“Books make great gifts because they have whole worlds inside of them. And it's much cheaper to buy somebody a book than it is to buy them the whole world!”

― Neil Gaiman

Isn’t this so true? It’s the season of gifting and in case you haven't been able to figure out the best gift for the little ones in your family yet, try including some books. Of course, there is a different joy in receiving toys or chocolates as gifts but books have their own charm when it comes to gifting. Wondering which books to gift this holiday season? Well, there are many options to choose from, I suggest to try out based on the interest of your little one. While you must be knowing the popular titles on your own, here’re some Indian titles that I came across this year and quite liked these for my little one. I think these will make great gifts for children of different age groups.

1. Boskys Panchatantra: 

Now there is a Panchtantra by Gulzar, this I wasn’t even aware of :-). The intro of this book by the "Nanu" Gulzar for his grandchild Samay is quite sweet. It’s a collection of some of the best-known stories from the Panchatantra and the first chapter is about the history of Panchatantra tales. This will make for a good read-aloud book for kids below 6 years age and self-reading for 6 to 10 ones. Definitely worth giving a try.

2. Alone In The Forest: 

A story of adventure and courage, this book pretty much presents the saying - where there’s a will, there’s a way - in a story format. It’s about a young boy Musa, who sets off alone to collect wood from the forest near his home. During his journey, he loses his way. Would he be able to reach his home back? You can read it to know more. What’s the best about this book? The illustrations! Absolutely stunning and very Indian, this book has been illustrated in the Gond form of art by the very famous Gond artist, Bhajju Shyam. My 6-year-old kept on looking at the pictures again and again and I think this will be a good read for 5 to 7 years old.

3. The Magic Of The Lost Temple: 

Were you a fan of R. K. Narayan books while growing up? If yes, chances are you might like the books by Sudha Murty too. At least to me, her stories remind me of books by R.K. Narayan - full of innocent anecdotes from regular day to day life. The Magic Of The Lost Temple is about Nooni, a city girl who is very surprised at the unexpected pace of life in her grandparent’s village in the state of Karnataka. Packed with many interesting twists and turns, this book not only makes a great read for kids but it’s worth giving a try for elders too. I had recently gifted this to few girls in the age bracket 8 to 11 years and all of them absolutely loved it.

4. Mala’s Silver Anklets: 

Looking for something for younger kids below 5? You may give some of the titles from Tulika Publishers a try. They have many interesting titles and I recently came across Mala’s Silver Anklets by Annie Besant. Packed with gorgeous illustrations by Nancy Raj, this is a cute book about a naughty little girl Mala who tries to scare everyone in her family. What happens after she starts wearing an anklet? Read it to know more :-).

5. Dhooli’s Story, Air: 

Would you like to give something around science but presented in story format? Dhooli’s Story might be the answer for you. It’s about Dhooli, a tiny speck of dust, that flits and floats in the air with her friends, who flies past clouds and aeroplanes and ends up watching rainbows in the sky. This book focusses on air and at the end of the storybook, there are some interesting scientific facts about air and the layers of the atmosphere above us. This book by Tulika Publishers is one of the five books in the series, First Look Science, that was visualized by design students in a classroom project with Srishti, Bengaluru, other four are on - Space, Water, Earth and Earth’s Surface. It’s a good book for read-aloud for below 5-year old and self-reading for 5 to 8-year ones. The information on the last two pages of books can be actually useful for above 8 too.

Do give these books a try but as I always say, these are some of the books that the mommy me enjoyed reading with her little one. It may happen that your junior won’t like some or all the books from this list and that’s perfectly fine. Every child has his/her own preferences, let’s just respect their choices and read them what they want.

Before I go, one fun fact about me :-) - I just love painting bookmarks, you can see some of my hand-painted bookmarks here. When I gift someone books, I try to include these little hand-painted love along with those. I have been trying to encourage my little one also to do the same. So, this Christmas vacation me and my 6 year old created some Christmas-theme bookmarks for his friends. After making one or two, he got hooked on to these and made many on his own. Have a look at these easy and quick hand-painted bookmarks ideas, perhaps the junior at your end might enjoy doing these too. In case you liked this video, feel free to share it with the mommies who are looking to creatively engage their little ones during vacation time. 

Thank you for reading this post. Have a great holiday season and very happy 2018! 

book blogger · Book Review · Books · Children book · Children book India · christmas · handpainted bookmarks

Few children books by Indian authors to try this holiday season

“Books make great gifts because they have whole worlds inside of them. And it's much cheaper to buy somebody a book than it is to buy them the whole world!”

― Neil Gaiman

Isn’t this so true? It’s the season of gifting and in case you haven't been able to figure out the best gift for the little ones in your family yet, try including some books. Of course, there is a different joy in receiving toys or chocolates as gifts but books have their own charm when it comes to gifting. Wondering which books to gift this holiday season? Well, there are many options to choose from, I suggest to try out based on the interest of your little one. While you must be knowing the popular titles on your own, here’re some Indian titles that I came across this year and quite liked these for my little one. I think these will make great gifts for children of different age groups.

1. Boskys Panchatantra: 

Now there is a Panchtantra by Gulzar, this I wasn’t even aware of :-). The intro of this book by the "Nanu" Gulzar for his grandchild Samay is quite sweet. It’s a collection of some of the best-known stories from the Panchatantra and the first chapter is about the history of Panchatantra tales. This will make for a good read-aloud book for kids below 6 years age and self-reading for 6 to 10 ones. Definitely worth giving a try.

2. Alone In The Forest: 

A story of adventure and courage, this book pretty much presents the saying - where there’s a will, there’s a way - in a story format. It’s about a young boy Musa, who sets off alone to collect wood from the forest near his home. During his journey, he loses his way. Would he be able to reach his home back? You can read it to know more. What’s the best about this book? The illustrations! Absolutely stunning and very Indian, this book has been illustrated in the Gond form of art by the very famous Gond artist, Bhajju Shyam. My 6-year-old kept on looking at the pictures again and again and I think this will be a good read for 5 to 7 years old.

3. The Magic Of The Lost Temple: 

Were you a fan of R. K. Narayan books while growing up? If yes, chances are you might like the books by Sudha Murty too. At least to me, her stories remind me of books by R.K. Narayan - full of innocent anecdotes from regular day to day life. The Magic Of The Lost Temple is about Nooni, a city girl who is very surprised at the unexpected pace of life in her grandparent’s village in the state of Karnataka. Packed with many interesting twists and turns, this book not only makes a great read for kids but it’s worth giving a try for elders too. I had recently gifted this to few girls in the age bracket 8 to 11 years and all of them absolutely loved it.

4. Mala’s Silver Anklets: 

Looking for something for younger kids below 5? You may give some of the titles from Tulika Publishers a try. They have many interesting titles and I recently came across Mala’s Silver Anklets by Annie Besant. Packed with gorgeous illustrations by Nancy Raj, this is a cute book about a naughty little girl Mala who tries to scare everyone in her family. What happens after she starts wearing an anklet? Read it to know more :-).

5. Dhooli’s Story, Air: 

Would you like to give something around science but presented in story format? Dhooli’s Story might be the answer for you. It’s about Dhooli, a tiny speck of dust, that flits and floats in the air with her friends, who flies past clouds and aeroplanes and ends up watching rainbows in the sky. This book focusses on air and at the end of the storybook, there are some interesting scientific facts about air and the layers of the atmosphere above us. This book by Tulika Publishers is one of the five books in the series, First Look Science, that was visualized by design students in a classroom project with Srishti, Bengaluru, other four are on - Space, Water, Earth and Earth’s Surface. It’s a good book for read-aloud for below 5-year old and self-reading for 5 to 8-year ones. The information on the last two pages of books can be actually useful for above 8 too.

Do give these books a try but as I always say, these are some of the books that the mommy me enjoyed reading with her little one. It may happen that your junior won’t like some or all the books from this list and that’s perfectly fine. Every child has his/her own preferences, let’s just respect their choices and read them what they want.

Before I go, one fun fact about me :-) - I just love painting bookmarks, you can see some of my hand-painted bookmarks here. When I gift someone books, I try to include these little hand-painted love along with those. I have been trying to encourage my little one also to do the same. So, this Christmas vacation me and my 6 year old created some Christmas-theme bookmarks for his friends. After making one or two, he got hooked on to these and made many on his own. Have a look at these easy and quick hand-painted bookmarks ideas, perhaps the junior at your end might enjoy doing these too. In case you liked this video, feel free to share it with the mommies who are looking to creatively engage their little ones during vacation time. 

Thank you for reading this post. Have a great holiday season and very happy 2018! 

Speaking of books or reading, one question that I often get asked is - do you still read fiction? On replying yes, the next question generally would be - how do you find time to read fiction or why do you read fiction? The answer is pretty simple - I read fiction because I like it. I read fiction because there is nothing more enriching than a good story. I read fiction because:

Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures - Ralph Waldo Emerson

But isn't non-fiction a wiser choice? Isn't non-fiction better for knowledge? When we have such limited time available now, shouldn't we give priority to learning? Oh yes absolutely, non fictions are great, I love them too. I generally alternate between reading a fiction and non-fiction book, I totally agree that non-fictions are powerhouses for knowledge but are they better? Are non-fictions the only source of learning? I am not so sure. Seriously, neither the reader-me nor the working-professional-me can decide which one is better? It's like asking whether:

Imagination is better than Knowledge?

Empathy is better than Experience?

Creativity is better than Structure?

Cognition is better than Intelligence?

Storytelling is better than Research?

Can you decide which one is better for you? I definitely can not. Be it empathy or intelligence - at least I need both to survive in my professional as well as personal life.

As per me, all these skills are important, the degree of importance may vary depending upon your profession or your life stage but there is no science or arts that can prove that one genre of book is better than the other for mental growth or which type of book one should prioritize to utilize the reading time more prudently. A good book is a good book, it doesn't matter whether fiction or non-fiction. I have at times learnt a great deal about empathy by being able to relate to a fictional character and at times have been amazed by the insights that I could gain by going through a good biography. So, instead of worrying too much on what kind of books to read, I would say - just read a good, of any genre that you enjoy reading. It's much better than the skimp reading we do on internet mindlessly throughout the day :-). 

Still need some logical proof? Check out this post on how a fiction can improve your brain connectivity or this video on how a good biography can influence your personality.

What did I read recently? Quite many interesting books but the two books from my recent reading list that I liked a lot are:

• Non-fiction: Start With Why by Simon Sinek. I have been a great fan of Simon Sinek's TED Talks and hence I picked up this book on impulse. I am glad I picked it up. While you may think its a leadership book but it's a great read for almost any professional at any career stage, be it marketing, product, design or business development. It encourages you to put "why" before "how" and "what" - something that many of us lack in our regular approach. If we know the "why", many things start falling in place automatically.
• Fiction: Rise of Kali by Anand Neelakantan: Very interestingly even this one answers and addresses many "why"s of Mahabharata. This book narrates the story from Duryodhan's point of view and gives you amazing insights on the reasons behind actions of the vanquished. In case you liked Asura by this author, I think you are going to love this one too. Oh by the way, on my last fiction reco for "Remains of the day byKazuo Ishiguro", I was being asked by a friend if he can read it or is too "womanish". Lol, I seriously don't know what would be the parameter to define a too womanish read but Kazuo Ishiguro books are readers' delight, be it a man or a woman reader. If this helps, Rise of Kali is all about Duryodhana's side of story and presents insights like "manipulation" and "influence" in a story format. Hope this helps :-)

These days, I am trying to read on user psychology. So, if you have any great recommendation for me, please drop it in the comment section below.

anand neelakantan · bangalore bloggers · book · book blogger · books blog · rise of kali · simon sinek · start with why

Fiction or Non Fiction?

Speaking of books or reading, one question that I often get asked is - do you still read fiction? On replying yes, the next question generally would be - how do you find time to read fiction or why do you read fiction? The answer is pretty simple - I read fiction because I like it. I read fiction because there is nothing more enriching than a good story. I read fiction because:

Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures - Ralph Waldo Emerson

But isn't non-fiction a wiser choice? Isn't non-fiction better for knowledge? When we have such limited time available now, shouldn't we give priority to learning? Oh yes absolutely, non fictions are great, I love them too. I generally alternate between reading a fiction and non-fiction book, I totally agree that non-fictions are powerhouses for knowledge but are they better? Are non-fictions the only source of learning? I am not so sure. Seriously, neither the reader-me nor the working-professional-me can decide which one is better? It's like asking whether:

Imagination is better than Knowledge?

Empathy is better than Experience?

Creativity is better than Structure?

Cognition is better than Intelligence?

Storytelling is better than Research?

Can you decide which one is better for you? I definitely can not. Be it empathy or intelligence - at least I need both to survive in my professional as well as personal life.

As per me, all these skills are important, the degree of importance may vary depending upon your profession or your life stage but there is no science or arts that can prove that one genre of book is better than the other for mental growth or which type of book one should prioritize to utilize the reading time more prudently. A good book is a good book, it doesn't matter whether fiction or non-fiction. I have at times learnt a great deal about empathy by being able to relate to a fictional character and at times have been amazed by the insights that I could gain by going through a good biography. So, instead of worrying too much on what kind of books to read, I would say - just read a good, of any genre that you enjoy reading. It's much better than the skimp reading we do on internet mindlessly throughout the day :-). 

Still need some logical proof? Check out this post on how a fiction can improve your brain connectivity or this video on how a good biography can influence your personality.

What did I read recently? Quite many interesting books but the two books from my recent reading list that I liked a lot are:

• Non-fiction: Start With Why by Simon Sinek. I have been a great fan of Simon Sinek's TED Talks and hence I picked up this book on impulse. I am glad I picked it up. While you may think its a leadership book but it's a great read for almost any professional at any career stage, be it marketing, product, design or business development. It encourages you to put "why" before "how" and "what" - something that many of us lack in our regular approach. If we know the "why", many things start falling in place automatically.
• Fiction: Rise of Kali by Anand Neelakantan: Very interestingly even this one answers and addresses many "why"s of Mahabharata. This book narrates the story from Duryodhan's point of view and gives you amazing insights on the reasons behind actions of the vanquished. In case you liked Asura by this author, I think you are going to love this one too. Oh by the way, on my last fiction reco for "Remains of the day byKazuo Ishiguro", I was being asked by a friend if he can read it or is too "womanish". Lol, I seriously don't know what would be the parameter to define a too womanish read but Kazuo Ishiguro books are readers' delight, be it a man or a woman reader. If this helps, Rise of Kali is all about Duryodhana's side of story and presents insights like "manipulation" and "influence" in a story format. Hope this helps :-)

These days, I am trying to read on user psychology. So, if you have any great recommendation for me, please drop it in the comment section below.

Raising Little Readers

You love books, you have books all over your house, you always wanted your little one to be fond of books, you have ensured to buy sufficient books for her, you have even taken up a library membership as well as the monthly book box subscription for him but still your little one is not as passionate for reading as you would want him to be? You have to remind her to read and it doesn't come naturally to her. He was actually very fond of books when younger but as he grew up, he lost interest in books?

In this gadget filled world where your little one has option to hop from one screen to another throughout the day, it's difficult to keep their interest alive in printed books. As against earlier, they have multiple options now to entertain themselves and unless reading as a habit has been inculcated in them since very early years, it might get challenging with time to keep their reading interest intact.

Mine is just 5 as of now and even though I have been reading to him since very early days, I can tell you with my practical experience that it's not easy to keep up with this habit always. He loves books but of course there are days when he will insist to watch videos during bedtime as against story books and you have to keep telling him no or make the story time so interesting that he forgets the videos. Like many aspects of parenting, patience and persistence works when it comes to raising little readers too. Sharing few tips here that has worked for me so far as far as junior's reading interest is concerned, not sure if these will continue to work when he grows up, but the mommy-me sincerely hopes that this habit becomes a life long habit for him.

• Start Early: I mean really early. There is no lower age limit as to when a child can get acquainted with books. You know we all give in to the temptation of showing the child videos on mobile or tab while feeding. Instead try colorful board books, give it to the child to play and see. Starting early works, for sure!
• Read Aloud: Grab their attention, help them with their language skills, make them a good listener - reading aloud has many benefits to kids but one of the biggest benefits as per me is it helps them concentrate and focus, skills that are rarity in this screen dominated age.  
• Make It Fun: Get into the character, add a bit of drama, enact the story (come on, we all moms and dads have an actor hidden inside us :)) or plan some fun activities around the books that you are reading. The more fun you will make your reading sessions, the more engaged the child will be.
• Read It Together: Cuddle & snuggle and bond over books. This I tell to many who assume that buying good books will naturally lead to interest generation for reading in their kids. Definitely not possible in today's time when kids have so many other multimedia richer choices available at a click. Make it a habit to read it together and you never know what beautiful reading memories you will be creating for your child.
• Read regularly: Even if it's just for 20 minutes but read daily. Set aside a time for reading to your kids, it could be evening or bedtime but do ensure to follow this regularly. Once you will be regular, you will yourself observe that with time your little one will pick it up as a habit too. Remember, reading is not just a weekend or holiday activity.
• Don't bribe: If you will offer bribes like pizza-if-you-finish-that-book, reading will always end up to be an activity done only for rewards. We all end up doing it for some or other activities (in my case, it's his eating where I had done this mistake of rewarding), just refrain it for reading in case you want it to be a life long habit. Instead try to make it fun and yes, patience pays. Keep at it.
• Read what he /she loves: I know we all avid reader moms & dads have some choices of their own, the books that we think will be good for our kids. But let's not force our choices on them as times have changed and so have preferences of our kids. For almost a month, my son insisted me to read him "Wolverine Vs Sabretooth" story book during bedtime daily. I mean daily! The mommy in me used to wonder why such action packed story at bedtime. But then that's the only book my son was very fond of at that particular time. I gave in to his choices and kept reading him whatever he wanted. Thanks to Wolverine and Avengers, I must say that reading got established as a bedtime ritual on its own quite easily. Do I remember reading anything like Wolverine while I was growing up? Of course nah :D

Hope these suggestions work for you. In case you have any other interesting tip, do drop it in the comment section below.

If you liked this post from a book-loving mommy, feel free to share it and for more succh posts follow my children books page @undertheguavatree

- The Mommy who got all her reading skills by spending her childhood under a guava tree with books :)

bangalore bloggers · book blog · book blogger · Books · Children books · Kids books · raising little readers · reading habit formation

Raising little readers

Raising Little Readers

You love books, you have books all over your house, you always wanted your little one to be fond of books, you have ensured to buy sufficient books for her, you have even taken up a library membership as well as the monthly book box subscription for him but still your little one is not as passionate for reading as you would want him to be? You have to remind her to read and it doesn't come naturally to her. He was actually very fond of books when younger but as he grew up, he lost interest in books?

In this gadget filled world where your little one has option to hop from one screen to another throughout the day, it's difficult to keep their interest alive in printed books. As against earlier, they have multiple options now to entertain themselves and unless reading as a habit has been inculcated in them since very early years, it might get challenging with time to keep their reading interest intact.

Mine is just 5 as of now and even though I have been reading to him since very early days, I can tell you with my practical experience that it's not easy to keep up with this habit always. He loves books but of course there are days when he will insist to watch videos during bedtime as against story books and you have to keep telling him no or make the story time so interesting that he forgets the videos. Like many aspects of parenting, patience and persistence works when it comes to raising little readers too. Sharing few tips here that has worked for me so far as far as junior's reading interest is concerned, not sure if these will continue to work when he grows up, but the mommy-me sincerely hopes that this habit becomes a life long habit for him.

• Start Early: I mean really early. There is no lower age limit as to when a child can get acquainted with books. You know we all give in to the temptation of showing the child videos on mobile or tab while feeding. Instead try colorful board books, give it to the child to play and see. Starting early works, for sure!
• Read Aloud: Grab their attention, help them with their language skills, make them a good listener - reading aloud has many benefits to kids but one of the biggest benefits as per me is it helps them concentrate and focus, skills that are rarity in this screen dominated age.  
• Make It Fun: Get into the character, add a bit of drama, enact the story (come on, we all moms and dads have an actor hidden inside us :)) or plan some fun activities around the books that you are reading. The more fun you will make your reading sessions, the more engaged the child will be.
• Read It Together: Cuddle & snuggle and bond over books. This I tell to many who assume that buying good books will naturally lead to interest generation for reading in their kids. Definitely not possible in today's time when kids have so many other multimedia richer choices available at a click. Make it a habit to read it together and you never know what beautiful reading memories you will be creating for your child.
• Read regularly: Even if it's just for 20 minutes but read daily. Set aside a time for reading to your kids, it could be evening or bedtime but do ensure to follow this regularly. Once you will be regular, you will yourself observe that with time your little one will pick it up as a habit too. Remember, reading is not just a weekend or holiday activity.
• Don't bribe: If you will offer bribes like pizza-if-you-finish-that-book, reading will always end up to be an activity done only for rewards. We all end up doing it for some or other activities (in my case, it's his eating where I had done this mistake of rewarding), just refrain it for reading in case you want it to be a life long habit. Instead try to make it fun and yes, patience pays. Keep at it.
• Read what he /she loves: I know we all avid reader moms & dads have some choices of their own, the books that we think will be good for our kids. But let's not force our choices on them as times have changed and so have preferences of our kids. For almost a month, my son insisted me to read him "Wolverine Vs Sabretooth" story book during bedtime daily. I mean daily! The mommy in me used to wonder why such action packed story at bedtime. But then that's the only book my son was very fond of at that particular time. I gave in to his choices and kept reading him whatever he wanted. Thanks to Wolverine and Avengers, I must say that reading got established as a bedtime ritual on its own quite easily. Do I remember reading anything like Wolverine while I was growing up? Of course nah :D

Hope these suggestions work for you. In case you have any other interesting tip, do drop it in the comment section below.

If you liked this post from a book-loving mommy, feel free to share it and for more succh posts follow my children books page @undertheguavatree

- The Mommy who got all her reading skills by spending her childhood under a guava tree with books :)

A photo posted by Kanupriya Sindhu (@kanupriyasindhu) on Jul 1, 2016 at 11:32pm PDT

Just finished reading this book with a smile on my face. If your roots are from any small Indian town or you have lived in one during your growing up years, then this book is surely going to bring a smile on your face.

It was quite a pleasant surprise when my childhood friend Rakhi Anand pinged me about her debut novel - Life of Angela and when she mentioned it being based on school life, I was all the more keen to pick it up. And I am glad I grabbed a copy of it as the book reminded me of my growing years in many ways :). Here's my quick take on the book:

• It's simple & real, no wannabe portrayal of cool, hip student life.
• Presents the inner turmoil of a fatherless middle class teenager girl beautifully, the pressure on her to do well in academics, get a well paying job so that she can support her family, her struggle and challenges due to her introvert personality - all of these have been presented quite genuinely.
• Has an important message for students who try to give up life due to academic pressure. Life is much more than just scores in board exams and if you believe in yourself, there is always a beautiful destination waiting for you ahead.
• Engaging plot presented in a very crisp and easy language.

Overall it's a book that's definitely worth a read. And for a change, it's an Indian fiction that's not on romance at IIT / IIM campus :) or about a girl who is dying to get married just because she has entered in her 30s!

Do give it a try, it's available on Amazon as well as on Flipkart.

Rakhi: Kudos to you for your effort. Wish you good luck for your future books. 

book blog · book blogger · Book Review · Books · fiction · indian books · indian fiction · life of angela

Life of Angela: Book

A photo posted by Kanupriya Sindhu (@kanupriyasindhu) on Jul 1, 2016 at 11:32pm PDT

Just finished reading this book with a smile on my face. If your roots are from any small Indian town or you have lived in one during your growing up years, then this book is surely going to bring a smile on your face.

It was quite a pleasant surprise when my childhood friend Rakhi Anand pinged me about her debut novel - Life of Angela and when she mentioned it being based on school life, I was all the more keen to pick it up. And I am glad I grabbed a copy of it as the book reminded me of my growing years in many ways :). Here's my quick take on the book:

• It's simple & real, no wannabe portrayal of cool, hip student life.
• Presents the inner turmoil of a fatherless middle class teenager girl beautifully, the pressure on her to do well in academics, get a well paying job so that she can support her family, her struggle and challenges due to her introvert personality - all of these have been presented quite genuinely.
• Has an important message for students who try to give up life due to academic pressure. Life is much more than just scores in board exams and if you believe in yourself, there is always a beautiful destination waiting for you ahead.
• Engaging plot presented in a very crisp and easy language.

Overall it's a book that's definitely worth a read. And for a change, it's an Indian fiction that's not on romance at IIT / IIM campus :) or about a girl who is dying to get married just because she has entered in her 30s!

Do give it a try, it's available on Amazon as well as on Flipkart.

Rakhi: Kudos to you for your effort. Wish you good luck for your future books.