A Book-lover's Paradise!

        

If you are in Mumbai looking for that perfect bookstore, Kitab Khana may just be the one!

Housed in a more than 100-year old heritage building, the store is a "treasure trove" of books.  At first glance, the place doesn't seem that big, but as you walk in, you find that they have well-stocked shelves that line up the walls and their partial upper level as well.  A raised platform, displaying books, is also used as a stage during events like book launches and readings.

With its beautiful 'antique' interior that blends in well with its well-stocked bookshelves, the store has an elaborate collection of books of all kinds - from classics to contemporaries, philosophy to management, various genres, several languages.

I headed straight for the children's section and was delighted to be greeted by several books that I had not seen in any of the major book store chains in the country (which only stock popular reads and hardly any books by Indian children's writers).

 My children were excited to find books by their favourite authors and to discover some interesting new reads! 

The store is well-organized, staff were helpful.  We spent more than two hours in the store and didn't even know it!

If you get hungry, there is a cafeteria with an assortment of cakes and snacks that can be enjoyed in a large sitting area.

Now each time I visit Mumbai, I know where I will be headed for sure! 

BOOK REVIEW: Petu Pumpkin -Tooth Troubles

Winner of the 2015 Crystal Kite Award

The second book in the Petu Pumpkin series...


Petu Pumpkin's friends form a Gap Club.  But Pushkin (Petu's real name) is ineligible to be a member for he doesn't have a 'gap' in his teeth.  If only he could lose a tooth, then he could be part of the Gap Club too.

Meanwhile, one of the Gap Club members, Jatin, challenges the proud fourth-graders to a football match because they call the Gap Club members "babies". Unfortunately, the Gap Club only has a plastic ball to practice with.  They desperately need a football.

Clever Pushkin makes a pact.  "If you let me join the Gap Club now, I'll ask the tooth fairy for a football when my tooth falls."

The offer is too tempting for the Gap Club to resist.  They are full of ideas and try different ways to make Pushkin's tooth fall - suggesting hard things to eat, tying a thread around his front tooth and pulling it and even aiming their plastic ball at his jaw!  But nothing works.

Then Pushkin remembers his Thatha (Grandpa) being worried about losing his few teeth when Paati (Grandma) offered him hard snacks like murukku and chikki.  Pushkin eats a mound of them and succeeds in making his front tooth loose.

The tooth eventually falls.  But Pushkin's request to the tooth fairy for a football is not granted.  Two, not one, baby teeth are needed to earn a football from the tooth fairy!

Pushkin must loose a second tooth.  With a second front tooth already dangling, he has no problem losing it with some assistance from his friends.

The football is finally granted and the club members begin their practice!

During the match, the fourth-graders take an immediate lead.  But when Pushkin takes over as referee, does the fate of the Gap Club change?  Will the snickering fourth-graders continue calling them "babies"?  To find out, read the book.

I liked the first book in the series - Petu Pumpkin: Tiffin Thief, but found this one even better since the theme is about something most readers would have dealt with -  loose baby teeth.

Although meant for younger readers, this book does have some hard words like "sympathised" and "extricated" and phrases such as "tails between their legs".  But what's the use of a book if it doesn't add to your vocabulary and knowledge of the language?

Some scenes such as Pushkin watching his loose tooth in the school toilet mirror while eating his lunch and whistle-hating dogs going after Pushkin and his friends, were particularly humourous.

Overall, an enjoyable read for kids 7+.

BOOK REVIEW: "My Teacher is a Monster. No, I Am Not!" by Peter Brown

We all have our favourite and not-so-favourite people in the world.  So do children.  And that’s what this book is about.

Bobby dislikes his teacher at school.  She is always roaring, stomping and keeping children from going for recess.  To Bobby, she is a monster!

In his free time, Bobby loves to visit his favourite spot in the park.  But one Saturday morning, he is in for a “terrible surprise” when he gets there.  The monster is there too! 

The unexpected situation brings about an uncomfortable silence, then a few words.  But soon a gust of wind blows over to the rescue and helps change the awkwardness of the situation into something 'normal'.

The monster and Bobby spend the rest of the morning together enjoying each other’s company.  By the time Bobby heads home for lunch, the monster seems more like a lady.  But will it be the same when he gets back to school the following week?

Illustrated in colours of green, blue, black and brown, the pictures reflect how Bobby’s perspective of his teacher changes from the beginning to the end.

The story brought back memories of my childhood when I’d tag along with my mother to the market and unexpectedly meet a teacher.  As the adults would chat (about me), I’d wish that I was invisible.  Of course, my teacher was no monster!  But if I met a school friend, it was a totally different ballgame.

I liked this book because of its simplicity - both in story and illustrations.  I think it is a good story to read to children to put them at ease about their teacher and to tell them that teachers are just like other grown-ups.

This book is appropriate for ages 5+. 

BOOK REVIEW: Quest by Aaron Becker

Wordless books are boundless.  They have no text and hence are in no particular language, besides, of course, the language of art.  The illustrations say it all.  And that’s the beauty of wordless picture books!  There are no words laying out the story to the audience.  The story is purely guided by the reader’s interpretation of the illustrations.

When I read Aaron Becker's picture book, ‘Journey’, I was amazed that an adventure story had been visualized and rendered so beautifully as a wordless picture book!

So imagine my joy when I learned that it was part of a trilogy!  When I laid my hands on the second book, at first I excitedly sifted through a few pages, then shut it.  I decided that to do justice to the book, I must look through it in a relaxed manner, relishing and drinking in each detail of every illustration, in order to truly experience the adventure.

In ‘Quest’, Mr. Becker takes us on yet another thrilling ride.  The story continues where it left off in the end of the first book – the lonely girl with her red marker befriends a boy with a purple marker!  The two embark on an adventure filled with mystery and excitement. 

A king appears suddenly and hands them a mysterious map before getting captured by enemy soliders.  It is up to the twosome to work together to unravel the mystery of the map and rescue the king.  

And as they do, they are pursued in their ‘quest’ by the king’s enemies who try to stop them to seize the magical treasure they have discovered.

The story ends with a clue about where the next adventure will lead us (the last book of the trilogy).  I am already looking forward to it!

Appropriate for children ages 6+ as well as adventure loving grown-ups!

KID LIT at the Singapore Writers Festival 2014

The Singapore Writers Festival was held from Oct 31-Nov 9, 2014.  Unlike previous years, this time it was packed with several events for children.

                             

The Little Lit! events were held at the National Museum of Singapore.  Writing workshops, storytelling sessions, children's book launches, panel discussions and crafts were some of the highlights of Little Lit!.

I attended a few of them, some as a parent and others as a volunteer.

Writers from Epigram Books talked about the latest titles in their chapter books series. Participating were AJ Low (Sherlock Sam series), Lesley-Anne and Monica Lee (Danger Dan series) and Maranna Chan (Triple Nine Sleuths).  Also discussed was the brand new Girl Overboard series by Sheri Tan and Fernando Hierro.





The storytelling session by professional storyteller Chuah Ai Lin, which was received with lots of smiles and giggles from the little ones.

  

At the panel discussion on children's books based on Singapore's history, authors talked about their book's journey from concept to print.  The panel included authors Fanny Lai, ('Nini in Changi Village'), Ho Lee Ling ('Samsui Girl'), and Erwin Chan ('Zack Lee and the Legend of Yamashita's Gold').  The session was moderated by Sangeetha Madhavan, author of 'The Blue Cat's Tale'.  

                                  

 Another interesting discussion was panelled by Patrick Yee, illustrator of  'A boy named Harry' and Lawrence Koh, author of 'Growing up with Lee Kuan Yew'.  Both are authors of books about Singapore's first Prime Minister, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew.  

                                      


My daughter enjoyed writing workshops with Jacqueline Harvey (Author: Alice-Miranda and Clementine Rose series) and Hemang Yadav (writer and storyteller) while my son enjoyed making crafts, a writing session conducted by Radhika Puri (Author: 'Mountain of fire') and storytelling sessions by representatives of the Roger Jenkins company.


                                     

My son's art on the Doodle Wall

                                     

Storytelling session by Hemang Yadav and Kong Yit Sim

                                      Storytelling by students of Kent Ridge Sec. School

                                       

Author Radhika Puri ('Mountain of Fire') shares her writing tips with children

We stopped at the Popular Bookstore to grab some exciting new reads before heading home.

Some of the children's books at Popular

BOOK REVIEW: Journey by Aaron Becker

Aaron Becker’s Journey is a remarkably illustrated ‘wordless’ picture book that sweeps you off on an exciting adventure.

A lonely girl finds a red marker and draws a door on her bedroom wall.  The door turns out to be magical and opens up, leading her into a mysterious forest.  

And that is the beginning of her adventures filled with excitement and danger.

                 

Realizing that her marker is magical, the girl draws her way into and out of all kinds of situations – by drawing a boat, a hot-air balloon, and even a magic carpet! 

But then she loses her magic red marker and gets captured by an evil emperor's men.

Will she ever get her marker back?  How will she escape?  Will she get back home safely?  To find out, please read the book.

I haven't seen many 'wordless' picture books before.  They sure do test your observation skills.  This book, with its detailed illustrations and exciting story, did just that!  I couldn't help marvelling at the detailed illustrations, and had to flip back and forth to look at things I had missed earlier.  But no complaints - I love this book and really enjoyed the adventurous 'Journey' I was being taken on. 

Exciting for all ages 6+.

This book has a sequel – 'Quest'.  Look out for the book review in the near future!

BOOK REVIEW: Bun Bun Button by Patricia Polacco

Writer and illustrator Patricia Polacco beautifully depicts the loving relationship of a grandmother and her granddaughter in this book.

Gramma’s house is always full of fun things to do – feed the cats and dogs, bake cookies, cuddle up and read, discover what’s in an old chest.  And that’s what Paige does when she visits her Gramma who lives with five cats, two dogs, a squirrel and a goldfish.  They all cuddle up together on Gramma’s Old Blue Chair to read.

                                                      

One day, Gramma makes Bun Bun Button, a button-nosed bunny for Paige who pleads for something of her own to cuddle with.  Paige loves Bun Bun and takes him everywhere with her. 

When Grandma gets Paige a helium balloon, she plays with it indoors.  She ties it to Bun Bun’s arm and lets it go, watching Bun Bun float up to the ceiling.  Then Paige wants to go outdoors and play with the balloon, but Grandma warns her that the balloon could float far away.  Paige pleads with her and gets the balloon tied to her own wrist.  But somehow the balloon string comes loose and it floats away up to the sky, taking Bun Bun with it.  Paige is miserable. 

What happens to Bun Bun?  Does Paige ever get him back?

I discovered some of Patricia Polacco’s works recently.  She has made some fantastic picture books even for middle-graders with themes like bullying, self-expression through art and so on.  Each one is a delight to read and admire.

Appropriate for ages 4-8.