BOOK REVIEW: "Girl Overboard! A Rose among Thorns" by Sheri Tan and Fernando Hierro

                                                      

My first book review for a Singapore themed book!!  

                  

Thirteen year old Rosie feels like her world has ended when her family moves from New York to Singapore.  She misses her old room and friends in New York.  Though she loves Grandma, she can’t understand why her family had to move to Singapore just to take care of her. 

Rosie hates Singapore – with the same old weather every day, school uniforms and after-school enrichment classes.  She shares her innermost thoughts and feelings in a diary that Grandma has gifted her.

Unlike Rosie, her eight year old brother, Alex, loves Singapore with its zoo and aquarium.  He often troubles her with his obsession for spiders and annoys her by touching her things.

Rosie’s first day at Woodside International School doesn’t go too well.  She not only makes an embarrassing entry into her classroom, but also gets punished by the gym teacher.  Could things get any worse?

Fortunately, an kind bus lady, Auntie Nora, helps Rosie get through her difficult days of being ‘new’.  Pink, a new friend, also helps her in times of crisis like when Rosie wants to get back at her arch rival for printing a silly picture of her in the school newsletter.

I bought this book at the Singapore Writers Festival.  At first glance it looked like a book for a younger audience (8-10 yrs) because of the font size, the illustrations and the length of the story.  But as I skimmed through it, I knew the content would interest my 13-year old, who eventually couldn't put this book down until she was finished with it.  Both, she and I, could completely associate with this book for it was somewhat ‘our’ story - we moved out of US a few years ago, my daughter has a pesky eight year old brother, we miss our friends, et al!

A mom who experiments with local dishes, kids wearing uniform jumpsuits at the Chinese New Year family reunion, Dad’s suit getting a makeover – are some of the other things that will give young readers a good laugh.

I liked the book for its simple story and amusing illustrations/comic strips.  A minor thing, but I did wonder why none of the parents accompanied their children to the bus stop on their first day of school.

Overall, a good read for young readers in Singapore, many of whom are expat children and will connect well with Rosie.

Looking forward to reading the second book in the series… "Girl Overboard! A Rose grows in the Jungle".

BOOK REVIEW: The Girl and the Bicycle by Matt Pett

 Another classic wordless book by another author-illustrator (I had reviewed Journey and Quest by Aaron Becker a few weeks ago).  This is the most recent picture book by Matt Pett. 

A girl desires the green bicycle that she sees in the display window of a shop.  But when she checks her piggy bank, she realizes she doesn’t have enough to buy the bicycle.  She desperately searches all possible places around the house for loose change that could have slipped here and there. But her small finds do not suffice.  So she sets up a lemonade stand and even puts up her toys for sale.  But even that doesn’t yield enough returns to be able to buy the bicycle.

Disappointed, the girl sits under a tree, watching her little brother playing with the falling leaves.  A flash of inspiration and she gets an idea!  She offers to rake leaves from her neigbours’ yards to earn some money.

A kind lady takes on her services.  The girl helps the lady through the different seasons – raking leaves in the autumn, clearing snow in the winter, planting seeds and cleaning out the garage in the spring and even walking the lady’s dog. 

Finally, there comes a day when she has enough money to get the bicycle.  Excitedly, she runs to the store.  But alas, the bicycle is gone!  It has already been sold!

Saddened by the futility of her efforts, she once again sits down to think, watching her little brother play with his toy bicycle.  Seemingly inspired by him, she gets another idea! 

What is her idea and what happens next?  You must ‘see’ the book to find out!

I like this book for the simple sketches that give us every sense of the girl’s feelings – joy, sadness, hope, a sense of achievement, shock, disappointment, gratitude.  

Even though the entire story is rendered in sort of a grayish-brown, black and white, one doesn’t miss the lack of colours at all.  The only thing depicted in colour is the green bicycle in question, besides of course, one scene where the red airplane (from the author-illustrator’s The Boy and the Airplane) makes an appearance.

As I flipped through the book observing the pictures, I reached a point when I thought the story was over.  But then when I finally turned to the last page, my heart was touched by the last illustration! 

Appropriate for 6+ years, this story is about not losing heart, learning to handle disappointments and solve problems, being kind and selfless and showing a sense of gratitude.  Be good and good things will happen to you.

BOOK REVIEW: Meddling Mooli and the Blue-Legged Alien by Asha Nehemiah, Sayantan Halder

I was at Higginbothams, Chennai, browsing the children's section for books by Indian writers when I stumbled upon this amusing read.  The author's name drew my attention to this book.  In the past I have read a couple of other good reads by her - "Mrs. Woolly's Funny Sweaters" and "The Mystery of the Secret Hair Oil Formula".  Asha Nehemiah has written several other wonderful books that I look forward to laying my hands on.  But for now here is her first book from the Meddling Mooli series.

Mooli (Murali) and Soups (Supriya) are best friends.  They follow a website called WAYOUTS (World's As Yet Original Untried Tricks and Stunts) and try to do some tricks of their own.  But this means chaos and trouble for the grown-ups!  Mooli's mother's kitchen is a mess, her list is gone and so is her electric beater.  How can she be filmed making her special cookies without her tools?

To win a prize on WAYOUTS, Mooli and Soups make a list of possible 'original' tricks.  One such trick is for a blindfolded Mooli to shoot a suction arrow on a spinning globe while calling out the name of the country it would land on.  But can anyone be successful without failing a few times?  

The arrows land everywhere, but on the globe - on Mrs.Mehta's dog, on a tree, a vacant balcony and even Mr.Reddy's forehead!  Worst of all, Mr.Reddy thinks the flowers from his garden are being stolen by Mooli and Soups! 

In their bid to prove themselves innocent, the two give Mr.Reddy a demo of how bad Mooli's aim is.  But instead Mooli's arrow makes it to the globe on the exact country he called out, much to their own surprise!  

Now all the kids must do is write to WAYOUTS about their success, along with a testimony from a witness.  And their only witness is Mr. Reddy!  But considering he still thinks they are the flower thieves, will he agree to give them a witness letter?

Will Mooli and Soups win a prize on WAYOUTS?  What do the Best Garden Competition, a video camera, a blue-legged alien, a toy remote-controlled airplane have anything to do with the rest of the story?  You can find out only if you read the book!!  

This book is appropriate for 7+.  

I liked this book because it is easy to read and has apt illustrations that go with the hilarious situations the characters find themselves in.  The story not only entertains, but also encourages children to try out new things, be responsible, accept disappointments and not give up.

BOOK REVIEW: Mala's Silver Anklets by Annie Besant, Nancy Raj

Look at the little girl on the cover and you can sense how mischievous and cute she is! 

Mala likes to sneak upon people - she upsets the cat, alarms her grandmother, frightens her little brother and scares the postman.  

One day, Mala's mother brings her a special gift - a pair of silver anklets!  Mala wears her new anklets and proudly walks around.  But soon she discovers a problem.  “Chik Chik Chum” the anklets make a sound everywhere she goes; when she tries to upset the cat, when she tries to alarm her grandmother, when she tries to frighten her little brother and when she tries to scare the postman.  Now the anklets tell everyone that she is coming!

Mala is disappointed.  What does she do?  Read the book to find out.

I was enamoured by the simplicity of the story and the perfect illustrations that show Mala to be what she is - clever, naughty and cute!

Another one of my favourites from Tulika Publishers, this book reminded me of my own dislike for silver anklets as a child.  Though it was not because of the same reason as Mala, I wore them only for very, very special occasions.

A fun read-aloud for little ones 3+ with its sound effects - Booooo, Hisssss, Muahahaha, Heehaw when Mala scares everyone and a melodious Chik Chik Chum for the anklets.  A great read for children 5+ as well.

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+.