Childrens Books

Eat Bright , Eat Right

2008-01-29T17:19:00.000-08:00

The kid in our home loves numbers. Tapping into that interest, I taught him (in pre-school) to read the serving size in labels. A lover of numbers, he sticks to the serving size: 18 small marshmallows, or 2 cream cookies, or 1 cereal bar.

Recently he asked me, "Mom, why are there no serving size for banana or baby carrot?"
"They are natural," I replied.
"What is natural?"
"Natural is when they grow on plants..."
"That is natural?"
"Well, we can also eat them raw."
"No. I don't think so."

I wondered about the source of confusion and asked, "Why do you think so?"
"Remember when you said nuts was natural? But the nuts have serving size listed on them."
"Ah..." I said.

Needless to say that we had a long conversation that evening about eating the 'right amount' of food.

And capitalizing on the interest in food, natural food, I introduced him to microwave cooking. He can now warm his milk, papad and popcorn. I was on the lookout for a book to capitalize the interest in cooking.

Cool Meals to Start Your Wheels: Easy Recipes for Kids to Cook

By Lisa Wagner

ABODO publishing, 2006.

It was a delightful introduction. The sharp, clear pictures showed us all the tools we already had in our kitchen. We had a lively discussion regarding use of knives.

And the colorful vegetables and ingredients are presented in an appealing manner. The presentation of cooking terms is colorful and the text crisp. Instructions for breaking an egg brought out a lot of laughter and imagination worked gears when we imagined how we would crack an ostrich egg and what we could do with it!

The biggest hit was frozen raspberry smoothie, although it is freezing and snowy outside! Easy to make and sweetly addictive. And the cranberry scones is another favorite. We have reserved the granola and breakfast parfaits for another time.

A small book with appealing introduction to cooking as an art, craft and science! Nice!

Now that we have introduced our little chef to some details of cooking (but he still cannot cut with a knife or heat on the stove), I am waiting to see what ideas will sprout next!

What is cooking in your kitchen today?

Juicy Math

2007-12-24T01:09:00.000-08:00

Love Math?

Or have a little one who loves it? Then it is best to look for something juicy to hook them. I have one at home who loves Math!

Here were my challenges:

A first grader with little patience, but lots of curiosity.
Loves something short, say 200 words.
Those words best grab, entertain and provide lots of fun.
It should have something new.
Something the first grader can read by himself (and after the first reading with a parent, take the book away to the room and entertain himself with it in leisure)
Not have too many pages.

Luckily for me, a wonderful book came to my rescue:

Title: The Grapes of Math

Author: Greg Tang

Publisher: Scholastic, 2001.

This wonderful counting book has it all! It has rhymes for text and the text is written as a riddle. Each riddle is less than 100 words. Wow!
The next best thing was the various setting the riddles were placed in. They were set in ocean, vineyard, lawn, desert, prairie, seashore and so on. Further to my utter delight, I saw that different animals were involved in each of these locations- snails, ants, fishes, prairie dogs and camels. But that was not all, two favorite things of kids were also illustrated in the book: dice and pizza! A sure winner here!
The crisp rhyme, that was easy to read the first time, but invited them to read again to comprehend will make many parents happy, especially those who are working on reading comprehension.
Here is a sample from the prairie dog page:
"Prairie dogs don't hunt or bark.
They won't protect you in the dark.

Instead they burrow, digging holes,
Making tunnels just like moles!

Can you count the empty mounds?
It's best to just subtract the hounds!"

And to let kids take lead in this effort, the book has solution in the last few pages.

This is not all. There are additional goodies hidden in the book (much to parents glee). The book provides a window for the kids to understand symmetry, counting by subtracting, and summing by multiplying, rather than by addition.

Harry Briggs's bright and imaginative illustration catches the eye of young and old alike. We enjoyed the expressions and the sketches of the locale.

Visit Greg's web page at: http://gregtangdev.com/

If you pick this book up, let me know what you think of it! Happy reading and counting!

Many ways to say it

2007-05-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

I recall a time from my childhood. My granny's cousin was renowed for his wit. Once he visited us with his wife. His wife wasn't far behind, although her humor was more evident when she was in the company of the family.

One day, she caught my cousin and me watching her, waiting for a joke from her. We continued to look at her, we didn't know what else to do. With a twinkle in her eye, she said, "I have a riddle for you! Can you solve it for me?"

"Sure!" we chorused with all the confidence of an 9-year old.

"Ok, listen to it. Here it comes...," she paused and waved her hands as if to materialize the puzzle (and we loved her mannerism).

"Some call her Ayee, some call her maayi. She also answers thayi and Madre. Infact she answers almost most names and calls. Who are we talking about?"

We wondered who it could be.

"Do you need time to answer this riddle?" she asked.
We nodded.

Later that afternoon, she saw us playing around, having forgotten all about the riddle.

"I will tell you the answer to the riddle," she said, "if you will give me something."

"You can have this," we said, giving her the red seeds of Pavonia we were playing with.

"Those are different names for Mother!"

"Mother? That was simple!" we said.

And we all enjoyed a good laugh.

I recalled this incident when I read the book:

Names for Snow

Written by Judi K. Beach

Illustrated by Loretta Krupinski

Hyperion Books

The entire book is based on a single, stunning fact. The Inuits have more than 50 names for snow.

How to bring that to the children around the world?

How about as two bunnies, with terrific details and color in the drawings, and rhyming verses.

We call it

Welcome in November

goes the text

and other names include: wings of white butterflies, kitten that sleeps in the crook of a window, snow lace, eyelet.... and so on.

This delightful book is a source of wonder for young readers.

That brings me to the theme: how many of us answer how many names...and why not write about it!

Good luck with it!

Yahoo! Cowboy here!

2007-04-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

I have a secret.

Even when I was studying for my doctoral degree, I was enthralled by the alphabet books! I love to read ABC books. To me, it is one quick way to learn about a subject.

Take this book:

The Cowboy ABC

Written and illustrated by Chris Demarest

A DK Ink Book

For green horns, who don't know known what an Appaloosa or Buckaroo could be, this book is a wonderful way to learn it.

As for kids, they will love the easy read, great pictures, and has a story to tell.

The story of a cowboy who hits the trail and gets down to his job, all alone at times.

This book surely hooked me firmly back into ABC books!

Learn more about the author: http://www.childrenslit.com/f_demarest.html

The Joy of a Genius

2007-04-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

What could be the joy of a writer? Having words pour forth without any pause for inspiration. It flows, floods, and swamps the heart. For a writer, writing is a way of life.

Every profession has its joy. What could be the joy of a genius? Inventions of course.

Meet a young inventor in the book:

The story of chopsticks

Written by Ying Chang Compestine

Illustrated by Yong Sheng Xuan

Holiday House

It all began when a young boy was hungry. A slow eater, he had to work quickly to get his share.

The Kang family had three boys: Pan, Ting, and Kuai. All the boys loved to eat, especially the youngest, Kuai. Yet Kuai......was always hungry.

And with a stroke of a genius, Kuai picked up two twigs and began to eat hot, delicious food.

Soon its use was spread to the village and throughout the country. Until the emperor used it!

The colorful, bold, and traditional illustrations are perfectly suited for the story.

I don't know how much of this story is true to history, but it is an enjoyable story that allows every child to understand that their creative solutions are welcome in the world.

Every child is a genius, an inventor, an artist, and a scientist until parents step in to 'guide' them!

I struggle everyday to nurture this genius in my child. Only time can tell if I have succeeded.

Imagination Inspiration

2007-04-22T19:43:00.000-07:00

Often, when I try my hand in fiction, I wonder why my imagination is dry. I used to be an imaginative kid. Nothing more than normal, but I was imaginative alright. My son always talks of things with excellent imagination. For a struggling fiction author, this is awesome inspiration station.

I recently came across this book that took me straight to the imagination zone.

Star climbing

Written by Lou Fancher
Illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher

Laura Geringer Books
(Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers)

The opening electrified me:

On nights I cannot sleep,
I go star climbing

And the picture of a child standing in front of an open window with countless stars on a clear night is a powerful image.

The story only gets better.

The child now tiptoes over clouds, leaps from star to star, toss a star, dive into golden pool, until sleep gently closes the eyes...

Until the child wakes up to the most beautiful lines..

To the glowing sun...and day...and home.

With etheral pictures, the short text is a delightful read for new readers and seasoned readers.

This is a book to treasure.

Need an inspiration jump?

Pick this up for a riot of imagination that leaps, grabs and keeps on generation endless ideas.

What is your favorite way to pick up your imagination?

Rags to Treasure

2007-03-29T19:28:00.000-07:00

I remember the winter my grandma gave me a red long skirt that belonged to my aunt. So many girls had worn that silk long skirt before me. Yet, in my eyes it was new. I found no wear or tear in the red silk or the green gold-thread border. And it was just the right length. I adored the skirt! I wore it for many years.

As a teenager, I learned that every family had the tradition of hand me downs, at least with women. In some families it was with heirloom jewels or silver. In other families it was cookware. Many of my cousins inherited property.

The book I read today reminded me of all the hand-me-downs, I had. The list was not too long, as I tend to be selective about what I accept from folks. My storage space is limited and that helps me to do it too. At the end of the list, I recalled the most precious hand-me-down I had. I could not forget that I had to thank my genes, the perfect cocktail of genes that gave me the life and prevented me from dying in the womb.

Read the picture book:

Ragsale

Written by Artie Ann Bates
Illustrated by Jeff Chapman-Crane

Houghton Mifflin Company

I liked the texture of this tale. Several strands of unique ideas were woven into this story. I admired that it showcased an entirely feminine tradition woven around the rag sale hunt that took place every Saturday. The story is stratlingly original and fresh when I came across unique names like Jessann and Mamaw, the information about their life was woven without expending more words than necessary.

Consider this passage:

"Billie Jo stays longest in the books, shelving through paperbacks with torn edges. We find National Geographic and look at pictures of young'uns in bright clothes from islands we can't pronounce. Once we found one about our mountains. It showed a woman crossing the creek on a log footbridge, carrying a basket."

The story transports us to a time when the concept of recycling clothes was not a big deal- it was merely a part of their life. I love the spirit of the women who wasted nothing and were determined to use every resource to the last drop.

Artie is a writer, teacher, physician living in Kentucky.

The beautiful, soft illustrations by Jeff Chapman are amazingly alive and full of character. The lighting and the details are amazingly vivid, as if it was a photograph.

I am thankful that I read this book. It gave me a deep sense of gratitude when I recalled all the hand me downs I had.

How about you?

Senses and Sensations

2007-03-18T20:42:00.000-07:00

My favorite time of the year is when I see precipitation. Snow, rain, dew, hail and even fog fill me with joy. Luckily for me, weather is happening all the time.

For a long time, I did not question the reason for this.

Then, one summer we went through a drought. White, fluffy clouds sailed by.

I thought about what I missed the most about the rain that year. The smell of rain falling on the dry, crisp earth raised a satisfactory smell. The cool drops of rain, a sky shower, quenched my skin. To hear the pitt-pitter-patter on the rain on the leaves never fails to remind me to dance. And the drops of water falling on my tongue is ever so sweet. Rain was an experience that never failed to fill my senses. It was a complete, totally satisfying experience.

A book I read today took me to the same place, although it is played by different characters.

Rain

Written and Illustrated by Manya Stojic

Crown Publishers

If you are looking for a bold book, filled with exotic creatures, and life, this is it. I realized that I was still partly animal as I read the book. I enjoy the rain, although I don't use my senses to track rain.

Animals in African Savanna use their senses to track the upcoming far away storm. A porcupine smells and sniffs the air. Then, the spectacular lightning display that are seen by the zebras. Baboons howl at the roaring thunder. The rhinos feel the first drops and rain is there...

Every kid loves a puddle. Every kid loves the rain!

This is a wonderful book that educates and entertains.

What is your favorite season?

Read author Biography: http://www.pfd.co.uk/illustrators/artists/showbiog.py?manya_stojic

Playing Life

2007-03-09T06:02:00.000-08:00

Do you remember the time we played? It will probably take you back to your childhood. As a child we played at everything. We played to eat, played to bathe, played to read, played to play. The world was one large playground. Nothing was serious enough to wipe that smile from the face. Smile, grin, giggle, laugh, and laughing until we cried was the way we lived.

Primatologists say that large primates are like us in many ways. And they show that if parents are playful, the child develops confidence and becomes an achiever. The more rules, the didactic parents are, the more nervous and uncertain the child becomes. Playing develops curiosity, enhances the opportunities to solve problems, and help in the confidence building in various levels.

Today I read a book that reminded the child in me to go out and play. What if my peers will not play with me? The trees will play with me, the birds that feed in the bird feeder will chirp the news from the world with me. I only need to go to the library or playground to see and hear more playing kids.

This book brought to me the serious lapses I have as a parent. Love, patience, and understanding go a long way in retaining the child in me and my child. Today, I promise to nurture it.

Treasure Hunt

Written by Allan Ahlberg

Illustrated by Gillian Tyler

Candlewick Press

The opening passages of the book sets the mood of this wonderful story:

Tilly loves treasure hunting.
Each morning Tilly's mom hies Tilly's breakfast banana somewhere in the kitchen.
And Tilly hunts for it, and hunts for it... and finds it.
“My Treasure!” cries Tilly.

Dad engages Tilly by hiding her bunny somewhere in the garage. On somedays he hides it in the garden. Granny hides her chocolate money...imagine the wonderful experiences for the child. The simplicity of the experiences will blow us away. The depth of love, respect, dignity in each of these interactions is enormous. It is filled with potential that the child believes in many things- especially that she is special.

Towards bed time, Tilly is hiding! What fun parents have searching for the child!

With soft, beautiful illustrations and well spaced text, the book is a classical treasure. My son loved it! He read it twice! It was pages and pages of his philosophy of life, one that he has been trying to teach me since his birth!

More and more kids are single children. Parents end up providing companionship and double up as teachers. What a wonderful world it is for children to explore and experience!

Play with something today- it could even be laughing at our seriousness or fears. Just laugh and play with it. Soon you will conquer it.

Measures For Life

2007-03-02T20:50:00.000-08:00

I remember when I learned to tell time from the clock. It was in my grandpa's house and on an antique clock with four hands. The hour, the minute, the second, and one for an alarm that no one knew how to set or shut off. It went off at 4 am every morning and 4 pm every evening. The bell sounded one enormous gong.

Looking back, I think I associated the 4 pm, the gong with the snack time. It was usually the time kids were allowed to go outdoors to play after an enforced afternoon siesta. I was not the one to nap, but staying indoors was not my idea of spending a hot summer day.

Telling time was definitely a mile stone.

Being able to use correct units of measurement is a milestone.

Kids have books to make this experience a fun to learn from these days.

How Tall, How Short, How Faraway

By David A. Adler

Illustrated by Nancy Tobin

Holiday House

Although the book is not aimed for Kindergarten students, we had plenty of fun trying to read it and apply it to things around the house.

Inevitable were torpedo questions from the Kindergärtners kitty- How does ant measure the foot? Which foot does he count? A kindergarten student in my home thought that using feet to measure was really cool. And so we were stuck on that point.

The book itself is refreshing. To see maths, and basic maths, that is very confusing for most people explained in simple, unambiguous terms is wonderful. Chances that any adult remembers these units in everyday life (outside of being a teacher or involved in science) are poor. And having the clear, simple explanation of metric units and customary units is priceless.

“Inches and centimeters, feet, yards and meters, miles and kilometers, are just different ways of measuring the same length and distance.”

The author also provides a conversion table in the end.

Nancy Tobin's bold, and wonderful pictures, especially of the Greeks and Romans, will bring out a few giggles without doubt. It is these little diversions that break the monotony of learning and allow insights to happen as we work in real life.

It is fun, interesting, and it will be exciting to practically do these tests and little experiments with our children in our everyday life.

I am for it! Any other takers?

Visit the Author's inspiring website: http://www.davidaadler.com/

Stringing Memories

2007-02-27T21:35:00.000-08:00

I remember a friend, people called her Mad Alka. She was talented, passionate, and totally involved in what she did. Her friends were the plants and trees in the neighborhood. She lived the life of a spinster, tolerated for her eccentricities, but never appreciated for her talents. As many women in her generation, she learned to be shy and disappear from any kind of attention.

Our friendship blossomed when I tried some experiments on Touch-me-not plant. I was too engrossed about studying the response time, and watching if bees that landed on the flowers also triggered the same leaf close response and measuring seed set and so on. Unknown to me, Alka had been watching me. And one afternoon when a couple of boys came to stamp put my plants (for they were weeds growing in the pavement cracks), I entered into a verbal duel. Then almost magically, they melted away.

I turned to look around and saw Alka. She was a scary sight. An emancipated woman with gray hair and huge black eyes made me shiver. Her voice, touch, and her words were soothing and sweet. And a friendship formed between us. It only worked when Alka was in mood, but she taught me one thing. To keep exploring life, watch out for plants, for the fascinating experiences that it provides us.

Uncertain, afraid, and out of our depth, we each live through those times and find our feet when we emerge through the life changing experience.

Today, I felt every emotion of the little Laura when I read her story.

The Memory String

By Eve Bunting

Pictures by Ted Rand

Clarion Books

Laura has a new step mother. She is not sure if she should like her or not. Laura has a special string, a string of buttons. It was a memory string created by the women in the family. Each button in the string had a story behind it. Laura often talks about it to her only audience...her cat.

Then one day, the horrible thing happens. The string breaks. The buttons get scattered all over. Jane, Laura's new step mother, helps her find the buttons. She even offers to help Laura re-string it. And when one special button is missing, Jane searches the lawn until she can find it.

Laura has little chance against the sweep of time and events.

And isn't the string for recording new memories too?

With beautiful pictures, the story is a page turner. The ending left me pregnant with a thought and idea.... Yes, change is the way of life. Everything grows up and changes.

We have no option to keep up with it!

Read more about the works of the Prolific Author: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/eve-bunting/

A great interview with the author; http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/bunting

More about Eve Bunting: http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/11863/Eve_Bunting/index.aspx

No, Only Me. Not Her!

2007-02-24T21:38:00.000-08:00

I remember when I got my first doll, a toy I wouldn't share with anyone. No one, not even my mother could touch it. And heaven forbid if anyone did it! I would throw a real tantrum. Nasty one too.

The book I read today expressed the same brand of possessiveness. Although typical of childhood, we all carry shades of it well into our adulthood. We hear it when a mother says that her child will not like others touch, we hear it when a mother-in-law tells her daughter-in-law that her son loves nothing more than her cooking, we hear it when a youngman praises his car without a break.

Makes us wonder where it all began.

Blackboard Bear

Written and Illustrated By Martha Alexander

Candlewick Press

This book is a picture book classic. It was a great hit when it was first published in 1969. The reason for the success is simply the very reason every picture book gets published:

1.It explores an universal childhood theme that will never go out of fashion
2.The words are few
3.A child discovers his own worth
4.Paintings are made with soft colors that warm many hearts
5.The satisfaction of seeing resolution to a problem

The story opens when the littlest person in the family is all set to join the game with the bigger guys.

Can I play?
Of course not. You're too little.
You can't use a bow and arrow.
You can't lasso anyone.

What is the little one to do?

Cry?
Sulk?
Tell tale?

This little one is plucky. He invents his own, rather unlikely companion.

A blackboard bear!

Now the world wants to pet the bear.

Can we hold the leash?

Of course not. He only lets me hold it.

Yes, it is payback time now!

Ah, ha! It is payback time in a big way!

Reminds me to try this next time with people who react with a certain attitude or in a possessive way.... won't it be fun to see the look on their faces?

Visit the author's webiste at:

http://www.geocities.com/scbwihawaii/members/alexander-m/alexander_m.html

The Magic of Old Tales

2007-02-21T20:11:00.000-08:00

Some days are so good they should never end.

If I was to pick some of my favorite days, it would be the summer vacation days we spent in my grandpa's home in Kerala. After playing in the sun or outdoors the whole day, we would be too tired to eat.

Granny had other tricks up her sleeve. In a large vessel, she mixed yogurt and rice and with a bit of pickle, she would call us, “How would you like to listen to a story?”
Sure enough, we would all sit around her in a circle and stretch out our washed hands.

Into each of the tiny palms in front of her, she would place a small ball of rice. The story of ghosts, demons, kings, queens, forest animals, domestic animals, temple animals, greedy people, nice folks and many more tumbled out of her. Today, I am certain that it is all her creation, she was a story teller who spell bound us until not a morsel remained in the vessel.

Much before the end of the story, many of us washed our hands after eating and curled up to sleep. It is the best memory- of a story, of a person, of a time, of food, and of childhood.

Today I read a book that took me to the same place.

Runnery Granary

Written by Nancy Farmer

Illustrated by Jos A. Smith

Greenwillow Books

The Runnery couple ran a mill and a granary. She ran the granary. Imagine their shock when grain started to disappear!

Was it Weevils? They put in tons of spider. But spiders all ran away.
Was it rats? Cats ran away scared.
Who could it be?

Guess who knew the answer...Granny Runnery!

Beautiful, detailed pictures add to the pleasure of reading this book.

When I shared the book with my son, we shared the magic of my own childhood.

The suprize ending to this wonderful story opened many threads of discussion.

Read the author's interview at: http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/african_history/97782

A short author's biography: http://www.bookhelpweb.com/authors/farmern/farmer.htm

Contrasts in life

2007-02-18T19:48:00.001-08:00

As a child, I remember travelling to my grandma's village with complete openess and curiosity. I was interested in everything, trees, grass, cows, fields, the deep well, the story of the haunted house, and to see the lake where the cow drowned...everything and anything that was spoken of was interest to me.

In retrospect, when I think of my son's reaction when we went to India, it seemed that he was unsure of many things. I realize that culture is important for understanding the limit, ways, and manners of the people.

How is it for a child to grow up in a world of contrasts? The relaxed life in the country and the people-filled life of the city present unique challenges and learning opportunites. Especially in cases where parents have to stay apart for the career, due to caregiving for an aging relative, divorce, or because they each like their places, it is important to let a child feel loved and wanted.

To & Fro
Fast & Slow

Written and Illustrated by Durga Bernhard
Walker & Company, New York

With few words and wonderful pictures, Durga explores the contrasts in a child's life. In many ways, we are living that life everyday. We are formal in our work place, and with most of our acquintances and friends. We are informal at home, and totally nuts when our parents and family are around.

Reading this book brought out the discussion of our trip to India, and I really wished I had come across this book to prepare him for the differences in life there. The contrast, after a year, is still vivid in his mind. Together we discussed, hypothetically and superficially, how different places in country and city would look. We also discussed how not to feel strange in any place: just find one thing that is familiar and you can make an association with.

Wonderful words, colorful pictures and lots of meaning for parents.

Visit the authors website at: http://www.durgabernhard.com/

It's the season!

2007-02-09T20:30:00.000-08:00

All of us are tired of the flu season. It hit us pretty bad too. We are now limping back to normal.

I wondered how to teach my son about germs.

I found a wonderful book...not really a picture book, but one that has all the right ingredients. It rhymes, it has pictures, and doesn't say 'don't do it.'

Try a rap or hip-hop with it. It is really fun!

And the best part is, the book doesn't once say 'don't!' Parents know that the phrase triggers all kinds of experiments and variations on the theme.

Germs! Germs! Germs!
Written by Bobbi Katz
Illustrated by Steve Bjorkman
Scholastic

Although it is meant for the grade classes, kindergarteners and Pre-schoolers can enjoy this book.

The book opens with a germ of an idea:

Every germ thinks it's just grand
to hop in a mouth on a dirty hand

Remember the familar refrain we can't help repeating like a broken record..Don't pick nose, don't chew...

Here is how the author tackles it. I like the idea

Who else helps germs? Do you know?
Nose-picker!
Pencil-Chewer!
Ho, ho, ho!

When I read it with my son, he understood and got the idea at once. Following the idea is something else...

Germs jump as colorfully drawn monsters. Some are scary, especially if kids are prone to study illustrations closely. Kids of various shapes and colors are depicted doing the 'no' things. Totally in tune with the way kids think!

Visit the authors wonderful website:

http://www.bobbikatz.com/

View along the mountain

2007-02-02T22:08:00.001-08:00

I recall a time when we went mountain climbing. It was fun to see the familiar landmarks shrink into miniscule objects while new ones gained prominence. It was then that I made a discovery.

What I carried within me was the only companion on my life long journey.

After many years, I discovered a picture book that spoke the same voice.

Henry Climbs a Mountain

Written and Ilustrated By D.B. Johnson

Houghton Mifflin Company

This is a truly amazing book in many respects. It is a story with many layers. I could simply read it out to my son, who thought it was a funny story that had shades of Harold and the Purple Crayon, and yet not the same.

To adults, this book brings out, without breaking the flow, an incident in the life of Thoreau, the American philospher who was jailed for his civil disobedience. It shows imagination, creativity, and other fantastic aspects of a single incident in the life of this Philosopher. It is a book filled with fantastic illustrations, yet the text can be interpreted as both simple and complex, depending on the age and maturity of the reader.

Here is a sample from the book:

"As he drew up the wall, he sang a song: The bear goes over the mountain, The bear goes over the mountain, The bear goes over the mountain, To see what he can see."

Visit authors website at: http://www.henryhikes.com/

Smart minds

2007-01-31T20:33:00.000-08:00

My aunt was a teacher. She had special ways to bring us out of our tantrums and moods. One of her favorite ways to do this was to use a joke or a riddle. It was the riddles that always got me. The siller they were, the longer I took to solve them. Gradually, I learnt to relax and enjoyed her ways.

I recall some of my favorite riddles even today.

Here is a favorite one:

What has green lips, pink mouth and black teeth?

Guess Again

Riddle poems by Lillian Morrison
Illustrated by Christy Hale

With selections from human body, nature, city, and weather, the book is particularly effective with preschoolers and kindergartners who loved to tell a riddle or a joke.

We enjoyed many of them in the book and tried out our own variations. Some of them got out of hand!

Some of our favorites from the book are:

They have tongues
but they can't talk with you.
They have no legs
but they can walk with you.

That one was fun!

The pictures bring the solutions in plain sight, yet somehow, it is hidden for the kids. After a couple of riddles, they get smart!

What are your favourite riddles? What memories do they bring for you?

Visit the link for author nio: http://www.phschool.com/atschool/literature/author_biographies/morrison_l.html

Ways of the young

2007-01-25T18:19:00.000-08:00

I went for a walk on a rain-soaked foggy afternoon into the nearby forest. It was frigid and I could hardly see anything in front of me.

I halted to watch a wild boar with her piglets. There were eight of them, chasing the mother, squealing and demanding. They ran around and about her, trying their best to stop her in her tracks. Seasoned as she was, she dodged them all. Every one of them, and sallied forward. I thought she won, perhaps she did too. For out of the bush rushed a piglet squealing headlong into her. Stunned, the mother stopped and all the piglets latched on to feed!

Aren’t the ways of the young unique? Running out of patience with them is easy. All parents experience it. Yet, patience is a way of life for parents.

Lost in the woods

By Carl R. Sams II & Jean Stoick

Carl R. Sams II Photography, Inc.

Patience of the mother and the instinct of survival in a fawn is the focus of this luscious book. A new born fawn is alone. Is she lost?

All the creatures in the woods are concerned. But the fawn knows her mother is nearby, watching…and the fawn learns to use his spots, to hide.

The spring life in the woods with birds, insects, and creatures are all woven into the wonderful story.

We went over this picture book about three times. There were details to spot, and words to read and pictures that conveyed more than words.

Visit the websites: www.strangerinthewoods.com

Untold stories

2007-01-24T05:13:00.000-08:00

Every summer when we visit my grandma, she would have a bundle of stories to tell us. Grandma’s stories seldom varied, but she allowed us to pepper the oldies with our imagination.

Kids often do the same thing too. Need to be creative and inventive is timeless!

Goldie and the three bears

Written and Illustrated by Diane Stanley

HarperCollins

Here is a girl, who knows her mind and loves her bears. The plot gets interesting with a simple mistake- Goldie gets off the wrong stop from the school bus.

She walks up to a home, to call her mom you know.

And meet the familiar three bear story.

But there is a new twist and a surprise ending!

Delightful color illustrations down to the perfect toes and fingers drew a lot of interest from my son. Although it was a ‘girl’ story, there was a bear and an adventure and a friend.

The text is smooth and simple.

Action packed sentences left us breathless….

The minute Baby Bear hit the bed, Goldie went flying. When Goldie landed, Baby Bear went flying.

Visit the author’s website at: www.dianestanley.com

Read other picture biographies by the same author.

A sentence story

2007-01-21T19:34:00.000-08:00

In the past I wrote poems. I loved the feel of economy when I used few words to convey what I wanted.

Once, probably when I was ten, our family was going through a lot of problems. One uncle passed away, my mother fell seriously sick, I met with an accident and nearly lost my legs, and troubles in many ways just attached to us. I remember that I wrote a long poem about it all, in perfect rhyming verse. I mailed it out to people who had encouraged to me: my maternal grandfather and my aunt. Neither wrote back. That was the last poem I wrote in a long time.

When I began to write again, years later, I was in high school. I was writing stories that were either tragic or romantic. During this time, I wrote a short story that was only a sentence long, about 200 words. I asked my friends to read it; they were all flabbergasted at my audacity to attempt it. I don’t know what I did with the story, may be I still have it somewhere. May be not. But sentence stories unfailingly triggers this memory!

When my son began to read, one of the first books he read all by himself (after I had read it to him many times) was Rosie’s walk.

Rosie’s Walk

Written and Illustrated by Pat Hutchins

Macmillan Publishing Company

This timeless classic is a treasure for posterity. I have enjoyed reading this book over and over again. I will read it again and again. Even for a writer and reader, the book is a source of endless fun.

Who cannot remember a sentence?

And what fun that one sentence can be!

It begins …

Rosie the hen went for a walk

It ends with…

and got back in time for dinner.

Imagine what can be included in between!

And did I mention that there is not a word wasted on the villain of the story.

Consider the concepts introduced: inside-outside, under-over, around-above.

My son and I loved to look at the snail hidden in the grass, and examine every detail of the pictures from the pear on the trees to the blades of grass. We buzzed loud when the bees were a thick crowd and lowered our buzz when the crowd was thin! We still enjoy the book. It has always remained fresh.

The genius of the author always leaves me breathless!

Get to know the author better:

Visit her website at:

http://www.titch.net/

http://www.carolhurst.com/authors/hutchins.html

A to Z of the library

2007-01-18T21:02:00.000-08:00

As a child, the musty smell of books always thrilled me. Yep, I was one strange kid. I spent hours just sitting among the books, even before I could read.

Every summer we went to our Granma’s place. When the noise of living and romping got too much, I headed to an old library. O! What a place! The place has the best musty smell in my memory. The books were all leather bound and heavy. I sat there breathing in the air and watching the light and dust put on their light show for me. Several senior citizens gave me indulgent, toothless grins. Then, one of my cousins would come to fetch me home.

The library in America is a different place. I hardly smell anything musty any more (except may be in the University library). How to introduce the library, its usefulness, the rules, and the routine to kids? Read this book with them.

“L” is for Library

Written by Sonya Terry

Illustrated by Nicole Wang

As soon as I finished reading this book for the first time, I recalled a story my teacher often told me in India.

It was India before her independence from the British colonial rule. Gandhi started a project to bring basic literacy to people. Several young people volunteered their service for the program and served in small hamlets and villages.
One young volunteer complained, “Bapu, the villagers hate the alphabets! How can I teach them to read or write?”
Bapu, father, was the title given as a token of affection for Gandhi by the students.
“Daughter,” replied Gandhi, “What do your villagers grow?”
“Cotton, Bapu!”
“There is your answer!” replied Gandhi with a big laugh.
“What do you mean?”
“First, write the word cotton. Once they get that, separate each alphabet. Build word games with only those alphabets. Then, give them riddles, songs. They will be reading and writing in no time.”
The approach was a success!

To introduce the Library, the author begins with a known concept. The alphabets! Every preschooler and kindergartner can sing it, and perhaps write it.
With that familiar tool, the author introduces new information for concepts.

Here is an example:

D is for the Dewey Decimal System, which helps us organize.

W is for the World Wide Web, full of electronic information.

Nothing is a taboo here. History, technology, biography, and genres are introduced in a smooth manner.

As we read the book, my son had a lot of questions and we ended up discussing each page for a long time. It was worth it, because of the lovely pictures with pleasant colors, and the action cat in the middle of it all, needed closer attention!

What a lovely gift from a school librarian to the children around the world!

Enlightened Living

2007-01-16T21:31:00.000-08:00

It was one of those monsoon days with water up to knees. I was struggling to hold my books, bag, and balance my umbrella. In the middle of my balancing act, I saw a poster of the Dalai Lama smiling at us all.

“Yes,” I muttered to the picture, “you sure can laugh at our plight.”

I looked closer and it did not seem to be like He was laughing. In fact he was smiling. It was not the kind of smile that a joke would draw out. It was not the smile of smugness. For many days I remembered the smile and said to myself, no, the smile was not like that. I could only define it in the negative.

About a month later I understood that it was His inner sense of joy and freedom that shone on the face. That unlimited joy or bliss is called enlightenment.

In many ways I am still in the same place in my life. I can define a lot of things, events, people, and circumstances in the negative. I can say what it is not. I cannot find words to say what it is. If I can change this one thing, then, I will be enlightened and express it!

What could an enlightened life mean or bring?

This wonderful book talks about it.

Su Dongpo
Written and Illustrated by Demi
Lee and Low Books

This picture book is for middle grade readers, young adults and adults. The matchless pictures and flawless text add to its classic value. The pictures have liberal use of gold that gives them unique mood and setting. Each picture evokes the emotion and took me back to the time.

The text is filled with poetry and quotes from the Chinese Philosophy. Some of these have become sayings and proverbs in modern times.
One of my favorite (and I have heard my teacher say it many times):

The wise man teaches without words
Governs without making claims,
and controls without making pressure,
and so everyone will flourish

From: Tao Te Ching

The life of the 11th century genius, Su Shih who went on to become a scholar, statesman, and writer is depicted through pictures and words. The ups and downs in his life and his fortitude are all remarkable.

His attitude towards achievement and success makes sense only in the light of eastern philosophy of life and living-all life has the same spark of energy that human beings possess and deserved to be treated with love and care. Success and failure are states of circumstances like rain and ice are different states of water.

Su Dongpo writes:
There is not much difference in the actual happiness
of living a luxurious life and a simple one.

Anyone who reads the book will read it again and again, not only for the pictures, but also for the lyrical treasures in it.

Consider these lines:

Coming through the mountain pass near the end of his journey, Su Dongpo stood on a mountain peak so close to the clouds and sky that he felt a part of them and that his life was a living dream.

I plan to read it in leisure and experience the beauty of the words and pictures of this timeless classic. And return to it again and again.

Learn more about the author:

http://www.ucalgary.com/~dkbrown/k6/demi.html
http://www.yourlibrary.ws/childrens_webpage/e-author92001.htm

Her gold-leaf paintings and mosaics appear not only in books, but also in the dome of St. Peter and Paul's Church in Wilmington, California.

Penny Wise

2007-01-15T07:07:00.000-08:00

I remember a time in our middle school exhibition. I wanted to buy a stuffed toy. It was too good to ignore! The only thing that stood between me and the toy was a quarter.

For the first time, the truth of my mother’s constant chant, hit me, “Think before you spend. Money serves only as long as you watch it.”

Determined to buy the toy, I needed to earn some money. First I spoke to the teacher at the toy stand and told her that my heart had been set upon it. Could she tell me a way to earn the quarter I needed?

Sure, she said, go and blow the balloons.

I had to blow 50 balloons for the quarter I needed. When I was done, my mouth tasted of rubber, my lungs were tired, but my heart soared. The tiny stuffed bear was my favorite for many years. But the lesson, every penny counts, stayed with me for life.

The Penny Pot
Written by Stuart J. Murphy
Illustrated by Lynne Cravath

HarperCollins

This is a delightful picture book in every respect. The text is smooth and rich like the chocolate kids love to eat. The problem is presented in the first page.

“More than anything else, Jessie wanted to get her face painted. It cost 50 cents.”

Now, for the sticky part…..to explain many different ways 50 cents can be counted, using only dimes, nickels, and pennies.

Penny waits for her friends to put in some extra coins they had into the penny pot. The different combinations are explored when friends take out their money and count. This is a simple, effective and imaginative way to present money math.

Although it is recommended for age 7 and up, I used it with my five year old for two things. First, to teach how different denominations of coins look (and we also had a practical sample) and second, it dawned to him slowly that 3+3=6 is not just simply math (for nothing, as he put it) but was useful to count money.

We pretended to play shop and had fun shopping and adding up all our money. The first few times we just offered a piece of paper for the amount we shopped for. Then, we began to ask which is more which is less, do I have enough more or is the cost of the things I bought more? After we did the more, less, or equal, we did some budgeting (not popular) and tired to understand how to choose items within the money we have.

One of these days, after the snow clears up, I plan to take him to a real store and give him five dollars and see how it goes!

That reminds me to change some numbers in my budget! Happy shopping with your kids!

The author’s book, Henry the fourth, is another favorite in our home.

Visit the author’s website at: http://www.stuartjmurphy.com/

For the curious

2007-01-13T21:33:00.000-08:00

I have never been the one to solve mysteries. I remember reading many Agatha Christie, Nancy Drew, and not even the famous five of Enid Blyton trying to solve the crimes. I read a lot of books in mystery genre, including Alfred Hitchcock and Sherlock Holmes, but never cracked any of them. I was more fascinated by how the authors weaved their stories and scattered clues around. Despite those clues, I was completely clueless as I turned the pages!

It has been freezing cold here for the last couple of days, but something has kept us all occupied and busy. It is a picture, mystery book.

The Eleventh Hour

Written and Illustrated by Graeme Base

Harry N. Abrams

It is a unique picture book. The clues are in rhymed verses that form the text. The pictures are detailed, breathtaking, and filled with unsuspecting clues.

Harold, the Elephant is having a costume party for his birthday. He cooks lots of food and plans every detail of the party.

“The games began at 8:05 – a sack race marked at the start,
With sacks of every size and shape, so everyone took part….”

They all play many different games, and at the 11th hour they find all the food has disappeared!

Can you help Harold solve this mystery?

This is a truly amazing book that will inspire even the non-readers to pick up this book and get cracking. And with long winter ahead and cold days, this book promises to be a reliable entertainer.

Visit the author’s website at: http://www.graemebase.com/Home.cfm

No, Not a Noun!

2007-01-11T22:10:00.000-08:00

Yes, a noun. I remember how abstract and difficult it was to learn the rudiments of English grammar. My grandfather, an English teacher, must have had many painful strokes when I ignored the language.

One day, during our walk, he pointed at the red hibiscus flower and a spider hunter probing it. We watched it for a while and he simply said, “Hibiscus. Flower. Spider hunter. Tree…Nouns. Me, I, we…people nouns, pro-nouns….”

Then we walked all the way home talking about other things. That was the first lesson in English grammar that made sense to me.

If we want to connect with our kids and still teach them rudiments of grammar, there is another way to do it. We can read books that sing to them.

This book:

A Lime, a Mime, a Pool of slime: More about Nouns

Written by Brian P. Cleary
Illustrated by Brian Gable

Millbrook Press

What makes the book catchy?

Rhymes
Colorful pictures
Animal characters
Few words per page
And all in the tradition of near-nonsense verse

My favorite lines:

But there are nouns
You cannot touch
Or smell or hear or see…

A truly marvelous and imaginative way to introduce kids to the essentials of grammar, and who says we can’t brush up on our rusty memory!

While this is not strictly a picture book, it is too much like one for III and IV graders. It is almost a picture book for practical purposes….

Visit the author’s website at: http://www.briancleary.com/

What Do You See?

2007-01-09T21:32:00.000-08:00

Isn’t it funny when two people seeing the same object or a picture have different interpretations of it?

Read the book:

It looked like spilt milk

Written and illustrated by Charles G. Shaw

HarperCollins Publishers

Instead of reading the book for the 1000th time, this round was a lot of fun. we did not read what was on the page, we imagined what the alternative could be. We came up with creative alternatives:

 The birthday cake with candle was actually a ship in the sea!
 The bird was an air plane in disguise
 The pig was a run away balloon with a false face
 The ice cream cone was a seal that escaped from the circus…

Come to think of it, how many of us followed rules and ‘suggestions’ as a child? How totally free we were. We saw the world different, it looked different, smelt different, tasted different, and every minute was full of exploration and wonder!

I am going to grab it someday, until then, I will read this classic children’s book over and over again!

Read a brief bio sketch of the author: http://www.nyu.edu/greyart/exhibits/park%20avenue/shawbio.htm

Our Little Needs

2007-01-08T21:03:00.000-08:00

I often watch children enjoy little things in life. A falling leaf, a crawling ant, a spider web, or a pail of sand…is all they need. How happy, content and totally involved they are!

Was I like this as a child, I wonder? But I know that I am still a dreamer. I am still the kind who will pause to watch the butterflies feed on lavender flowers on a warm day. I stop to pick the leaves of the fall and make a collection of some unusual ones. Yet, I cannot get totally engrossed in chasing an ant or catching falling leaves.

Kids know the rules of playing the game of life. They seem to know that little is enough. A little goes a long way!

All you need for a snowman

Written by Alice Schertle
Illustrated by Barbara Lavallee
Harcourt

This delightful, seasonal book brings home the message of FUN to the little people who are good at it getting it anyways.

What does it take to build a snowman? One small snowflake!

Maybe a few thousand more….and one snowball.

Maybe a few more snowballs.

And we can’t have a snowman without hat

Or scarf

Or shoes

Or mittens (his hands can get cold too)

The rhythm of the words will soothe kids to sleep. In any case, the parents will be ready to sleep at the end of the book!

Totally delightful pages filled with light hearted verses that can be toe tapping if you are gifted at play an instrument or using vocals. We enjoyed our song by simply clapping and singing at the top of our lungs!

Look at the pictures. They have character, character, and pretty details.

The book warms up the heart of any little kid who wants to build a giant snowman!

The Joy of sharing

2007-01-07T20:42:00.000-08:00

It is difficult to share when we are young, weak, tired, or jealous. What about if we are poor? Poverty is a concept of the older folks. Kids know neither poverty nor sorrow. They are usually happy and energetic doing all the wonderful things they usually do.

Today, I read a heart warming tale, a tale told in the folklore tradition. It is a fiction tale. Yet the beauty of its message is close to the earth, reminding us to share and lead a sustainable life.

A Pumpkin Story
Written and Illustrated by Mariko Shinju

Greene Bark Press

A poor, hungry farmer finds pumpkin seeds. He plants them. The giant pumpkin seeds gave him giant plant. As long as he was large hearted and shared it around, the pumpkin grew bigger and bigger.

Soon, everyone had enough pumpkin to make homes, play, and even build a hotel! What a wonderful pumpkin town it has turned out to be!

I plan to share this book on a day when sharing becomes difficult for my child.

What are your plans for sharing the day with your loved one?

A Portrait of Motherhood

2007-01-06T21:38:00.000-08:00

As a parent, adult, caregiver, we often wonder if we are doing the right thing. We want our children to be independent, happy and true to their own nature. Yet, we have to teach them some basic survival skills. The clash of instilling our society values against our true nature are what is called as culture. Nature and culture cannot really co-exist. Yet, we pretend they do. We say that we teach so that children can excel in the world. But the world is what we have created for them; they did not really choose it…..

Our struggles as a mother finds an unexpected echo in the animal kingdom. The Tiger!

Tiger Trail

Written by Kay Winters
Illustrated by Laura Regan

Simon & Schuster

The first two lines set the theme of this book.

“I am the tigress
I walk alone…”

The entire book is a tribute to motherhood. A tigress must teach her cubs, by being both stern and loving. She is both the mother and the father to her cubs.
But danger lurks in shadows. Who could want to fight the tigress? Someone who is very hungry..

Vivid colorful paintings and suspenseful, sparse dialogue provides lot of fun to the story line. Set in Indian jungle, the other animals that share the territory with Tiger are delightfully illustrated.

Everyday can be a hearty mother’s day if we make a few minutes to be with ourselves and our families. After all we are the tigress who tends our sheep!

Visit Authors web site at: http://www.kaywinters.com/

How many ways can we grow?

2007-01-05T05:48:00.000-08:00

The other day, I was putting away clothes that were too small for my son. He was completely fascinated with the idea of getting new clothes. That was until he saw that his favorite shirt would have to go too.
“Mom, can I grow small? Just to wear this shirt sometimes…” he asked.
“How can you?” I asked.
“You can wash me and when I shrink, I can wear the shirt. And then, when I dry, I will grow up again!”

I had to laugh.

That also reminded me how many ways he had grown. Mothers and fathers are chronically paranoid about the phases and stages of development of their kids. These days, I take a few minutes to ask myself, how many ways have I grown? Have I grown at all? I have, physically, emotionally, and intellectually.

Recapturing the magic world of childhood, when everything is possible is the essence of not growing up.

George shrinks

Written and Illustrated by William Joyce

Harper Collins

Written in the form of letter, it is a wonderful book to let a child’s imagination wander. And delightful nuggets of imagination will certainly emerge from it all.

Every kid loves letter. Imagine finding a letter as soon as you wake up. And with no one to tell you, prod you, remind you, it is every child’s idea of heaven!

Bold drawings, delightful color schemes, great proportions, and simple text will keep the young readers hooked all through.

The adventure at home promises to end soon.

‘…and we’ll be home soon.’

I plan to ask my child write a note about what parents should do when he is at school!

What about you?

Visit the author’s website at: http://www.williamjoyce.com/

Too many words spoil the works

2007-01-03T16:39:00.000-08:00

I often fill meaningful silences with empty words. I wonder how it would be to let those silences metamorphose into existence.

I remember my childhood when I learnt more about the world by sitting in silence. When and where did I lose it? It was the training in the school and home, ‘speak up! Speak up!’ and I ended up speaking way too much!

Every writer receives this criticism that makes them squirm, ‘It’s wordy!’

We deal with words all the time. We all need to speak way less than we do now. We need to listen deeper.

Even with kids around.

Baby says

Witten and Illustrated by John Steptoe

Harper Collins

This is a profound book. I remember the Sanskrit saying, “A word is enough for the wise.”

The story is woven around the interaction between a toddler and his brother. The entire story has only seven words! Yes, only seven words!

What can seven words possibly convey? Many layers of meanings!

Read this book with children and watch them interact with amazing insight of their own. I just did!

Read more about this amazing author at: http://www.bookhelpweb.com/authors/steptoe/steptoe.htm

Who doesn’t love mail?

2007-01-02T16:45:00.000-08:00

Who doesn’t love mail?

I can’t think any human being in the modern world who hates to receive a mail. There are people who don’t need mail, but I am not talking about them.

In this age of internet, cell phones, and super fast communication, it is amazing that there is still a lot of room for mail. Snail mail, as we call it. How we love to get the mail! How we love to get some good news in the mail! How we love to get some good news in the mail that will make us shed tears of joy!

Many of us have never grown out of the charm or the magic of receiving a mail. We do receive a million emails, many e-cards. But a paper mail or a card is of a different class altogether. No matter how many rejection letters the mail man hands over to us, there will be one with sweet success written on it.

The magic of the mail infests children too.

Magic Mailbox

Written and Illustrated by Nancy Poydar

Holiday House

Will, the great little man of the house, never got any mail in his name. Not one in the entire bundle that landed into their mailbox.

Will decides to take the matter in his own hands. He mailed a letter to his name. Sure enough it came back. There was no fun in that mail.

“He still felt bad. No mail. Not really. Not yet.”

The author portrays a child’s emotions with the precision of a skilled surgeon. I loved the rhythm and the choice of the words (voice) in the book.

And then Will the great saw the picture of kids on the serial box. He wanted to get a large bowl, cereal bowl, with his name too!

He dined on cereal the entire time. He invited his friends for breakfast, served cereal to mailman, and sold it to his family too! Will the great is hilariously persuasive.

And finally the cereal bowl arrived. Now, the family thought that peace had arrived.

Well….it turns out Will has grander plans!

Read the book to enjoy laughs and sighs…and a satisfactory story for the whole family!

I can’t wait to go and check my mail.

How about you?

Visit the author’s website at: http://www.nancypoydar.com/

How Far Did You Travel?

2006-12-31T17:41:00.000-08:00

This summer I trekked in the nearby Elk River falls. This trek was neither strenuous nor challenging, but I was in poor shape. I limped along the paths in the company of overhanging moss and tall evergreen trees. I looked at the landmarks. I had a shoe bite, the blister bothered me. I walked on and loathed to rest. It was as if I could never make it to the edge and entrance. I was soon out of the shade and under the hot sun.

‘How far did you travel?’ asked a friendly lady. She was standing by a truck and wore a white summer dress. I looked at the clogs on her feet and realized that she had no intention of trekking.
‘All the three falls,’ I said and paused for a gulp of water, ‘the entire circuit.’
‘I wasn’t asking about that,’ she said.
I gave her a quizzical look, found a log to sit down and remove my shoes. My feet were killing me.
‘I mean, which country are you from?’
The question took me completely by surprise. It has been many years since people have asked me that question.
‘India…’ I said slowly, not sure what to expect.
‘I knew it! I knew it! You have no idea how happy I am to see you!’
I must have stared hard at her or something.
‘You see,’ she said sitting down on the log with me, ‘I am visiting India next week. I am visiting the Himalayas. I am a mountain climber!’
‘How lucky you are! I have never been to the Himalayas.’

We spent the next hour chatting about her trip. When I headed back to my car, I didn’t miss the pine scent in the Himalayan Mountains she so passionately described. I sure did miss my folks.

Every immigrant has a story.

A Place to Grow

Written by SoYung Pak
Illustrated by Marcelino Truong

Arthur A. Levine Books

The story of immigrants from South East Asia is told in lyrical language. Gentle voice of the book reminded me of the teasing winds that sway the tassels of rice ready for picking.

Explaining immigration to young children can be hard. But what if you used an object to substitute for that? What if that object grew, grew, and grew? Yes, the author has used a seed to illustrate it! The clever idea is both brilliant and breathtaking. Even a kindergartener can now grasp the idea of the theme of the book.

Gardening is an activity they love. They know plants grow from seeds. They know that plants need water, soil, and sunlight to grow. They know so much and so much more is packed into the book. In fact, an entire family history has been packed into this book!

These lines from the book are my favorite:

Even if you fly across the tallest mountains,
The longest roads, and the widest seas,
There will always be a garden in my heart for you

I shared it with my Kindergartner today. He loved the pictures, and was full of questions. We ended up talking a long time after we had read the book.

So, how far have you traveled?

A bio-sketch of the author at: http://arthuralevinebooks.com/author.asp?authorid=40

Footprints of Time

2006-12-30T20:49:00.000-08:00

One of the coolest things about the Thanksgiving celebration or celebrating our ancestors is the heritage, culture, and the memories they bring.

In older cultures people often forget that they have history too. Their ancestors set upon a journey too. That journey has been so, so, so long ago, and people don’t remember a thing about it! We simply celebrate festivals; follow customs, and celebrate, without knowing why we are doing what we are doing. We become clueless!

What would we give to go back into the life of our ancestor for a day?

Roughing it on the Oregon Trail

Written by Diane Stanley
Illustrated by Holly Berry

The Oregon Trail is essentially a long line of people traveling from the Missouri river to the Willamette River, a stretch of over 2,170 miles. In the years between 1840 and 1880, more than 400,000 people, their wagons, belongings, and cattle trod the trail in search of better prospects.

Into this time and place, two children visit their great-great-great-great-grandmother along with their grandmother. They experience the bumpy ride, bugs, and also how people spoke, dressed, and behaved during the ride.

I learnt about great landmarks: Independence rock where people signed their names by mixing grease with gunpowder, Fort Laramie with no soldiers, Courthouse, chimney rock these sights provided an intimate experience of traveling with the pioneers.

It took the pioneers about 5 months and in all kinds of weather to reach the Oregon country!

The illustrations are detailed and colorful. The text is written in easy language, but the modern comparisons are provided as dialogues between the grandmother and the kids.

Consider this:

Pretty soon, someone began playing his fiddle, and he was joined by a fellow with a harmonica, or ‘mouth organ,’ as they called it.

The bubbles explain people’s reactions and their conversations.

This is a wonderful, detailed, picture book on pioneer days for older kids, grade 3 or 4 and above. Above all the sense of humor is great! The kid in me loves it!

Visit the author’s website at: http://www.dianestanley.com/

Every creature is kind

2006-12-29T05:46:00.000-08:00

It was a typical monsoon downpour. Raindrops were the size of a penny. They soon soaked everything in sight and water trickled out of every surface. Within minutes it became a gush of overflowing water. A kitten was washed away by the surging water. Caught in the storm, all of were soaking well and struggling to keep our balance. As the torrential water flowed by, we watched in surprise. A buffalo put his head in the torrential water and rescued the cat!
Soon the cat rode the buffalo’s back and licked himself clean in the downpour. The buffalo walked on, unaffected by it all!

Today I read the book:

Crictor

Written and Illustrated by Tomi Ungerer

HarperCollins

Crictor is a snake from Africa, who comes to live in a French town. Madame Bodot adopts the snake, who is a Boa constrictor and names him Crictor. She decided to mother the snake. She fed him bottles of milk, bought palm trees, and made a wonderful bed for him. Crictor grew and grew. He even loved shopping with Madame Bodot.

Madame Bodot takes him to school where she teaches. And Crictor masters many letters and numbers. He loved kids and let them play with him…

“The boa liked to play with little boys and little girls too.”

It is a wonderful book to own. The illustrations in black and green on white background provide a unique ambience to the story.

Even an exotic pet becomes a part of family and community in this heart warming story.

Crictor is some-what reminiscent of Babar, yet different in many other ways!

Read the story and decide for yourself.

Visit the official website of Tomi Ungerer (in French language): www.exopuce.fr/tomi/c_accueil_f.htm

How late is too late?

2006-12-29T05:40:00.000-08:00

I learnt cycling when I was 10 years old. The bicycle seemed to have a mind of its own. My cousins were learning along with me. Most of the girls got it faster than the boys. In fact they were pedaling away within the end of the hour. It took me skinned knees, broken side mirrors, twisted wheel, and a tree that leaned over as I hit the bicycle to stop it and a whole 3 three weeks to get the hang of it.

My uncle, who had been patient until the point I twisted the bicycle wheel said, ‘You are a hard nut. But, I won’t give up on you!’

I was a proverbial late bloomer in the family.

There was nothing I could learn fast or well. Be it knitting, crocheting, tatting, or sewing. In fact I had the poorest and palest track record of doing anything right in that circle. It was not as if I was good at studies. I was only in the upper average of the class.

I was not only a late bloomer; I was also a slow coach. Slow to comprehend things, events, intricacies and snubs. As I grow older, I realize this is truly a blessing. Most of the time events have a way of changing themselves and fixing or unfixing itself. And it is never really too late to do anything.

Here is a book celebrating the late bloomers:

Leo the Late Bloomer

Written by Robert Kraus

Illustrated by Jose Aruego

HarperCollins

Leo was a late bloomer. His dad was worried and watched him.

Leo did not read, write, or paint well like other kids in class.

“Then one day, in his own good time, Leo bloomed!”

And what a wonderful bloom it was. His first spoken word was actually a sentence!

The deepest message in this story, illustrated beautifully through the namesake tiger, is the message caregivers send to the children. Are we constantly comparing them with others? Are we critical? Are we impatient? Are we praising them all the time?

Or are we sitting still and watching the child bloom, giving a helping hand here, and a nudge there, a pat here and praise there.

This cold wintry day, I plan to snuggle up under a blanket and read this story and talk about it to my son.

How about you?

Clapping A Rhyme

2006-12-27T04:58:00.000-08:00

My absolute favorite game in elementary school was a clapping game. I would play it alone, play it with friends, with puppets, a rose blossom, and even the papaya leaf. The song went-- Mr. One, Mr. One, Mr. One, One, One….and we would go all the way down to 100 without missing a singleclap.
A girl from my class (I can't recall her name now) and I grew so good at it that we could go up to a 100 without missing a single one. Every day, we made a note of our count in our book. At the end of the week, we counted how many claps we had made and giggled and grinned about it the whole day! We sure were giddy with our success every Friday!

Ever since, I have had a weakness for the clapping rhymes!

Last year I discovered a new one to add to my collection of favorites.

Miss Mary Mack

Adapted by Mary Ann Hoberman

Illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott

Little, Brown Young Readers

Miss Mary Mack loves the elephant who has escaped from the zoo. She begs her mother to keep him, and tempts the elephant to stay by saying,

“The silver buttons, buttons, buttons,
Down my dress, dress, dress,
Will all be yours, yours, yours,
If you say yes, yes, yes.”

Of course the elephant stays. They have peanut tea and hay and lot of fun everyday! It sure is a lot of fun to read the book!

Other books by the author that are a family favorite include: You read to me, I’ll read to you and It’s simple, said Simon.

What is your favorite rhyme?

Visit the author’s website at: http://www.maryannhoberman.com/

Great Rescue!

2006-12-26T05:19:00.000-08:00

Do you remember the time you rescued a hurt kitten? Or was it a stray dog? Or did you consider adopting a little girl or boy down the street? May be it was a bird.

I remember the time I adopted a stray kitten. I was heading towards middle school. And I wanted a pet more than anything else. One day a weak kitten showed up at our doorstep. I decided to ‘adopt’ it.
My mother said, ‘no pets.’
I cried, pleaded and insisted.
‘You are completely in charge of it,’ she said, and added, ‘I will decide if she can stay on at the end of the month.’

I was totally thrilled. For two days, the kitten was wonderful. She lapped up every drop of milk. From the third day, she wanted more than milk. She ate everything we ate. My mother truly did not like cat in the kitchen. To remind her to close the kitchen door was not much of use; she was not used to it. Period.

Oblivious of her limits, the cat started to chew up leather. At first, we didn’t notice anything. Then, one day, my father removed his favorite leather shoes from the closet. He wore it for special meetings. The right shoe was all chewed up.
‘She has to go,’ he declared.
Soon my mom discovered her handbag had been chewed up.
‘She has to go,’ she insisted.
‘You said I could keep her for a month,’ I said.
They sighed.
My brother was amused by all this.

Then Tabita, as I named the cat, got into fights with our neighborhood street dogs. She would lead them to a chase and scramble up the miniature trees. I had to stand below and call her softly. Sometimes I threw a stick to get her down the tree. My mother did not like me to wander around the streets alone. My brother would not come with me. Soon, I let Tabita do what she wanted. She got more and more atrocious and completly original with her antics. One day she slept on the wall clock, and I never figured how she got up there. Another time she brought a rat to eat in peace. My mother threw her out of the house!

There was no question. Tabita had to go. Almost as if she knew it, one day, she didn’t come back. I looked for her everywhere. She was no where to be seen. Years later, when I was in University, my mother said that sometimes an orange, elderly cat; would sit on our doorstep and mew. She would sit and mew for a while and rub herself against my mother and leave. Sometimes she came with her kitten.

I never returned to the same home after my University. My parents moved. I often wonder if Tabita is still alive and if she comes to visit the new owners. I have never had a pet since Tabita, but I discovered the love for books. I lapped up the books in the library and realized that imagination is a great thing.

It took me places, got me into scrapes, and adventures that I would never have had otherwise. Talk to a kid and you will soon hear their tall tales.

Rosie to the Rescue

Written by Bethany Roberts
Illustrated by Kay Chorao
Henry Holt and Company

This is a delightful book where a girl and her aunt await the return of her parents. The colorful pictures with wonderful expressions will attract any kid. More important is the way a parent talks about a child’s biggest fears and providing reassurance by simply asking what next. The child blossoms into a brave night.

The squirrel mamma and papa are out. The child is restless for their return. Suddenly, little Rosie has a fear stroke.

“What if…what if … a Tiger ate them?” she asks.
Aunt Lily’s eyes opened wide.
“Eaten by a Tiger? What an awful thought!”
“But I would rescue them,” said Rosie. “I would chase that Tiger until he let them free.”

And so Rosie, who knows she can rescue her parents, tosses them into the sea with dragons, into a hungry fox’s den and many other dangerous situations. Each scenario is beautifully outrageous, yet, full of love.

This is a book I want to share with my son over and over again.

Visit the author's website at: http://www.bethanyroberts.com/

Color Your Dreams

2006-12-24T18:23:00.000-08:00

It was a bright white light. I walked towards it. That was not fast enough. I skipped, jogged, trotted, until I ran.

I ran like a race horse. I ran faster than a tiger with his tail on fire. I raced towards the light. I ran past the snowy mountain peaks and silver rivers. I ran on soft moss covered with creamy blossoms.

I ran. I felt not in the least tired. I was neither thirsty nor hungry. I wanted to reach the source of white light. I raced on certain that I was close.

Mountain popped up and forests dropped off the cliff. The white light stayed on. I ran into what seemed to be a progressively narrow passage. I ran. I ran. I waded across the silver river. I ran towards the light. I ran. I ran. I ran no more.

Do you remember your dreams? What if you could see the dream and show it to others? Can you imagine that feeling?

Read the book:

Appelemando’s Dreams

Written and Illustrated by Patricia Polacco
Paperstar, The Putnam & Grosset group

The story is about a little boy whose job is to dream. His friends know he is special (and thank god for them!). You see, they can actually see him dream. They can see the pictures of his dream.

Appelemando, although known to elders as a good for nothing, is a wonderful dreamer.
For the sake of his friends, Appelemando dreams on:

“….big dreams.
He did tall dreams.
He did little dreams.
He did middle dreams…..”

Written in her inimitable, heartwarming style with drab pictures of the town and the vivid picture of Appelemando’s dreams, any adult or child will be immediately drawn to both the story and the content.

Do you remember the dreams of the childhood? Do you remember the lazy moments when we soaked up the warm sun and spun yarns in your head? Do you remember how important an ant was in the scheme of things in the world? Does even a whiff of that joy survive with you now?
Today, I want to spend sometime reconnecting to those dreams. May be your turn will come soon too!

Visit the author’s website: www.patriciapolacco.com

Hoot and toot, rolling in soot!

2006-12-23T15:28:00.000-08:00

Every summer we traveled by train to visit our grandparents. The journey was long, but so was the train. My brother and I would walk all the carriages, without slippers to see whose feet would be redder in the end. We put our faces on the window grill, with wind whipping our faces for hours. Yes, we were covered in soot. It seemed like we were the best urchins on the train. My mother was patient with our antics but firm and clear with her boundaries.

When we reached my grandma’s home, we had a long bath scrubbing all the soot out of our body until the pink flesh shone from under the finger nails. Then my grandmother would ask her friend, an old widow and a friend of my great-grandmother, to come and remove the coal dust from our eyes and lungs. I never quite knew what she did, but the lady would tell me a story and massage my back with a little oil. Lo and behold, she would remove the coal dust from my eyes and lungs, from my back. I slept deeply until the morning. It was always fantastic to spend time with my family, both old and young.

The summer was always filled with endless activities. Swings, mangoes, temple festivals, fairs, fights with cousins and endless hours of swimming were on the agenda. It was a magical time. Returning to routine and traveling back to the city was hard. We did it every year, until I finished high school.

I remember my brother and me singing, ‘high, low, even, level, rocky, sandy, and mud,’ as we watched the landscape gush past us.

The words I read today,
“……through the tunnel
going fast
clickety-clack
she’s roaring past
the cities, suburbs, little towns
past forest greens and desert browns….”

took me right back into the memory of my train journey.

The book

Train Song

Written by Diane Siebert
Illustrations by Mike Wimmer
HarperCollins

is filled with delightful poetry that rhymes. The power of the words in the text left my senses totally charged. With dynamic paintings, the entire book is a wonderful gift or a book to own for anyone who loves trains.
Read the lines that describe the train coming to a station,

“…….creaking
clanking
air breaks squeal
moaning
groaning
steel on steel…..”

I plan to share my favorite train journey memories with my child today. I plan to describe the noises, the smells, the talk, the incidents, and bring some train journeys back to life. It might not be the same today, but it is good to share what I experienced.

How about you?

The secret is out!

2006-12-22T14:42:00.000-08:00

I remember a time when I was a school kid. My aunt, who was active, became all sober overnight. She cried all the time. Sometimes she ate and slept. I watched her with concern for weeks. I was sure this was not anything to do with her exams. She had just studied day and night for the exams.
I asked my mom, ‘Is aunty sick?’
‘May be,’ said my mother with a smile.
I chewed my nails and asked, ‘Why are you smiling if she is sick?’
‘Ask her…’ she said.

I was scared to ask her anything. Her mood swings were way wild for my comfort. I watched her for a week. She sure got better. As days passed, she seemed to be oblivious to the world around her. I was sure she had a secret. Then, I noticed, her tummy began to grow. Ah, ah, her secret was out! How could she hide this secret?

When I read the book:

Crocodile Listens

Written by April Pulley Sayre
Illustrated by JoEllen McAllister Stammen
Greenwillow Books

I remembered this incident. The transformation of every creature- in the wild or in our homes- when the mantle of parenthood falls on them is amazing.

Nile crocodile is one of the top predators in the Nile Delta. The tender side of the ferocious creature is wonderfully explored in this book. The other animals, the danger, the sounds and the unique elements of their home are all depicted in both the picture and writing.

My heart stopped when I reached this page of the story:

“Crocodile grasps the egg
in her powerful jaws…..
and gently closes down.”

What was the mighty mother crocodile thinking? The picture shows a crocodile with her mouth wide open and an egg between her jaws. Wait! Look at the eyes of the creature. It is in pure bliss!

I admired Dig, Wait, Listen: A Desert Toad’s Tale, by the same author. If you or your little one loves animals or natural history, this is one author you should explore together!

Visit the authors website at: www.aprilsayre.com

Jingle Time

2006-12-21T13:36:00.000-08:00

Every kid, ages 2 to 200, has a favorite rhyme. I grew up in India learning English rhymes and rhymes in local language, Kannada. I also learnt some rhymes in my mother tongue, which is Tamil.

As I try to teach my son some of these rhymes, I wonder why rhymes cannot be called Heirloom. We have heirloom recipes, seeds, textiles, books, or jewels. Our traditions are heirlooms too!
I never appreciated it more than today when I read the rhyme book:

I’ve been working on the Railroad

Written and Illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott
Scholastic, Inc.

In discovering new rhymes and traditions of my adopted country, I also discover hidden depths in my own heritage.

When I read the book aloud and sang it (at least my son did not object to my singing!), I realized that it was a working song. Did men sing this song when they laid the Pacific and National railroad lines? Did they have singing competitions later in the day to celebrate another mile covered? Did they sing it in the night or in the morning? I wish I can meet someone who will tell me more about the song.

I know several work songs in Indian languages, although I never classified them as such. The discovery of this song made me appreciate the nature of a work. I can now, as an adult, appreciate the words and the concept of celebrating a work or profession using the imagery and lingua of their profession. I wonder if there are work songs for any other professions in US.

I have heard a couple of Irish coalminer songs. There are many, many, other professions out there. Some are litreally unsung! How about writing songs for them? Many of these professions are new. Wow! Imagine the endless possibilities.

Moral of the story: Keep working! We are doing good!

The book itself is delightful with colorful illustrations. Some angles are difficult to draw. They surely hold the attention of the kids. Now, how about dusting that old record of rhymes and dancing with the kids!

What is Your Ratio?

2006-12-20T08:51:00.000-08:00

We often label people. Strange, queer, funny, and so on. The underlying assumption of these labels is that we, the others, are perfect in a way the other person is not. The truth, according to sages in ancient India, is that none of us are totally male or female. We are only 60% or 70% male or female. A female is only 60% female and 40% male. A male is only 60% male; he is 40% female. Unless we know ourselves, every motive, every thought pattern, every action, every reaction, this analysis is clearly not possible (or imaginable) for most of us.

According to ancient sages in East, sexuality is transient. At any point in a human life, sexual expression can change, revert, or express itself. When women behave as ‘female,’ as dictated by the society, they are suppressing the male half of their make up. The same applies for men. A child, like an enlightened Master, is beyond the sexual typification. A child is neither male nor female until the child chooses.

Today I read an unusual children’s book:

William’s Doll

Written by Charlotte Zolotow
Illustrated by William Pène Du Bois

Harper Collins

What a shocker I had! I never expected the topic of sexual stereotypes to be addressed in children’s picture book. William is a boy who wants to play with a doll. His friends snigger. His father buys him basket ball, workbench, train set, and many other things. But not the doll he wanted so much. William wanted the doll to do the same things as girls use their doll in play. William wanted to talk to it as if it were a human baby. Luckily William had a grandmother. She over rode all the objections of Williams father.

William’s grandmother smiled.
“He needs it,” she said,
“to hug
and to cradle
and to take to the park
so that
when he’s a father
like you,
he’ll know…..”

This book was not published recently. It was first published in 1972! Charlotte Zolotow is winner of both Newbery honor and Caldecott honor for her books. She wrote over seventy books for children.
In every home is a battleground for this issue. Should I buy the pink shirt for my son? Should I let my daughter wear boy clothes? Is it alright for girls to play with cars and boys to play with cooking and dolls?

I, for one, am going to buy the pink shirt my son has been asking for. I am going to let him give his toys a ride in the stroller, something he pleads for everyday. I am going to let him comb my hair and dress me up. I realize that he needs it in someway, to fill something in him, to make him complete. I want him to look back into his childhood and realize that it was a time for equal opportunity.

Try to change one thing for your child today. It will open so many worlds of their imagination and joy.

Visit the author’s website at:

http://www.charlottezolotow.com/

Sleeping like a Baby

2006-12-19T10:18:00.000-08:00

We often say, ‘I slept like a baby!’
Many babies, we all know, rarely sleep.
They are busy gathering information of their world through their eyes, skin, and mouth. Who knows what might be going on in their minds?

Toddlers and pre-school kids are a little different. How different, ask Sandra Boynton.

Snoozers

Written and Illustrated by Sandra Boynton

The book has many appeals. Short, silly, rhymes that makes it kid friendly. The illustrations have a definite character that kids attach themselves to. In this volume, a classic book in our home, there are 7 short stories. It covers all aspects of the tricky bed time routine- snooze, pajama routine, yawning, I’m not tired, counting sheep, night sounds and ends with a silly lullaby.

Ever since we have an early reader at home, reading this book together has taken a new meaning. There are challenging words like- horizontal, pteranodon, whispering, and fun ones like- yawn, snuggle, snore (roar as my son calls it), nighttime, and whishing.

Every page is a hit! And the silly lullaby at the end of the book is truly fantastic for beginning piano players who are learning to read notes and talk about it!

What a fun way to fall asleep! Well, we tried our best!
Visit author’s website at: www.sandraboynton.com/

Look who is busy!

2006-12-17T20:30:00.000-08:00

It was a warm summer night. The rustle of the coconut fronds on my window and the moonlight night beckoned me. I could see a couple of bats sortie around the street lamp. Stealthily, so as not to disturb anyone at home, I opened the door and headed to the terrace. I sat there bathed in the beauty, coolness, and company of moonlight. We spoke nothing. We said nothing. I could think of nothing.

After sunrise, I entered my room and started to write. A friend called me for an outing. I didn’t pause to reply to her. My mother called me to help her in the kitchen. I didn’t speak to her. My cousins dropped by, I stayed writing in my room. I stopped for nothing—not for lunch, not for bath, and not for talk. Why, my brother remembers to this day, that I even let him sit in the room when my cousins became noisy. By dusk I had written more than 100 pages of my novel and I was too tired to do anything but curl into sleep.

Writing is a lonely job. Reading a book today reminded me about the other creatures that are busy in their creations.

The Very Busy Spider

Written and Illustrated by Eric Carle

Philomel Books

Everyone interested in picture books is sure to have read this one.

The world goes by our spider is busy. The temptations tap the door, our spider is busy. Day turns to night, spider is busy.

Sparse in words, rich in content, the story is a sure inspiration for all kids. Words like remember, finish it, be quick, are all too common in a parents vocabulary when we talk to the kids. Talk about their needs when we are busy!

Brings us to the question--- busy doing what? Busy being itself!

Some truths are simple but profound. I found mine in this book today. Be busy as your nature directs you to be. Kids know this secret! They are focused on their play! That is their job!

I plan to do just that!

Visit the author of favorite books like Hungry, hungry caterpillar at:
http://www.eric-carle.com/

A Spark of Light

2006-12-16T17:39:00.000-08:00

It was a moonless dusk. Our door was open, so were the doors of many other homes. In India, it is a tradition to light oil lamps in the evening and leave the door open. This is to invite goddess into homes.

It was also the season of Diwali. I had new clothes, lots of fire crackers, and my favorite black leather sandals with red straps. How I loved it!

Imagine my horror when I found that my new, brand new, my absolute favorite black slipper missing next morning! I searched high and low. I inquired with my friends. I was scolded for being careless. I had to make do with a pair of rubber slippers until my mother could figure out the budget. For about ten days I walked around in my rubber slippers.

I was playing hide and seek with my friends one evening. We were hiding in the compounds of various homes, which is how kids played in those days. I happened to hide in the corner house. They had lots of potted plants and a flower garden. Much to my surprise I saw my slippers sitting on the small patch of grass. They were worn-out a little, looked sad and tired, but it was undoubtedly my slipper. It sat there without an owner in sight. I hesitated to take it. But I sat by and stared at it wondering what I could do next. Would it disappear if I moved? Was it still mine? Could I take it back? Was it right? How did it get so worn?

Just then a vagabond, probably homeless, boy came by.
“Hey! Why are you staring at my slipper?” he asked.
I stood up and said, “Is that your slipper? Really?”
“Really!” he mimicked.
“Strange! I had a similar pair. It was new. It even had a sticker on it.”
The boy was silent for a few minutes.
“Take it,” he said.
“Won’t your mother scold you?”
“I only have an old grandmother. She gave me this slipper.”
“I don’t want to take it if your grandmother gave it.”
“We can exchange,” he said. He smiled, his eyes shone brightly in the afternoon sun.
I removed my rubber sandals and wore the black leather slipper with red straps. My heart raced, and beads of sweat gathered on my upper lip.
“Have fun!” he said raced down the street with my rubber sandals.
I sat there for a long time. The slipper never felt right and I never told anyone about it.

I still wonder, after 35 years, what happened to that boy. Did he live up to his dreams? Did his eyes shine with pride of his achievements? Did he come back to the same spot again? Did his granny find a job or get him to become a thief?

Reading the picture book today brought back the same memory.

The Little Match Girl
Written and Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

Dial Books for Young Readers

This book is special to me among all the Christmas books I read. It feels like it is dedicated to all the orphans in the world. The world doesn’t always rush around. But, when it sometimes pauses to note, it is too for some. The words in the book paint wonderful pictures, ‘She hastily struck a whole bunch of matches....’
The detailed illustration of falling snow, open feet of the girl, and a frail girl covered by a thin shawl in the snow will stay with me for a long time.

I loved the language, which forcefully brought out a purpose at the end of the sad story. The truth of our finite existence has been delivered gently. For sensitive kids the book is the gentle way of breaking the extremes of life—poverty, slavery, ignorance, and suffering. It also shows the strength of a human being. No one is too small to experience it.

The story brought to me the reminder that we each live in our own universe. No matter what people do to us or for us, we each have our vision and glory. Every life in this world is precious, but some are more fragile than others.

I don’t know how or when my calling will come, but I intend to work and play until it does.

See information on Jerry Pinkney at: http://www.nea.gov/about/NCA/Pinkney.html

Layers of Life

2006-12-15T21:34:00.000-08:00

Everyday incidents with our family and friends, or dealings with our colleagues leave us inspired or drained flat. We have been wrung out of all energy.

If you are like me, you might be wondering why it is so.

I think it is because we take things for granted. We acquire things too easily and have too much of it. Our grandparents did well with less than what we have today- even millionaire households can vouch for that.

The layers of information we process is enormous and almost unconscious. I learnt to stop, pause, and appreciate the richness of our live when I read this spectacular book today:

Over in the Ocean- In a Coral Reef
Written by Marianne Berkes
Illustrated by Jeanette Canyon

This book is for pre-schoolers with all the essential ingredients for a big hit. Our dog eared, shabby copy can vouch for that.
First it has a popular song theme. Every child will learn to sing the song, over in the meadow…and its modification presented in the book sooner or later.
Second, it introduces counting in a fun way
Third, the book will have children learn all about the creatures of coral reef, even without talking about it once.
Four, the spectacular colorful illustrations jump out of the page and grab the young readers.

This is a book for the young readers of all ages. There is a piano notation for the song with lyrics at the end of the book making it wholesome. And brief life history sketches of the animals that appear in the book presented at the back makes it invaluable.

What a treasure to have in every child’s bookshelf!

Today I took time to examine the layers in my life. I had many surprises! Share your surprise discovery to the world!

Visit the author’s website at: www.MarianneBerkes.com.

When Saints have a bad day

2006-12-14T13:43:00.000-08:00

It sure feels good to know that even saints have bad days!

Don’t believe me? Read –

SantaMouse and the Ratdeer
Written and Illustrated by Tacher Hurd
HarperCollins Publishers

Santa Mouse lives in the Mouse North Pole. It is Christmas Eve and he has a hard time getting ready. To get to work, of course! He can’t find his socks, boots won’t fit him right, and his ratdeers are grumpy. Then, a snow storm crashes his sleigh into a snow bank in the woods.

When it all looks hopeless, the ratdeers find Rosie, the little mouse who perks them up and the spirit of mouse Christmas lives again!

The story gives delightful kid details about how Rosie perks them all up!

Kids will surely love this book. Every kid dreams of seeing Santa and saving the Christmas!

It was Santa’s reaction to being stranded that stayed with me long after I closed the book. He didn’t curse. He didn’t cry. He didn’t shout. He didn’t even try to bring his ratdeers back and gather up his team. He accepted the events and sat in the snow storm singing!

The light of saints shines through their wisdom, complete surrender to existence, the strength of their faith and trust in the Universal energy.

I am not a saint, but I do have a wee bit of wisdom, imperfect surrender, small measure of faith and trust in the Universe. I plan to let that take me where it will!

How did you dress today?

2006-12-13T16:03:00.000-08:00

Hmm…that depends. If you say… wore work clothes, put on make up, and dashed around to catch my morning bus….or if you say, I stay at home and dress ‘casually’ all day long….No, that is not what I was talking about.

I mean something totally different when I ask about your dress today. Who do you see in your mind when you dress? Do you dress with your peers in mind? Did you dress to please someone? Did you choose the dress with an intention or did the dress beckon you? Did you dress for your enjoyment? Did you dress to please yourself? And to celebrate that you were alive and happy to be out sharing the day with many other folks, creatures…

I don’t dress for my enjoyment any more, on most occasions anyway. I try to fit into stereotypes and end up being in uncomfortable clothing or shoes. In many ways, I feel bundled and hopelessly inelegant. I can change it by wearing what I feel right about. I am too scared and worried to make drastic changes. I will make slow changes…and try not to listen to what others have to say. Chicken! Yep! That is my other name. Ask my friend Prajna!

Don’t ask a kid! They will think it is a dumb, silly question. In fact, this is not a question at all. They dress to please themselves, the world can please itself! I got this reminder when I read the book-

Ella Sarah Gets Dressed

Written and Illustrated by Margaret Chodos-Irvine

Harcourt, Inc.

Early one morning Ella Sarah decided to wear, ‘pink polka-dot pants, dress with orange-and-green flowers, blue-and-purple socks, yellow shoes, and red hat.’

Too dressy says mother.

Too fancy says dad.

Too silly says sister.

Ella Sarah is unmoved.

A delightful book with bold, colorful drawings attracts kids’ attention and holds it. The details in the pictures are amazing.

One major part of being a child is to enjoy ourselves in whatever they do.

Today, I plan to live up to it.

Visit the author’s website: http://www.chodos-irvine.com/

Celebrating Seasons

2006-12-12T14:04:00.000-08:00

Living in the season

The last few days of fall, before winter, brought in a lot of snow. It is icy and slick. Kids love it. Kids! They will love everything!
I hate it when it is so slick. It is hard to walk. Yes, I have to be slow, watch my steps. I love snow. But, my love is conditional.
If I have to do something different, it is a bother.

Seasons are there for a reason. I got this reminder from a book I read today.

Sing a song of piglets
by Eve Bunting
Illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully
Clarion Books

The sasonal calender is presented for kids in a fun manner. The rhymes are easy and roll off the tongue. Perfect for a pre-schooler or a kindergartner. My son loved to hear me sing the rhymes, easy and smooth, that he joined in too!

Sing a song of seasons,
lots of things to do....

And the pigs have a busy calendar planned throughout the year! It all outdoor, from the skiing, to the skating, to fishing, to picnics, and surfing. Not to forget the Thanksgiving and the Christmas too...

The illustrations bring alive the outdoors and the pigs. Kids will love the character of pigs.

Reading this book brought home a message. It made me realize that I had got it all wrong. I thought we needed to figure out a way to spend every month, to make it special. No! I was never more wrong.

Our life is precious. The time we have in this lifetime is finite. Our times with each other is special. We make it precious by simply doing things together and cherishing each other. The seasons are a stage, not for change, but for continuity. The seasons invite us to take it out of our regular setting, but the core of what we are as a family, person, values, they all remain the same.

What a beautiful lesson for the young and the old!

Dreaming in Detail

2006-12-12T13:40:00.000-08:00

December 11, 2006

Dreaming in Detail

Every morning, I wonder, will I celebrate the day? Will I celebrate today? I want to clelbrate the day, every day in a special way.

What does it take to make a day special for me?

I will be great to hear about a published piece or an editor sending an assignment my way. That is a true celebration. The celebration is over soon and I clean up by beginning to work on it!

With nothing new coming my way, sending out queries made me wonder if I was cut out to become a writer. By the way, I do that everytime I write....And I felt different today when I came across this picture book today....

What the little Fir tree wore to the Christmas Party.

Written and Illustrated by Satomi Ichikawa.

Philomel Books

It is a christmas story with a difference.

What did it take for the littlest fir tree to celebrate Christmas?

Dreams.

Not the dreams I forget every morning, as soon as I wake up. Those dreams will take me no where. The depth of the dreams will lift me up.

Listen to what one large tree says, "I want to dress in a thousand twinkling stars and stand in the middle of the grandest avenue in all the world."

Another dreams of wearing rainbow dress.

Yet another wants to wear the color of a golden sunset!

Details in the dreams take them to reach out for it. The details are the guideposts.

I went back to my dream list and touched it with many details. It looks promising, certainly better now, closer to what I know is me.

Next time I dream, I plan to add and visualize details, unless ofcourse the house is on fire.

This season I will take more time to write my dreams, filling in all the details. I will revise it until it shines in my heart and my eyes wear them!

What about you?