When there are so many things to learn, why do we restrict learning to one staid, boring way? As a parent, I have been through the stress every parent will resonate with when their child shows trouble learning something new or not hitting a milestone on time. Scary questions about learning trouble start to loom, […]
A few years ago, we were playing 20 questions as a family. The game was going along well until Gurgles (7) stumped 2 adults and 2 older kids because none of us could guess the person he had in mind. He had thought of Jadav Payeng because he had recently read Vinayak Verma’s Jadav and the […]
In a recent episode of Tell Me A Story, author-illustrator Pankaj Saikia mentioned that there is no reference point for stories and illustrations from the North-East, simply because there hasn’t been much content that represents the way of life there. That hit me hard and left me thinking about how it is so important for creators to […]
Who says picture books are for early readers? Some of the most difficult topics to talk about can be discussed easily, with the help of a picture book. When We are Home by Priyadarshini Gogoi and illustrated by Pankaj Saikia, is one such book. When We Are Home shows Moromi and her little brother, Huntu, remembering […]
What does it mean to be a parent in today’s world? Quite a lot, TBH. But maybe the secret is to just be present. Amma’s Magic Handbag is a book that is an ode to gentle parenting. It starts with, “Amma says our feelings are like waves. When I feel them crashing over me, she […]
Brachio is a book that arrests your eyes and forces you to pick it up. The cover, for starters, has the legs of an extraordinarily tall person, who is so tall he can’t fit on the cover page. Minimal with playful illustrations, the book makes you flip through to know more. And once you do, […]
As parenting tips go, here is one of my favourites. Always, always give your children enough information about the place they are going to visit. Never keep it a surprise. Surprises tend to overwhelm the child. Prior information helps them prepare mentally for what they are about to see. Now this tip works well whether […]
This is a very special book, and I am so excited to see Indian kid lit having its very own Spotting Book! A spotting book is an interactive, search-and-find book designed especially to improve the reader’s powers of observation. These books ask readers to find a particular character or object amid pages with a sea […]
Have you ever wondered about the comfortable bubble we all live in? Apartment living with 24/7 electricity and running water, shopping at the same grocery stores, and visiting the same malls ensures our children live in a comfortable floating bubble that shields them from the ways of the world. Just a few kilometres away, life […]
What The Dark Sounds Like settled in my brain in a corner and has since refused to leave its spot. I posted about it on social media and even spoke about it to friends, but I still can’t seem to get over the beauty and the simplicity of this book. This is a Pratham Level […]