Kid's Book Review: Same- same or Different

Sorting happens to be a very important mathematical skill. Sorting and Pattern recognition are the basis of algebra and set theory.  Sorting as a skillset can be further broken down into sequencing, classifying and making patterns. A child who is good at sorting will eventually be good at making decision and judgements. Early childhood educators believe that children who are good at sorting are also good at understanding new information and how it fits into existing information. They are also better at handling things out of routine.

The book “ Same-same or Different?” is actually a fun way to teach kids on how to sort things and put them in different sets.  With respect to any mathematics fundamentals, the more the kids work with it, the better they become it. This book could be a nice tool to teach sorting.

Sparrow and snake are friends.  Both set of parents are worried. “ You cant be friends with the snake, his people eat our people”. “ You cant be friends with your food!”.

Sparrow and snake are tired of this and decide to show how they are similar. They focus on looks, movement and what food they eat. They are disappointed because they don’t find the similarity. Along comes the Headmaster and immediately knows how to show case they are similar. Read the book to find out how Headmaster Elephant does it. Along the process, you can teach categorizing, sorting and sets to your children. At the end of a book there is an activity that kids can do to sort animals based on different criteria.

The book also gives a very beautiful social message. If you focus on the differences a person has because of the group he belongs to you will only find the differences. Instead, if you change your view, and understand the person for who he is as an individual, you may actually find him to be similar.  This can help in forming a strong bond of friendship across culture.  Wouldn’t you agree with us, if we said this was the biggest need of the hour?

Educational Value: 5/5

Role Model Attribution: 5/5

Age Band - broad band : 7+ years

Publisher : Pratham Written By: Roopa Pai  Illustrated by : Rohit Kelkar

Book Review: When Santa Went Missing

Ho Ho Ho, it is that time of the year again!  Holidays getting planned, Christmas movies on the television, winter setting in many parts of the country!  “ A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens is a classic and can be read and re- read. It beautifully describes the spirit of Christmas. But if you are like me and never have enough of magic of the season, you go looking for more books around the theme of Christmas! I made a surprise discovery of “ When Santa Went Missing” by Parinita Shetty at a bookstore near my place!

Santa Claus lives in the North Pole.  He lives along with his wife, two sons and a daughter.They live there along with the elves, that help Santa with all the traditions around Christmas-Some Token Toy Making (Majority of the toys don’t get made in the north pole any more, because it is a logistical nightmare to ship them all over the world! ), Sorting children’s toy request, building and maintaining sleighs and managing the reindeers.

Panic strikes when, just a few days before Christmas, Santa Claus goes missing. The elves in the north pole are convinced that he has been abducted.  Avery, the elder son, who is also very averse to flying stays back to try and help his family and elves to look for Santa.  But what if Santa is not found on time? Can the tens of millions of kids around the world be disappointed on Christmas?

 Neol, the 11 year old daughter of Santa along with three whacky elves set out on a journey to all the toy making factories to try and see if they can collect and drop the toys on time. Neol and co go to different countries/ continents to supervise the toy making and ensure  that everything is in place.  Each stop is a new adventure, a new challenge and offers a new set of  insights and learning.

 

The book is written in first person voice from Neol’s point of view.  Each chapter starts in the form of a diary entry that kids will absolutely love. Sample this for a topic of one of the diary entries,  “Reasons I need to be adapted by a New Family”.  There  are many lessons for kids in the book, but they come very light and don’t feel preachy.

There is one line I absolutely loved, where an elderly elf tells the young elf who doesn’t want to work, “ Christmas isn’t about you. We have a duty to the kids of the world”. In a world where everyone is talking about rights, it is a beautiful message that emphasises on the importance of duties as well. It applies not just to Christmas but to life in general.

Back to the story! Does Avery find Santa? Do Neol and the elves save Christmas? Good time to pick up the book here.  May be sneak it up to our room to read it before the kid (who incidentally it is  meant for) gets her hand on it?

Reviewed by:

Educational Value: 5/5 ( Many life lessons)

Role Model attribution: 5/5

Age Band - broad band : 10+ years

Publisher : Puffin Books Written By: Ambika Rao  Illustrated by : Ruchi Shah

About the Reviewer:

G.K. :  City Dweller, Nature Lover| Father to an 5 year old|  Avid Reader| Loves to watch and Play Cricket| Day Job at a Start Up

Kids Book Review: Ninja Nani Series

A few years ago, we decided to buy only books as gifts for my Dubai based Sisters kids. As with most kids living in Dubai, there is no toy or dress that we can buy that they can’t find in Dubai or the extensive list of countries they travel to. Even with books, the Geranimo Stilton’s get guzzled down easily. But finding books that are set in India and have meaningful messages but at the same time are interesting become a tough find! In addition to the above if you want a series then there is very little choice.

In one of those treasure hunts for books with all of the above criteria, we came across the Ninja Nani series by Lavanya Karthik. Our 3 year old has a Pratham title from the same book, so we decided to give it a shot

Deepu and his Nani live under the same roof, but hardly know each other as people.  This is not uncommon, elders are supposed to be venerated and kids are supposed to be impish. We rarely transcend the boundaries that these narrow role definitions confer on us. 

There is a fight for the remote over cookery show vs a Ninja Dragon MoriMori show. Suddenly Grandma is transformed into a Ninja Nani and flies out of the window. Deepu follows and thus begins an adventure. Through the course of the adventure, they get to know each other more and surprisingly Deepu becomes the conscience keeper while Nani tends to show off her super powers even more.

The language is simple and it can be easily introduced to an 8-year-old kid.  But I believe it can it can be read by anybody. Here is a confession; every adult in our house read it too!  The illustrations are beautiful and capture the spirit of the book and make it a fun read. If only they were in color!

Since this is a super hero series set in India, it is almost unparalleled. There are three books in the series and fourth in the making. We love the fact that it is set in small town India, Gadbadnagar, beautifully capturing the spirit of an Indianan small town. Our nephews both love super hero series. We hit the jackpot! What is even better is that our nephews’ Grandmother has just started living with them. We thought it might be a great opportunity to make them bond with her more! 

We highly recommend it for kids who have a penchant for guzzling superhero stories. (I have read all Geranimo Stiltons! Now what!) . Since winter break is almost here, these could be a good pick for the season 

Role Models & Attitude Portrayal: 5/5 ( In fact we recommend this book, because it explores the way Grandparents and Grandchildren relate to each other)

Educational Value: NA

Age Band - broad band : 8+ years

Publisher : Duckbill books Written & Illustrated By: Lavanya Karthik

Books in the series:

Ninja Nani & The Bumbling Burglars

Ninja Nani & The Zapped Zombie Kids

Ninja Nani & The Mad Mummy Mix - up

About the Reviewer:

G.K. :  City Dweller, Nature Lover| Father to an 4 year old|  Avid Reader| Loves to watch and Play Cricket| Day Job at a Start Up

Kids Book Review: The Cat in the Ghat

Living in a city, I feel a deep urge to take nature breaks to recharge my batteries. Many years ago, when we were trekking in the southern Western Ghats, we saw a very different cat. Having grown up in the region, I figured that we were very lucky that day.  Because we may well have seen Pogeyan, the legendary cat that comes and goes like the mist.  We were elated. We were lucky enough to have seen it! Many who live close to the jungle had not been this privileged. 

When I came across the children’s book , “the cat in the ghat”  Kids Book Reviews quite by chance at a bookstore, I decided to pick it up .  This is a story of a wildlife photographer, Sandesh Kadur, in search of the cat Pogeyan. 

Sandy, always the dreamer, had seen the Pogeyan once in his life and decides to revisit the Western Ghats to photograph it. Along the journey, he meets fascinating animals. The Bengal Tiger, nonchalant, about another cat, since he is the Top Cat  .  The herd of Asian elephants who promise him that they hadn’t seen the cat. The Lion Tailed Macaque who guides him to the location of Nasikabatrachus  ( yes it’s a real species ) . This strange creature with a stranger sounding name guides him to a man who has seen the Pogeyan .  Sandy meets Krishna; does Krishna guide him to the Cat?  Read the book to find out.

The narration of the story is funny and many of the sentences rhyme. The accompanying illustrations are quirky and they beautifully support the narrative style. This is a great book to buy for kids who like animals and nature!

Educational Value: 5/5

Age Band - broad band : 7+ years

Publisher : Pratham Written By: Ambika Rao  Illustrated by : Ruchi Shah

About the Reviewer:

G.K. :  City Dweller, Nature Lover| Father to an 5 year old|  Avid Reader| Loves to watch and Play Cricket| Day Job at a Start Up

Children's Day 2018

Children's Day is celebrated across India to increase awareness of the rights, care and education of children. It is celebrated on 14 November every year on the birth anniversary of the first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru also called 'Chacha Nehru'.

The nation is celebrating the 130th birth anniversary of the first prime minister of independent India, Pt Jawaharlal Nehru. Pt Nehru, who was born on November 14, 1889, was known for his love for children and was fondly called Chacha Nehru. He once said: “The children of today will make the India of tomorrow. The way we bring them up will determine the future of the country”.

Before 1964, Children’s day was celebrated in India on November 20, which was observed as the universal Children’s Day by the United Nations. But after Nehru’s death in 1964, the nation decided to celebrate his birthday as Bal Diwas (Children’s Day) to honour his memory.

On the birth anniversary of the great Chacha Nehru whose love and chemistry with children was unparalleled, introduce your child to one of the most historical speeches made by him.

Learn More: https://www.ekdali.com/product/education-posters-charts-history-independence-day-speech
#ChildrensDay #Poster

Book Review: Stories From Kathasaritsagara

Kathasaritsagara is a collection of 11thcentury India Fairy Tales and legends retold in Sanskrit by SomaDeva.  It means “ The Ocean of Stories” and rightly so because there are 18 books with about 124 chapters each.  Stories are themed around love, loss, intrigue, bravery and wisdom. 

“ Stories from Kathasaritsagara” by Devika Rangachari are a collection of 10 of the best from this vast ocean of stories. They have been retold in a simple and lucid manner in simple English.

The first story is about a man called Putraka who founded the city of Pataliputra. The plot is filled with twists and turns. Putraka escapes an assassination attempt by his own father. He comes in possession of magic flying shoes, a vessel that makes food on its own and stick that can bring to life whatever one writes with it. Putraka falls in love with a princess Patali and creates the city of Pataliputra in her honor.

Sample another one. The Abandoned Children about the story of how a brother and sister are lost in a forest and what becomes of them. This is an Indian version of the much more recent Fairy Tale Hansel and Gretel.

As with any work of literature pre-dating our times, if the book is to be read to a younger audience, parents might have to modify it a little and suit it to context. But, for older kids the stories can be read as is,  and will provide a great insight into the cultural ethos of the time and place they were set in. Some stories have a moral take away, some don’t. But the plots are almost always twisted and the kids are likely to read through it as it will be pique their curiosity.

Buy your copy at just INR 88 here

Educational Value: 5/5

Role Models & Attitude Portrayal: 4/5 ( Characters have to be given a leeway because they are part of a different social context)

Age Band - broad band : 12+ years

Publisher : CBT

Retold by : Devika Rangachari

About the Reviewer:

Roomana Basha: Mother to a book lover  | Founder and CEO ekdali.com | Loves books - Currently reading Strategy Beyond the Hockey Stick | Fitness Freak | History Buff

Book Review: Stories From Kathasaritsagara

Kathasaritsagara is a collection of 11thcentury India Fairy Tales and legends retold in Sanskrit by SomaDeva.  It means “ The Ocean of Stories” and rightly so because there are 18 books with about 124 chapters each.  Stories are themed around love, loss, intrigue, bravery and wisdom. 

“ Stories from Kathasaritsagara” by Devika Rangachari are a collection of 10 of the best from this vast ocean of stories. They have been retold in a simple and lucid manner in simple English.

The first story is about a man called Putraka who founded the city of Pataliputra. The plot is filled with twists and turns. Putraka escapes an assassination attempt by his own father. He comes in possession of magic flying shoes, a vessel that makes food on its own and stick that can bring to life whatever one writes with it. Putraka falls in love with a princess Patali and creates the city of Pataliputra in her honor.

Sample another one. The Abandoned Children about the story of how a brother and sister are lost in a forest and what becomes of them. This is an Indian version of the much more recent Fairy Tale Hansel and Gretel.

As with any work of literature pre-dating our times, if the book is to be read to a younger audience, parents might have to modify it a little and suit it to context. But, for older kids the stories can be read as is,  and will provide a great insight into the cultural ethos of the time and place they were set in. Some stories have a moral take away, some don’t. But the plots are almost always twisted and the kids are likely to read through it as it will be pique their curiosity.

Buy your copy at just INR 88 here

Educational Value: 5/5

Role Models & Attitude Portrayal: 4/5 ( Characters have to be given a leeway because they are part of a different social context)

Age Band - broad band : 12+ years

Publisher : CBT

Retold by : Devika Rangachari

About the Reviewer:

Roomana Basha: Mother to a book lover  | Founder and CEO ekdali.com | Loves books - Currently reading Strategy Beyond the Hockey Stick | Fitness Freak | History Buff

Bangalore Literature Festival

This is quite an exciting time for us at Ekdali. Literature and books gets us very excited. Last year we walked in to the Bangalore Literature Festival as a visitor and we were enthralled by the width and depth of literary activity it presented. This year Ekdali visits as a partner, fascinated still, but with a added hint of pride. Visit us at the books section in the Bangalore Literature Festival! When: 27th and 28th October 10:00 Am onwards Where: Hotel Lalit Ashok Entry is free. hashtag#ekDaliGetsLit hashtag#blrlitfest

Book Review: Adventures with Hanuman

“Everyone can see and hear and talk to someone from a story they know and love”, many of us can relate to this statement. This is also the statement Hanumanji gives by way of explanation to the surprised Raghu, when He materializes in Raghu’s room.  Raghu is a 12-year-old boy and he is upset about his life! His problem is the same as what most of us go through. When life is simple and everything is peaceful, boredom sets in. This is what makes Raghu yearn for an adventure.

When Hanumanji materializes in his Room, he offers to take him on his adventures. Raghu protests saying that all his adventures are over, the Ramayana is over, Sita has been found and there is nothing left to do.  “ The Ramayana is always happening”, says Hanuman, “ every time someone reads it”.

Thus begins an adventure for Raghu where he accompanies Hanuman as he plays his role in the greatest epic of our time!

Every reading of the Ramayana is different, because you experience it differently. Every story teller tells it differently. Arshia Sattar  in her book “ Adventures with Hanuman”, describes it as a 12 year old boy from our times as experiencing the Ramayana. This makes it easier for 12 year olds from this generation to read and relate to the story.

Raghu is not a mute spectator in this Ramyana. He assists and aids Hanuman. The conversations that the two protagonists have are laced with wisdom and yet conveyed in a simple manner. This book is also age appropriate as Hanuman returns Raghu back to his bed, before starting the final battle, which is filled with all the gore of a war!

This is an endearing rendition of the Ramayana that every pre teen must own.

Educational Value: 5/5

Role Models & Attitude Portrayal: 4/5 ( We take away one point, because the protagonist is sometimes a little casual that can border on disrespect)

Age Band - broad band : 11+ years

Publisher : Rupa

Author : Arshia Sattar

Illustrator: Sunaina Coelho

About the Reviewer:

Roomana Basha: Mother to a book lover  | Founder and CEO ekdali.com | Loves books - Currently reading Strategy Beyond the Hockey Stick | Fitness Freak | History Buff

Book Review: Wild in the Backyard

We live in Bangalore, but due to a stroke of luck, we found a quieter area with lots of trees. It also adjoins an army reserved area, there are lot of trees, reptiles, rodents, insects and birds. The popular reaction about animals other than pet dogs and cats, ( and sometimes even to these) is either to fight or flee.  Conservation is usually synonymous with " Save the tiger".  One tends to forget what is quite literally in our backyards . Arefa Tehsin's "Wild in the Backyard" is a beautiful book that reinforces the fact that we cohabit with other animals and birds. They are important to the ecosystem and how they affect our daily lives. To quote a quotation from the book , " In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught"- Baba Dioum. This book predates the previous book we reviewed and recommended "The Globe Trotters" by  the same author .

This book is like an encyclopedia a of all the animals that we come across very often in our daily lives - from Mosquitos to bats! the range is quite exhaustive. The good part is, it is not a typical encyclopedia which becomes a very tough read for children. The tonality is very simple and conversational. There are a lot of facts about the animal, but some how you don't feel over loaded while reading the book. While you get to know a lot of scientific facts about the animal, my favourite part of the book is that even the cultural beliefs about the animals get covered. There are 25 chapters, each covering in detail a single animal. Black and While Illustrations are used to further enhance the content! if only it was in colour :)

The first chapter, for example, is about The Bat.There is a pointer that talks about how one can build a bat house to encourage bats to come and live in the garden. While, I  would have loved to see details about how to build one, I realize that it is out of scope of the book. But , it encourages children to believe that they can do some positive intervention in the lives of other creatures around us. Aztechs, Mayans and Zapotechs, all had beliefs about the bat related to passage between living and dead. Buy the book to find out this and many more facts about the various animals. It is a must in every home and school library. 

Educational Value : 5

Age Band - broad band : 9+ years

Publisher : Penguin India

Author : Arefa Tehsin