Tuesday, December 25, 2012

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!

2 comments:

Divya Purandar said...

Great post. But I couldnt find this book in Sapna book house...may be its not out in the bookstores yet.

Karadi Tales said...

Hi, Divya. For now, the books are available on our website: http://www.karaditales.com/FormProduct.aspx?SeriesId=41. They should be available across all bookstores within a week or so!

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