tomb if someone else is brought in to finish the job.The children soon discover darker forces at play and greater games afoot than a mere abduction. Racing against time and a very tetchy queen - the kids unravel conspiracies, learn all kinds of historical facts and manage to make, being embroiled in ancient political intrigue, seem like rib-tickling fun.

(Pic Src : http://www.sonjachandrachud.com/)

Interview with Subhadra Sen Gupta - The Queen of Historical Fiction

Choxbox writes....

When I think back to my history lessons in school, I can only remember drab and dry pages in black & white, with pictures that you could just barely figure out. There were a string of dates and we mugged it up just to go and spew it out in the exam. There was no analysis of why something happened, what could have been done differently and what might have happened. Nothing exciting, in short. Today's child though is spoilt for choice. There is the internet, there are countless high-quality audio-visual programs on TV and other media and there many folks who are making stories of our past relate-able to little ones. After all we have a past full of the elements required for a pot-boiler - there is family, drama, war and lots of dhishoom-dhishoom. There is also wisdom,compassion and love. 

In the hands of a magical story-teller like Subhadra Sengupta it all comes alive. Her narratives of what happened at various points across time and space in the India of the past are fun to read and make you learn things just like that. Wish she wrote my history textbooks. 

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I present to you Subhadra!

Pic Src : Penguin India Books 

1. ST: Hello Subhadra! Thanks for coming here to ST!

Let me start at the very beginning - how do you decide what strand of history to explore and write a story about? And also, how much research goes into a book you create?

SSG: When it comes to fiction I have picked some periods and only write on them like the Mauryans and Mughals because one has to gather a lot of information about the way people lived. Coming up with a plot is easy, the hard part is imagining how a Mauryan city or a Mughal palace looked like. So the research includes looking at sculpture and paintings. I had to research a lot when I started, now some of it is in my head.

2. ST: How do you mix facts with fiction? In other words, how and where do you decide to introduce fictitious bits in a historical set of facts?

SSG: My stories are always all fiction but when I introduce a real historical character then his or her history would be facts. I never push facts in, if it comes naturally into the story, then it gets in. So say in 'Bishnu, the Dhobi Singer' it was a fact that Tansen used to pick up poor talented kids, but the story of Bishnu is all fiction. In 'Raza and the King' I had read that Akbar used to get over a hundred sets of clothes stitched every year and that gave me the idea about Raza and the angrakhas.

3. ST: How and where do you inject humour? How important is this element?

SSG: Well I read a lot of humour and it comes naturally into my story telling, I don't think about it consciously.Humour is very important because it keeps the child reading. Have never been very good at the grim, tragic stuff!

4. ST: What other elements are required in your opinion to make a historical story appealing to children?

SSG: The most important is of course a good plot with a source of tension. Kids will keep reading if they want to know how the story ends. Characters have be interesting and real. Then the details interest them, the food, clothes, games, school in the past. And this has to be written with lots of colourful descriptions. And what works the most is mouth watering descriptions of food :-)

5. ST: Many societies do not equate irreverence for their past with disrespect. In other words, they poke fun at their history and laugh at it and think it's okay to do that. (Terry Deary's Horrible Histories for example). In India however we tend to frown upon this kind of an attitude. Any attempt to make history ‘light’ is considered blasphemy in many circles.What do you think? How does this impact how we view the study of our history?

SSG: Why do you think I haven't done any Horrible Histories? Tapas and I have been itching to do them for years! It is because the editors get nervous about protests and questions in parliament if I joked about Bapu or Nehru. Though I doubt if they would have minded at all! Deary has made history fun and we need that very badly as our textbooks are scary things. Kids are just waiting to give up history in class eleven.

6. ST: What do you think can be done to make historical places more interesting for child visitors?

SSG: We need teachers who can tell them about these places. But the bigger problem is that most schools don't even want to take the kids to historical sites and everyone finds museums scary. For our schools, history is low priority and at times they don't even have qualified history teachers.

7. ST: Question from my children: Why do you not author history textbooks for schools?

SSG: Well they won't let me write them the way I want to. So I am now working on a history of India for children which I am stuffing with fascinating facts, very few dates and more about people and less about administration and economic policy. I'll have poems and jokes, recipes and romantic stories. Answers to important questions like did Birbal have a moustache and did kids get homework in ancient India? It will take time because the research is killing but I'll do it. 

THANK YOU Subhadra! We look forward to many more books from you!

Interview by Choxbox.

Indian Historical Fact/Fiction Books spanning various eras

Historical books in chronological order.

The Adventure of the Missing Dancing Girl

By Sunila Gupte

Published by Random House India

Ages 8 and above

Historical Fiction

Review by Wordjunkie

Set in 2500 BC,this book follows the adventures of four children as they attempt to recover a lost statue. On their way to the Surya Mela in Lothal, a town in the kingdom called Meluha (now known as Bharat or India) Xerxes, Namami, Kaveri and Kartik are intrigued by the robbery of sacred artefacts from the Mohenjodaro temple. They soon meet a young Mesopotamian boy called Amu Darya who is searching for his missing father. Before long, all five are swept up in a race against time to solve both mysteries and defeat some particularly dark forces. "The Adventure.." manages to be a fun read, a good adventure and a great window on day to day life in the heyday of the Indus Valley Civilization.

(Pic Src : Flipkart)

Poorva – Magic, Miracles and the Mystical Twelve

By Lakshmi Devnath

Published by EastWest an imprint of Westland Limited

Ages 8+

Available in English and Tamil

Fact+Fiction

Review by Arundhati

Many a breezy summer evening when visiting my grandparents in Srirangam, I have had the magical experience of watching temple processions and listening to, those preceding the deity, recite the Divya Prabanadham (in Tamil), while the Vedas (in Sanskrit) would be chanted by those following the deity. My attempt to pass on a piece of history and heritage to my son led me to this book.

The Divya Prabanadham is a compilation of four thousand songs, written by the Alwars. The Alwars were saint-poets who lived between the 6th and 8th century AD. It is believed that they were incarnations of Vishnu, meant to spread the message of the Vedas in Tamil. Some of the songs written by them are in the form of Andadis (=anta+adi, the ending of one verse being the beginning of the other, like in an Antakshari).In ‘Poorva’ (=past), we travel back in time and witness the stories of the Alwars, and learn about their life and works. We make this journey with a young girl, Poorva, and her grand-uncle Swami Thatha. The former is incredulous and initially sceptical, while the latter is steeped in Vaishnavism. The reader can choose to be anywhere in the wide spectrum in between.

We encounter Chola, Pandya, Pallava and Chera kings.We visit palaces and temples. We cross the rivers Cauvery, Vaigai and Tamraparani. We travel to Srivilliputtur, Azhwar Thirunagari, Madurai, Srirangam, Kumbakonam, Kanchipuram, Mahabalipuram, Mylapore, Tirupati, Mathura, Dwarka and Badrinath. I found myself wishing for a map with these temple towns marked out, but I guess I’ll just have to make one myself.

[Image source http://lakshmidevnath.com]

Saffron, White and Green - The Amazing story of India's Independence

By Subhadra Sen Gupta

Publisher : Puffin Books

Ages 10 +

Facts

Review by Ranjani

A very engaging book on the Indian struggle for Independence, this book starts from the Revolt of 1857. Each chapter is devoted to a significant milestone in the Indian feedom struggle. What makes the book interesting is that the author talks also about the prevailing emotions of the involved people at various moments. So we realise that the leaders of the movement were people with the same emotions as the normal people- courage, disappointment, moments of self doubt and frustration. What makes them stand out is the strong belief in their cause and HOPE. The hope that one day India will stand as a free country. I found the writing style very impressive and it touched me, as I read chapter after chapter. The section titled "Afterword- sahibs, Mems and Koi Hai" gives a unique peek the into the day to day life of the British in India, something which I have not come across before.

(Pic Src : Flipkart)

Victory Song
By Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Published by Penguin Books India
Age 9-12
Historical Fiction
Review by Sandhya

Neela is a spunky 12 year old girl living in the British India of the 1930s. It is a few years before the Quit India movement. Freedom fighters are everywhere, in the guise of ordinary people. Neela befriends a young freedom fighter, Samar, during her elder sister’s wedding. Neela’s father has to go away to Calcutta on some patriotic work soon after the wedding.

Samar is seriously injured during a raid on a British facility. He takes refuge in Neela’s home, where he is kept in hiding until he is well, as the British soldiers are looking for him. Soon, Neela’s father goes missing in Calcutta. The feisty little girl dresses up as a boy, a wandering minstrel, and takes Samar’s help to go to Calcutta to find her father.What happens to Samar and Neela in Calcutta? How do they find her father? The rest of this riveting tale on the backdrop of the freedom movement against British rule has to be read to find this out.

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni brings us a book for pre-teens that takes us into the everyday world of a girl of the period, complete with people’s attitudes about ‘girls should be seen and not heard’, and how it is this feisty girl’s courage and resourcefulness that saves the day.

(Pic Src : Flipkart)

The Grasshopper's Run
by Siddhartha Sarma
Published by Scholastic India
YA
Historical Fiction
Review by Wordjunkie

Winner of the Vodafone Crossword Award in 2009, and a Sahitya Bal Puruskar in 2011, this terrific coming of age story is set in 1944, against the backdrop of the
Second World War. This is also the time of a lesser known historical event- the incursion of the Japanese Imperial Army onto Indian soil. When a ruthless Japanese officer slaughters an entire Naga village, he sets in motion a series of effects he cannot imagine. For killed in the massacre is Uti, grandson of the eldest Ao Naga chief and best friend of Gojen Rajkhowa, an Assamese teenager in a faraway boarding school.

When Uti's grandfather decides to avenge his grandson's death, Gojen joins his team of tribal warriors as they travel through the Khasi Garo hills, on the trail of the Japanese officer. Gojen's little war feels like a reflection of the larger battle for Independence raging in India at that point. A group of disparate individuals putting aside their personal differences to rout out a greater enemy. I liked the pace of the book, the complex characters and the grim but realistic end.
(Pic Src : Flipkart)

The Surya Trilogy
By Jamila Gavin
Publisher: Egmont Books
Age: YA
Historical Fiction
Review by Wordjunkie

The Surya trilogy examines the effect of the Partition of India on two generations of a Sikh family. In The Wheel of Surya,  siblings Marvinder and Jaspal find their lives uprooted by violence, are separated from their mother and barely manage to stow away on a ship bound for England,where their father lives. They do make it, only to find their father in prison. The book evokes 1950s Britain wonderfully, and the alienation and rage of young immigrants like Jaspal.

In The Eye of the Horse, Jaspal and Marvinder attempt to return to India to find their mother, even as they struggle to find their identity between two cultures. Marvinder blossoms as a skilled violinist, but struggles with forbidden love, while Jaspal vents his rage through violence, ultimately evolving as a gang hero after beating up a school bully.

The Track of the Wind follows the siblings’ increasingly turmoiled lives as teenagers – Marvinder is forced into marriage with a Sikh man, while Jaspal embraces his Sikh identity, but still seethes with rage and alienation.I loved all three books. They are elegantly written, meticulous in their detail of life in Britain and India in the 1950s, and gripping.They are also disturbing – these are not happy lives and author Jamila Gavin (who first broke my heart with the searing, unforgettable Coram Boy) clearly does not believe in sugar coating truth for young readers. But I can’t think of another set of books for young adults that deals with the realities of Partition, immigration and cultural alienation as well as this trilogy.
(Pic Src : https://www.kidsiqbooks.com/product/17/11/EGJG3.html)

Indian History - Facts and Fiction - from Indus valley to the Independence times and beyond

Here are the books on Indian History which start from the Indus valley civilisation, traverse through the various kingdoms and dynasties of India, take us through the freedom struggle and also shed light on  the years following our Independence.

The Puffin History of India (Vol 1 and Vol 2)
Author : Roshen Dalal
Publisher : Puffin Books
Age : 10 - 15 yrs
Historical Facts
Review by Vibha

If I have to recommend one place to get the basics of Indian history clear, Roshen Dalal's History of India would win hands down. The book begins by setting the stage through story of human evolution and not by abruptly starting the lessons on Indian history. The content is logically divided into chapters and further subheadings aid in understanding the sequence of happenings easily. The things which make these two volumes stand apart are
- Not ignoring the regional historical facts completely. Most of the history books seem to focus on the   Northern region only.
- Ample illustrations and map work
- History of India post 1947 (not many books seem to be dealing with that period very comprehensively)
- Quantum of information packed without overwhelming the readers' minds.
(Pic Src : Flipkart)

Of Kings and Commoners
Authors : Monisha Mukundan and Subhadra Sen Gupta
Publisher : Ratna Sagar Publications
Ages 10 +
Historical Facts +  Fiction
Review by Ranjani

A beautiful book which blends the historical facts of an era into a story and then follows it up with a detailed "Facts" section. This section talks not only about the political situations, but also about the life of the common people, the architectural achievements of the era, religious sentiments of the people, arts and crafts of the region and so on. The facts section is as interesting as the story, which can be considered a mini representation of the specific times. So we have the Toy monkey of the Mohenjodaro times (which is currently in the National Museum Delhi) in the Indus valley story, the awe inspiring Brihadeeshwara Temple of Tanjore in the Chola story, Qutub Minar in the backdrop of the Mughal story and more such fine details in all the stories. It is one of those books that I have not seen around much and luckily got from our library. It is very similar to  "The Forbidden Temple" by TV Padma, though in TV Padma's book the stories take a centre stage than the facts section.
(Pic Src : Flipkart)

The story of India for Children
Author : Gratian Vas
Publisher : Shree Books
Ages 10 - 12 years
Historical Facts
Review by Ranjani

Here is a neatly packaged book on Indian history which spans from the Indus valley civilisation times to the nineties of the last century. Every chapter is neatly planned with appropriate pictures or maps showing the boundaries of the kingdoms. So we course through in a chronological order - early civilisation, Mauryan dynasty, various significant kingdoms/kings of the North and South, a few chapters on the culture and religious flavours of the times, early invaders, Mughals, arrival of the British on the Indian soil and finally the Indian Independence movement. This book concentrates more on the political side than the cultural settings or the life of common people of an era.The chapters have a good amount of information on the specific topic. This book has been picked up by my son a number of times, just to randomly read a chapter or to refer for some school project. I must say it is a really good book from Shree Books publishers.
Pic Src : Flipkart

Let's Go Time Travelling !
Author : Subhadra Sen Gupta
Published by Penguin Books India
Age 9-12 years
Review by Sandhya

In her interview in The Hindu at the publishing of her book Let's Go Time Travelling Subhadra Sen Gupta says, “My target readers are the kids in classes 6 to 8, who begin studying Indian history. The book aims at making history less intimidating for them and also talk about things that kids are curious about. The stuff that textbooks leave out, like food and clothes, transport and school.” Very true. History textbooks have a way of putting the child off the subject, unless there is an exceptional teacher in the offing. This book fills in exactly that void. For my daughter in the 6th grade, this was THE book to read, much in the mould of the irreverent Horrible Histories series.

A period of close to 5000 years has been divided into 4 parts- Early India from 2600 - 500 BCE, Ancient India from 300 BCE – 1100 CE, Medieval India from 1200 – 1850 CE and British India from 1800 – 1940 CE. I give the dates here not to overwhelm the reader of this review with dates: something that always put me off from an academic study of history, but to demonstrate the scope of this slim and wonderfully crafted book.

Subhadra Sen Gupta deconstructs the weight of all that history and distils it into bite-sized parts. She keeps her finger firmly on the pulse of the middle school child who is lured into wanting to find out more after reading the short story at the beginning of each chapter, comprising ordinary people from that particular period. The story tells a lot about their thoughts, ideas, customs and beliefs. She focuses on the ‘storytelling aspect’ of history, giving a holistic yet richly detailed view of each era.

Along the way, we get a peek into how historians decode the data they have at hand from archaeological findings, written records, period literature, and any other relics of a period to recreate the how and why of all that has happened. For example, we can know what food people of a period ate and why. In the chapter on the Pallava and Chola dynasties, we learn that people ate many varieties of the dosa, but the idli was not invented yet. How? From the references in the literature of the period. Odes to dosas, but no idlis. Also that spices used in sambar were pepper and tamarind. Chillies and tomatoes were a colonial import, brought by the Portuguese from the Americas in the 1700s.

An enjoyable book, and a valuable addition to the study of Indian history, along with Anu Kumar’s 'In the Country of the Gold-digging Ants' and Roshan Dalal’s twin volumes by Puffin.
(Pic src : flipkart)

Bulbuli's Bamboo

Written by: Mita Bordoloi
Illustrated by: Proiti Roy
Published by: Tulika Books

Simple storylines on nature-oriented themes come as a rare and delightful treat in the world of children’s literature. Here’s one recent book from Tulika Books titled Bulbul's Bamboo that captured my attention the minute I set eyes on its title. To me, the alliterative title was good enough reason to pick up the book. But, the story’s cumulative style was a sweet little surprise that was hiding inside its pages.

Bulbuli’s Bamboo stars beloved Bulbuli in her bamboo world. The narrative builds on the use of bamboo in her little world, in all her day-to-day objects. On every page, Bulbuli is busy doing something or the other, with bamboo being the key focal element. Bulbuli sleeps on a bamboo bed. She sits on a bamboo bench by the bamboo bed. Then, she drinks her soup made of bamboo shoots, sitting on the bamboo bench, by the bamboo bed. Well, you get the drift of the text, don’t you? Thus, little by little, we get a peek into her wonderful world of bamboo. Outside, in her yard there’s a bamboo boat, a bamboo bridge….and to top it all, there’s even a bamboo grove.

Each page builds on the previous step-by-step, in little bite-sizes. The text flows perfectly from one line to another, not a bit over-done nor underdone. The narrative, without a glitch, comes back to where it all starts from. In that sense, you can call it a circular tale too. Effortless it may seem, but I always ponder over the process behind creating flawless scripts in this style of story-telling.

The author, Mita Bordoloi, in her debut innings writing for children has hit a home-run through Bulbuli. Bravo! Her connection to Assam has opened yet another aspect of amazing India to children. As always, I thoroughly enjoyed poring over the rich, vibrant colours of the illustrations in this book. Tulika’s illustrators know the knack of creating vibrant art. The lively play on prepositions makes each page a pleasure to read-aloud. In that, the book can be paired as a teacher resource in teaching little ones the right use of prepositions – over, under, beside, on, in etc.

This book could be a good introduction to bamboo for young readers. According to the 10 year old picture book aficionado in the household, the star attraction of the book are the illustrations and the various playful expressions on Bulbuli’s face, as she skips, trots and eventually dreams bamboo dreams. As for the six year old, she has often been caught "lying on a bamboo mat, by a bunch of bamboo sticks" (all made in Assam, picked up at a local craft fair), while reading Bulbuli aloud to me, or to herself alone. The book has struck a deep chord in us, considering we are big bamboo-lovers ourselves.

November 30th happened to be One-Nation-Reading-Together Day, as promoted by Scholastic India. I got an invitation from the Principal of Kangaroo Kids in Chennai, to reach out to the children through a read-aloud session. It was a thoroughly fun for me to bring Bulbuli and her world of Bamboo to a bunch of boisterous little ones.