The Word Route

Author: Bhakti Mathur Illustrator: Maulshree Somani This is the part 1 in the Krishna Trilogy written by Bhakti Mathur. Amma Tell Me About Krishna is a part of the Amma Tell Me series of books where a boy called Klaka loves hearing stories on every Indian culture and festival celebrated in India. In this trilogy too, the author has chosen Klaka as a listener and his mom as a narrator of this age old mythological tales from Krishna’s birth to his adulthood. Illustrator Maulshree Somani’s beautifully sketched story of Krishna’s birth, supported by Bhakti Mathur’s excellent yet simple narration of this age-old mythological tale, is sure to touch your child’s heart. It is the Janmashtami festival and Klaka has enjoyed watching preparations in the temple for the birth of Krishna. He has witnessed the traditional dahi handi – a sport played by boys who form a pyramid and compete to break a mud pot hung at a height. The revelry and colours splashed across his community has l...

I have been a bookworm and books were my best friends since childhood. I intended to do the same for my son. There is a saying: Catch 'em young! I still remember being gifted many small board books when my son was born and, some when he turned 6 months. My first response when I got these books was: how will this tiny bundle understand what books are, let alone words or language or illustrations in it! It was a time when I was doing extensive research online and discovered that books can be introduced as early as 3 months.  Having said that, I still attempted to open and keep books in front of my six month old. The first time, he took them in his hand very professionally (holding it and keeping it in front of his face), and decided to utilize his gross motor skills and tore a book. The matronly instinct in me made me take away the book away from him and scold him. After that I made sure I hand books to him only if I am sitting with him. Mommy instincts & “let-go” appro...

The story is about a Little Princess who loves her mother and cannot let her out of sight even for a few hours. The various situations that the Princess gets stuck in and asks for her mother, is both comical as well as heart-warming. It is nice to see how even the smallest things can bring a smile to children’s faces, for instance, in this case, it is her mother coming and reassuring that everything will be fine or praising her spoiled painting. She looks up to her mother for everything to solve all her problems. She is her role model. The Little Princess wants her mother all the time – whether it is playing games with her or meal times. The Little Princess is like any other toddler who gets scared of monsters and hates applying medicine when hurt. Another book by Tony Ross in the popular  Little Princess  series, this one is sure to steal your heart. The  Little Princess  is part of a popular series written by Tony Ross especially for toddlers who als...

Author: Sarvendra Vikram Illustrator : Eshita Munshi Another gem from Pratham Publication, this translated story surrounds a mango that falls from a tree and the reactions of animals after it lands on the ground. Beginning with a pigeon, a rabbit, and a squirrel, who are playing when the mango falls from the tree, to the seed of the mango lying on the ground after a cuckoo comes and eats it up, the author has woven the story sequentially. Each page contains a surprise element as a different set of animals approach the mango seed - a curious rat, an owl, a monkey, a nightingale, a duck, goat, an onlooker crow, a spider, mongoose, and a lion and a lioness that walk past the mango seed.  Rain and thunder follows, making the elephant trumpet loudly and shake a tree full of parrots. There are intricate pictorial details of a hen pecking at the seed, a leaf acting as an umbrella for the hen, and a beetle climbing the elephant's leg.  After the rains stop, the ...

Authors : Mala Kumar & Manisha Chaudhry Illustrator : Niloufer Wadia Grandmothers are extremely sweet and caring. I am sure you will agree that each granny is unique in her own way. All of us have sweet memories with our respective grandmothers and all vacations spent with her. Meet this lovely grandma who has a strange fetish or hobby. She loves juggling anything and everything wherever she is – be it the kitchen, office, market or grandpa’s things! Everyone around are exasperated and frazzled with her strange fetish. Inside the kitchen, she juggles pots, pans, vegetables, fruits etc. Once she even tossed grandpa’s watch, pen, spectacles, cap and even his umbrella in the air and juggled. Poor grandpa had a fit seeing his things tossed up in the air. He threw up his hands and became angry. One day, she went to the market and to the fruit seller’s dismay, she tossed his mangoes in the air and one went flying to the ground and became pulp. Onlookers were scared a...

Author/Illustrator : Sorit Gupto This story is about a little girl called Bunty. She loves playing outdoors in sand, and chasing butterflies and birds. But she hates cleaning up after playing and brushing her teeth. One night she gets a dream that germs are attacking the sand castle she made and she is running away from them. Then Soap king Bubbly appears as a saviour and saves her from germs with the help of his army of bubbles. Parents can use this book to inculcate importance of hygienic habits in young children. A great book to read aloud to toddlers, it has simple language that makes it easy for kids to relate to, and understand.  Vivid illustrations from Sorit Gupto make the book visually appealing to young readers. A Level 1 book from Pratham Publications, it is highly recommended for kids aged 3+ years.

Author: Vinita Krishna Illustrator: Suvidha Mistry In the good old days, children visited their grandparents’ houses in the village during vacations. Because most villages did not have electricity and had limited “entertainment” options, it was easy to engage children in household chores. Children would help out in the vegetable garden, the elders at home in running errands, and perhaps even meeting friends in the village for a cool dip in the local pond. Aaloo Maloo Kaloo is a fun story about a boy named Maloo who is visiting his grandmother in the village.   His grandmother asks him to pick vegetables from her garden. His canine friend Kaloo also accompanies him. Suvidha Mistry’s illustrations along with author Vinita Krishna manage to create vivid images of the vegetable garden and the rural landscape, which can transport you to the countryside; an excellent book for kids to learn more about colours and vegetables. Yet another gem from the Pratham ...