All posts tagged: book review

Hope and Freckles

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Happy Book Publication Year to Hope and Freckles Fleeing to a Better Forest by Bill Kiley and illustrated by Mary Manning. Hope and Freckles are a baby and a mother deer who live in the Olden Forest. The Olden Forest was becoming dangerous for Hope and Freckles. The summers were hotter, there was less food and water and the persistent threat for life from other carnivores and hunters. Hope, Freckles and other deer walk to the Big Pine Forest to take refuge but the guards don’t let them in because the Forest had enough white-tailed deer. When they plead to let them in, they separate Hope and Freckles. Freckles is taken to another family and Hope lives in a fenced area waiting for her child. Will Hope see Freckles again? This book explains with animal characters and eye-catching images, the immigration scenario in United States and other countries. It is a good book to teach children why people take refuge, why they are denied entry to a new country and also their suffering when children …

The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People

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The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People by David Niven is a short read. The book is written in such a way that reading the chapter titles is enough. Each chapter covers one concept about how to be happy, followed by an example and a quote.⁠ ⁠ Among the 100 simple secrets, a few secrets that stuck with me are:⁠ 1. Have a purpose in your life⁠ 2. Have a hobby and also engage with people who share the same hobby⁠ 3. Have a community of friends and family and help each other out⁠ 4. Strive for progress, not for perfection ⁠ 5. Volunteer and exercise⁠ ⁠ For this new year, which of the above secrets will you make a resolution? For me, it will be exercise ;)⁠

La Princesa and the Pea

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The classical story of The Princess and the Pea gets a Latino twist in the book, La Princesa and the Pea. What makes this book stand out is the bilingual text, which is in both Spanish and English. The warm illustrations inspired by the culture of Peru also make this book a winner. ⁠ ⁠ El Principe knows that this girl is the one for him but the Queen doesn’t agree. The Queen wants the perfect girl for his son and no woman on the land could match the Queen’s expectations. The Queen has a secret test in mind for the Princess. If the Princess wins the test she can marry the Prince. The Prince also has a plan that makes sure that the Princess will win the test. ⁠ ⁠ This classic tale injected with love is sure to make your heart melt and will make you smile in the end. In the illustrations, I loved the sly looks between the Princess and the Prince, as the Queen tries her best to quench their …

Wherever you go

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What is the name of your most favorite road and why? We have traveled on roads since we can remember, to school, to home, to a grocery shop, to a friends place etc. We have probably walked or drove 1000s of times on various roads. When someone asks where do you live, we say the name of a road. Roads are an integral part of our life. Roads take us to places and also bring us home. In this book, an adventurous rabbit and his friends take a journey on roads to go through mountain peaks, cityscapes, to the stream and the sea. Roads take them past bridges, harbors and bays. After visiting many places and meeting new friends, the rabbit goes home. I loved the illustrations in this book which had winding roads on every page and cute animal characters. In this book, the author, Pat Zietlow Miller asks Which path should you choose? That’s easy to see. The one that will take you where you wish to be. This book was published in …

Cherry Tree

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The Republic Day of India is on January 26, so this whole week I am highlighting books featuring India. Ruskin Bond is my favorite Indian children’s author. I grew up reading his stories and I cherish his writing style, which highlights the elements of nature. Cherry Tree is a picturebook by Ruskin Bond. Rakhi, is a six-year old girl who lives in Mussoorie. One day she eats delicious cherries and takes her grandfather’s advice to plant the seed. But the soil in her place is stony and might not be suitable for a cherry tree. Despite that, Rakhi plants the seed and protects it from hungry goats, savage bullock carts and other dangers. The cherry tree survives, flowers and gives first crop. It is a beautiful story that will encourage children to plant and nourish, and have a beautiful connection with nature. Do pick up this book if you have it available at your local library. Nothing is lucky if you put it away. You must make it work for you. – Cherry Tree

How Do You Dance?

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When was the last time you danced? How Do You Dance by Thyra Heder is a celebration of dance. There are many ways to dance, you can jump, shake, moonwalk and jiggle, just to name a few. You can also dance anywhere, in your home, at the bus stop, at the grocery store etc. We can dance when we are happy and also dance when we are sad. In this book, everyone encourages a boy to dance and also give him many ideas about how, when and where to dance. Will the boy dance? If one of your new year resolutions is to lose weight, then this is the best way to lose some. If not, just dance, there is no need of an occasion to have some fun. This book definitely inspired me to dance. I read this book while making breakfast and I did it while swaying my hips. Well, nobody complained about how breakfast tasted so all is well that ends well. The book is published by Abrams Books for Young Readers …

December 2019 Reads – Part 2

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In December, I read a lot of Christmas themed picturebooks. These were books about Christmas trees, Reindeer, Santa Claus and one nativity book. I also read one of the books from Mary Pope Osborne’s Magic Treehouse series for the first time. Now, I am reading the whole series from beginning. The concept is that a brother and sister, Jack and Annie discover a magic treehouse in the woods. You can travel through time, in real and fantasy worlds by pointing at a picture in a book and wishing you were there. The Magic Treehouse series follows the adventures of Jack and Annie. Looking forward to reading exciting children’s books in 2020.

December 2019 Reads – Part 1

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December was a good reading month, given that I had a lot of holidays. I read fiction, non-fiction and children’s books (next post). Among non-fiction, I loved Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. This book is a creative person’s bible and reveals the pleasures and pains of a creative life. The other book, The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People by David Niven revealed 100 secrets for a happy life. Each secret was a statement followed by an example showing the application of the secret and supporting scientific literature or quotes. Among fiction books, Miracle Creek by Angie Kim and Into the Water by Paula Hawkins were murder mystery/thrillers. Into the Water is a decent thriller but not as good as the previous novel, The Girl on the Train. Miracle Creek was a bookstagram favorite but it did not live up to my expectations because I guessed the ending within 30% of the novel. A Woman is no Man by Etaf Rum and The Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia were good reads. A …

Merry Christmas!

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Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Room for a Little One tells the nativity story with animals playing the main role. An ox was in his shed. He sees a dog and invites him to come in. After the dog, comes the cat, mouse and a donkey carrying Mary. All of them are welcome in the shed. Jesus Christ is born in the shed among the presence of animals. This story teaches kindness and helping one another in time of need. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

The Night Before Christmas

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The Night Before Christmas is a poem written by Clement Clarke Moore and was first published in 1823, and is still remembered today. The poem writes about what happens the night before Christmas. The whole house was asleep but the owner was awoken by the visit of Santa Claus to his home. This poem painted Santa Claus as a jolly old man on a sleigh pulled by 8 reindeer, dressed in red and jumping down through the chimney to leave gifts. In a way Clement Moore painted the modern image of Santa Claus. The illustrations in this book were by Mary Engelbreit and are rich in detail. Enjoy the Christmas Eve!