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Written by Ruskin Bond and illustrated by Maya Ramaswamy, there is something about this picture book that makes it perfect for pandemic reading. Children need to keep their wonder for the world and their hopes alive. The book is written in the form of simple rhyming stanzas, the book celebrates the rebirth of every new day and the rejuvenation of nature. "Although so old, the world is young, and so are we," he writes. The images are stunning to read out loud and savor - waters freezing into towers of ice, maize streams and mangroves, lush grasslands and strutting peacocks. What is ingenious about this book is that the idea of rebirth and of the world renewing itself is communicated in such simple and lucid language that children like mine can immediately 'get' the truth of the book and the beauty that it wants to convey. Feast your eyes on the illustrations too! This book is my pandemic pick for sure. It gives you hope and joy.
This picture book is about Mithali Raj, the first player to score 6,000 runs in women's cricket. She has inspired many girls to take up cricket. A chance trip to her brother's cricket practice brings Mithali in touch with the cricket coach who encourages her to play too, and then there is no looking back! When Mithali discovers that she has serious chops to play cricket professionally, she practices and works harder than any other player her age.
What we love about this book is that Mithali is passionate about cricket. We all know that children who are enrolled in highly competitive sporting academies are so focused on winning that they forget why they fell in love with cricket in the first place. Not Mithali. She loves playing cricket in the morning, noon and night. I once saw a child practicing cricket in the pouring rain and I was amazed. Imagine loving something so much and looking forward every day to doing it? Some amazing facts about Mithali Raj - she is the captain of the Indian women's cricket team. She is the highest run-scorer in women's international cricket and the only female cricketer to surpass the 6000 run mark in women's ODIs. She has won so many more laurels but what I love most about Mithali? She is crazy about cricket!
Oh, how we love a Sudha Murty book! How the Onion Got its Layers is a fascinating story about a girl named Beena. Before Beena is born, Beena's parents ask the forest goddess for a boon - they want a child. The forest goddess grants them the wish but has one condition - that the child may be obsessed with clothes. The king and the queen agree but when Beena's love for clothes gets out of hand, Beena takes matters into her hands and goes to seek the forest goddess.
The illustrations are enchanting and lovely. And the real story about how the onion got its many layers.
My daughter loves history and she is obsessed with Sunita Williams, so we read this book in a single setting. In the book, a chance announcement on Neil Armstrong's voyage to the moon inspires Sunita to dream about traveling to space someday too! Apart from covering her childhood, the book also talks about her journey and stay in space. I love the ending of this book - truly goosebump inducing. Try it out!
This is truly a feast for children, especially those who loves such books and enjoy non-fiction. This beautiful book tells your child how to be a bird sleuth and identify birds, goon adventures with special record-keeping activities, and more. The book also teaches children how to listen to the sounds of birds and identify them. Full of drawing activities and fun things to do, this book is a fun and wonderful resource!
The story goes that when Ruskin Bond left school, he had his first story published and a year later, his first novel was accepted by a London publisher. As he was returning to India on a ship, he met a twelve-year-old girl named Koki, who shared her chocolates with him, when he told her that he did not have money for chocolates. Bond did not see Koki again but she appears and reappears in his stories from time to time, always a curious and kind twelve-year-old.
Koki's Song is Ruskin Bond's latest book, published by Harper Collins Children's Books and part of their Summer Reading List. The book begins when Koki visits her grandmother in a lonely old house by the riverbed. The house is not very far from the jungle, which is barricaded by a large wall.
One day, Koki hears music from behind the wall. She climbs over it and sees her a boy playing the flute so beautifully. The music captivates Koki and she strikes up a friendship with the boy. They don't speak to each other but they communicate. The boy, Somi, asks her to keep his flute for him until he returns from his shepherding duties. Koki hangs on to the flute, but then something happens. You will have to read the book to find out!
Koki's Song works on so many levels. It's a simple yet fascinating tale about friendship and discovery. We also love how Koki communes with nature without finding the need for talk or explain. When my daughter reads Ruskin Bond's descriptions of the flowers, trees, birds and mountain streams, she wants to go live in the midst of nature and away from the city!
Much like the quiet and steady stream that flows outside Koki's grandmother's house, the book is serene and mystical in its tone. The story and the descriptions of nature have something deeper in store for us as we read them. Koki and Somi don't speak much at all but they communicate in their own ways, through silence, music, nature, and even time. Children will carry Koki's Song in their hearts long after they have finished scanning the pages of the book. It is a great way for them to read between the lines for more.
We also wrote about another unforgettable children's book by Ruskin Bond, Tigers Forever. Do check it out!
