#28// cry+laugh with children’s books
kid lit time
Dear Reader,
It is no secret that I LOVE children’s books. All of them — picture books, middle grade, (yes, the one closest to my heart is middle grade fantasy). Recently I was pleasantly surprised by a big package sent by the lovely folks at Pratham Books. As I was ripping the package open, I thought to myself what joy it would be to pass them off to my nieces and nephews. Then I sat and read, and believe it or not, my day became instantly better. Like shining bright NICER. The moral of the story is children’s books are so great that they will always pull you out of a meh day. The secret moral is you can always hoard excellent books for yourself (These are going on my shelves, but maybe I’ll get the little folk copies of some of these because the books were totally amazing).
Asamo, is that you? by Canato Jima and Ogin Nayam is a kid’s horror book with striking red and black illustrations. At the end of it, I mouthed OH because what an ending! This is a monster book featuring monsters from Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh. Two kids play hide and seek and the seeker seems to find monsters instead of Asamo. The art is stunning! And the short sentences ‘Such a fuzzy, furry ball with a foot so quick. NO. You are not Asamo” is just perfect to read loud together with kids.
Talking about reading loud, another book filled with sounds is Puchku seeks a song by Deepanjana Pal, illustrated by Rajiv Eipe. I’ve read the Puchku’s other stories (on Storyweaver), love Deepanjana’s Dear Reader newsletter that has the most incredible recommendations, so no surprise that I knew already that I was going to be heavily invested in an adventure in search of a song. In this lovely story, Puchku and gang (Botlu and Dodla) are the ‘Brilliant Plans Department’. And their mission is to find a baby bird its lost song. The gang is very professional and they stop at nothing. Trial and error of different sounds to see which one is the baby bird’s. This book has the right laughs, and also makes you ‘hear’ all the different sounds. Not to forget Eipe’s stunning illustrations that make me go ‘that’s so Puchku’.
Next up is a book by Puchku’s teacher. And who is Puchku’s teacher? My Twitter tells me the Eipe’s illustration of the teacher is based on Bijal Vachharajini (It is!!) who loves all things nature. Vachharajini’s PS What’s up with the Climate is a gem to introduce children to the animal world and climate change. Each chapter is a letter by an animal (with amazing illustrations by Archana Sreenivasan) to a friend where they write their heart out about the changes in their environment/man made problems along with friendly banter. My heart sank (literally!) at the last page. It is a picture with no words, and it really makes you well up. I am not gonna tell you what the page is. Definitely recommended. Also if you love nature writing in general, be sure to check out Bijal’s stories on Adda Stories—they give me comfort and joy. I’ve linked one in a previous edition of this newsletter. But you are better off with Google.
It is incredible to have children’s books that open up conversations on important, adult topics. Like climate change in Bijal’s book. And refugee life — That’s what Home by Fausto Aarya De Santis, illustrated by Ogin Nayam does. This book left a lump in my throat. We begin with a happy-family that does things that every family does. The book then escalates rapidly to being on the run and being separated from land and family members. It is heart breaking. How does a children’s book, with a limited number of sentences, convey such big ideas? This book is a wonder. And the story plus the illustration woven around water, rain drops, puddles, rivers, makes you weep. When little Hasina thinks “Do rivers know when they cross borders” I was silent in my head. This book is a conversation starter, and as an adult it also makes you feel saddened, burdened, ashamed of what human beings have become. A really good read.
For a less heavy but heartwarming story, there’s Sumi Budhi and Sugi. This is written by Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, illustrated by Joanna Mendes. Sumi Budhi’s best friend is the duck Sugi. It gives her company, wakes her up in the morning and also protects the family in small ways. Since we are running out of space (which actually means I am running out of time), I’ll quickly introduce you to some other books too.
The Power of 10 (Anita Roy, illustrated by Joanna Mendes) is the most stunning number book I have seen. I wish I had it as a child.
Love dinosaurs? — Here’s something different. My first book of Indian Dinosaurs (Lavanya Naidu) is the picture book that made me think “why didn’t I ever think there would be Indian dinosaurs?”
Starting school soon? — A silent book Ikru’s First Day of School (Sunaina Coelho) takes you through a whole regular school day, and made me miss my kindergarten days.
Another conversation starter —I wish has the most gorgeous illustrations, each by a different artist, art directed by Priya Kurian. Each spread is based on an ‘I wish’ statement by children from different schools in India. Wishes range from freedom to eat chocolate to women being free to go anywhere.
These descriptors hardly do justice. Check out my Instagram Highlight (thebooksatchel). I have filmed all the books, so you can get a glimpse at the beautiful illustrations. I’ll keep it saved on my Highlights for few weeks.
And thus we come to an end. Also adding in the wonder that is Storyweaver. If you follow me on social media, you already know how much I love them. For those who are new, Storyweaver is a platform for books that you can read for free. Yes, you heard that right. Free, no strings attached. (You need to sign in after a few free stories, that’s all). There are books categorized by reading levels, AND there are books in different languages. Sometimes you even get the same book in English and translation. I have spent hours on the website, no kidding. They have books categorized into different levels of reading—very useful if you are learning or refreshing a language.
This looks like a all-about-Pratham-books email, but just adding in that I am in no way affiliated with them. Except in being a reader who enjoys their books.
As for my regular reading, I haven’t really found a book that stopped me on my tracks. After the incredible The Dutch House (which btw so many of you picked up and messaged. I felt so happy! It has been a while since a recommendation really caught fire like that. The best feeling. I am glad it worked well for all of you), I find myself increasingly dissatisfied by the adult books I’ve been reading. Some good books, but not incredible; and that leaves me a little disappointed. I am longing for a good crime read, so if you have any recs, let me know; pretty please.
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That’s a wrap. See you soon,
Resh x
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