Book Review - Cave Baby

BOOK PICK OF THE WEEK - 22/09/2014

NAME OF THE BOOK - Cave Baby
AUTHOR - Julia Donaldson
ILLUSTRATOR - Emily Gravett
PUBLISHER - Macmillan Children's Books
AGE GROUP - 3 to 6

          In my last post I featured Roald Dahl for his birthday. So, this week, I will be featuring Julia Donaldson since she celebrated her birthday on 16th Sept. Julia Donaldson is the most loved author of children. She has written so many books of which The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom are well-known and liked by every kid. Today I have selected Cave Baby which is written by her and illustrated by Emily Gravett.

          Julia Donaldson is the recipient of Children's Laureate (2011-2013), a prestigious award conferred by the government of U.K. Emily Gravett is a two-time winner of the prestigious Kate Greenway Medal for her work in Wolves and Little Mouse's Big Book Of Fears.

          This time, my dear friend who blogs at The BubbleInk has reviewed this book HERE. So, folks, hop on to read her wonderful review. Don't forget to come back at the library and issue it!

Till next week,
Happy Reading!

Book Review - The Enormous Crocodile

BOOK PICK OF THE WEEK - 15/9/2014

NAME OF THE BOOK - the enormous crocodile
AUTHOR - Roald Dahl
ILLUSTRATOR - Quentin Blake
PUBLISHER - Puffin Books
AGE GROUP - Read-aloud : 6+, Read-alone : 8+

          13th September being Roald Dahl's birthday, I had to pick up his book for the coveted BOOK PICK OF THE WEEK. You do not need any introduction to Roald Dahl. The most-loved children's author, why do I say that?, (Because our new members always pick him up before trying anything new!), he has carved a place in everybody's heart.

          The enormous crocodile is a short novella about a humongous crocodile who decides one day to eat juicy children. She has reserved some tricks up her sleeve to entice the children to come near her. All the animals of the jungle are aware of how wicked she can be since she has already tried eating one child before but in vain. This time, each of the jungle animals tries to convince her to not go after the children but she doesn't listen. In turn, they call her 'horrendous, nasty, bitter, greedy, grumptious brute etc. But, she just ignores all of them, injuring a bird with long feathers and reaches at the town.

          What happens next is a full roller-coaster of humour. The crocodile disguises itself in various situations but all the other jungle animals come to save the innocent children from the ravenous beast.

          Quentin Blake truly made me stop reading at each page and admire his illustrations. He has illustrated the crocodile beautifully. Many things like a dragon, a coconut tree, a see-saw look real and do not look like a crocodile at all!

          A little longer than a picture book but truly, one reading at least recommended for the kids. Either read aloud to them in various tones or let them read quietly. You will surely see a smile on their faces after they finish it!

Till next week,
Happy Reading!




Image Courtesy : Google

Book Review - My grandfather

BOOK PICK OF THE WEEK - 8/9/2014

NAME OF THE BOOK - My grandfather
AUTHOR - Taruja Parande
PUBLISHER - Tulika Publishers
AGE GROUP - 7+

          Last Sunday, being Grandparents' Day, I could not come up with a more befitting book than this. A picture book, written by Taruja Parande, explores her unforgettable adventures and observations of her grandfather. 'It is a moving tribute to a grandfather from a loving granddaughter', so says the back cover.

          The author has written what her grandfather's interests were - dance, butterflies, pigeons, toast recipe etc. Stunning photographs by Palash make the book visually appealing. Filled with small anecdotes about his bedtime rituals or his scribblings, we are very much drawn into his life and how must life be in those ages!

          As Taruja puts it in her own words - 'My grandfather was not the president, not a scientist, not a hero, nor a saint. He was just very special because he was MINE'. Isn't that true for all of us?

          A perfect book which brought tears to my eyes reminiscing about my maternal grandfather after reading it! A must-read for us parents rather than children! Why I say this because the depth will be understood by us better than children! However, you can encourage them to make such a booklet about their grandparents! You may never know how they perceive your parents through their innocent eyes!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR -
Taruja Parande is a graphic designer with a passion for illustration. She lives and works in Bangalore.
This book was a result of a project which she worked on at the Industrial Design Centre, IIT Powai.

Till next week,
Happy Reading!

 

Book Review - The Best Days Of My Life

BOOK PICK OF THE WEEK - 1/9/2014

NAME OF THE BOOK - The best days of my life....childhood stories of famous people
AUTHOR - Scharada Dubey
PUBLISHER - Scholastic
AGE GROUP - 9 +


         We all know that September 5 is celebrated as Teacher's day in India on account of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan's birthday. My childhood was blessed with amazing teachers who shared their knowledge selflessly sowing in me the seeds for teaching. Seeing my teachers, I knew very early what I would like to choose as a profession. And today I am very happy to say that teaching is indeed a very noble profession and also which creates other professions!

          Teachers have a very important role in formative years of a student. Liking and favouring one subject is directly proportional to liking a teacher and being a teacher's pet! This is my experience and I'm sure you will agree with me.

          So, this week, I thought why not to inspire and influence our young readers with teachings and childhood lessons learnt by very famous people who walked this Earth? And therefore, I chose this book as this week's book pick.

         

          As the title suggests, this book contains a brief history about famous people and their childhood anecdotes explained in a simple language. The author has a done a great job of combining personalities from various fields of science, sports, education, literature, music, politics etc. Many stalwarts are included like - Gautama Buddha, Kabir, Mahatma Gandhi, J.R.D. Tata, Kapil Dev, Satyajit Ray etc. Not just Indian but foreign personalities also find a mention here - Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Neil Armstrong, Brian Lara etc.

          This is a very inspiring book and a must-read for children. I would also recommend it to parents. Read. Get inspired. Make a difference.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR -
          Scharada Dubey is an award-winning author of books for children and adults. She won the First Prize in the Commonwealth Essay Competition in 1973 and second place in Outlook-Picador Non-Fiction Competition in 2000. She has also won several prizes for her children's books. Her earlier books include Icons of Social Change and The Hanuman Heart. She lives and works in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh.

Till then,
Happy Reading!

August Star Rabbit Award!

STAR RABBIT AWARD - AUGUST

          Like last month, this month also we have chosen our Star Rabbit based on the maximum number of books read in August.

          And we are happy to announce that Miss Siya Mundle, 8 years, has reatained this title by reading a total of 7 books like last time.

          CONGRATULATIONS Siya and hope you achieve a hat-trick next month!

Till then,
Happy Reading!