A Bear called Paddington by Michel Bond

"Mumma! When we go to London, we will go to Paddington station to meet Paddington the bear" says my 7 year old.

Read on! The LO has written a review herself for this book...

Note: This review is written by my 7 year old herself! 

The story of 'A bear called Paddington' is a very funny book. In this book there are 4 main characters and they are the lady called Sarah, Sir Sealy Bloom, the Browns and of course our Paddington. This book is published for 7-10 years old. (Added later) Mumma's can read it too. My favorite part was when Mr. Curry sat down on the egg . I would give this book 3.5 out of 5. After reading this book I have named my teddy bear - Paddington. What I can also tell you that I understood is that every chapter has 2-3 funny parts. 

written by Sumedha DC

The book published by Harper Collins is illustrated by Peggy Fortnum. Apart for the cover illustration, the inside illustrations are B/W. The cover illustration is sweet and minimal and gives an underlying feel of Winnie the Pooh. 

This is the first children's book by the author& he has written a postscript at the  end of the book. He has given how this story was born and that itself is an interesting read. The author mentions how Paddington was a toy bear kept on his mantle and how he always believed him to be real. He says that it is rewarding to know how others who read the book also believe in him. What is interesting is that after the first book , a life size bronze statue of Paddington was made in honour at the Paddington Station, London. So if u happen to go to Paddington station in London , Do click a picture with this extremely adorable bear. 

The adventures of Paddington are of course funny and wrapped in a flovour of innocence.Ordinary activities become extraordinary with him. They can make you laugh silly. You can hear your little one giggling several times through the book. 8 lovable stories in the first book covered in 156 pages. The font size is decently large. 

First publish in 1958, it's a children's classic and has 12 more Paddington adventures as the series. 

A Good Read! We plan to read few more from the series. 

Read Aloud session 3 : Dragon Loves Penguin by Debi Gliori

Read Aloud session 3 : 'Dragon loves Penguin'

Children don't want to wait ; they want the story right away!

Why we chose this book?

Valentine's Day just went by! And you just cannot restrict the information and visuals 5-8 years receive and process from their environment. Roses and hugs and kiss and all that jazz around the 'Valentines Day' establishes a very skewed up image of the word Love. We wanted to read to them what other aspects of love could be. The 'unconditional' aspect of it. And celebrating our differences.....and to be kind even to the unkind! and that the greatest gifts of all is 'Time and Love'.

About the Author - Debi Gliori

Debi Gliori is a Scottish children's books writer and a mother of 5. She has a great fan following including that of J K Rowing. With more that 75 books to her credit, she has also received rave reviews about her book 'What’s the Time, Mr Wolf?'. Her personal favorite and what she is proud of is "No Matter What" - a Book about unconditional love between a 'parent and a child'.

About the Book

A book that was bought last year but is picked up again and again from the book shelf by my daughter is ‪#‎dragonlovespenguin‬ by ‪#‎debigliori‬. This books talks about how people who are radically different from us can also be loved unconditionally. It conveys how its not always blood relation that matters.A brilliant story about unconditional love. Absolutely lovable illustrations and a lovely flow with very little text. Children just love to flip through its pages again and again.

About the Read Aloud Session
Dragon loves Penguin was a very exciting session. Children had so much to add to the story & of course they had cute questions! About Antarctica and Volcanoes and about bed-time stories!

A new feature that we have started is 'book rating' by the children on the scale of 1-4, 4 being the highest rating. They must back up with reasons as to why they gave that rating.This book got - 4,4,3,4 ( rated by 4 children). We had to use the talking pillow to avoid overlapping thoughts and give enough scope to the less vocal ones to speak.

Some of the reasons to like and dislike the book are summarized below:

1. I like the entire book , the story and the pictures, so I don't know which part to say was nice. (Rated 4)
2. It's OK for them to quarrel like sometimes we do with our friends. I like the 'little one' the most. Because she was brave and kind.(Rated 4)
3. I am giving 3 because I don't like the little one getting teased. (Rated 3)
4. (Summarized the entire story) and says ' I like When the little one found an egg. I was happy when little one found an egg. It was so cute ( the story). Awesome! (Rated 4)

And 'After-craft' is now a mandatory ritual. A little physical takeaway of the story! All the mini dragons breathing fire was indeed a exciting part for all of us. You will feel all the fun in the pictures. 
Click here for more pictures
Book review here

Read Aloud Session -1 : Our Incredible Cow

I couldn't find a Book club for my LO who loves reading. Some were too far and others were too structured. 'Start one of your own' - some mothers told me. And I did! 

It has been well proven that Reading Aloud to Children has innumerable benefits for the intellectual growth of the child.Increased concentration and vocabulary, imagination and mindfulness & love for books (my favorite) are some of the many. No known demerits yet.

So, here we were with our first ever Reading Aloud Session. Neighboring children of our area were invited to attend. Mothers were also welcome to see or participate. We also chose to do some craft activities related to the book reading session as that will make it an attractive proposition for the children and the parents alike. Invites were designed and printed and distributed in the play area. Some others were invited through phone. We chose the book "the Incredible Cow' by Mahasweta Devi. our reasons to chose this book were that this was our newest book that we read many times. Our review of the book can be read here.
The other reason was that Mahasweta Devi as an author is known to many (especially in Bengal) and is incredible. The times when this book was written was when Mahasweta Devi was a budding writer. The Satyajit Ray connection was also a great convincing point for the parents to send their kids. To be honest, I had several concerns - Have i chosen the right book? Would i be able to manage many children? Would they listen to the story? Would they get the humour in it? and many many more...but of all the things, I was happy that we were starting.  And when it did , it was a roller coaster of Fun. I must add, children are so wise. They listened quietly but their minds were working loudly. They had questions and answers as well. Wild imaginations and so many facts to share. Some decided to lie down and some closed their eyes. Discussions continued over the craft sessions as well. No one was keen on going home even after 1.5 hours. 

I was able to make a paper puppet of a cow, and more than the children, the parents like it. I guess, for the children it was just a hindrance in the flight of their imagination. My cow head band was well taken by the children. 

We all made a children friendly cow puppet... a Cow that will go home and have Fish. All the giggles and laughter in the entire session were infectious. Some children who could not attend can to know of all the fun that we had. 

The Session was enriching for both of us the reader and the listener. Some lessons learnt (by me) are that too many props are a hindrance. and an important question...why did I not start earlier? 

All you need is a good book! 

Added Later : Its a Tulika Publication! And we are so glad (grinning ear to ear) that Tulika Publishers find our session "Nice". Its a Good luck Charm!! 

Our Incredible Cow by Mahasweta Devi, Illustrations Ruchi Shah

Our Incredible cow – by Mahasweta Devi

Mumma : “How was the book?”

Piku : “I am not going in front of any cow wearing blue!”

With that amusing answer as a review of a book, I didn’t know what to expect from the book.

We picked up this book at the recent children’s literature festival held in kolkata in Jan 2017. The author’s name rang a bell in our minds. We had read the ‘the why why girl’ from the same author and had liked it. An attractive blue cow cover-page illustration made us seal the deal immediately.

Why we like the book: This book surpassed our expectations that we had built from this book. This illustrated classic children’s book is amusing and comical. The story kept us in good humor from the first to the last line. The incredible cow not only is non-vegetarian, she has appetite for most unusual things.  She is radical and anti-police. She has preference for colors and chews up everything blue. The writer goes on to add a detail of mentioning that her father’s vests are till date not whitened in indigo blue against the usual practice. The little reader in my house giggled long reading that the cow’s vet had to be taken to the doctor. Ha ha! An idiom in Bengali says “Golper Goru Gaache uthe” which translates to the in a cock and bull story a cow may climb a tree. Forget trees, here she climbed up to 1^st floor.

Moreover, the equally creative illustrations by Ruchi Shah are upright to the story. They are unique, noteworthy and add up to the amusement of the story. Colorful materials like printed fabrics, sarees and embroideries from Bengal, measuring tapes, yarns ;  leaves and hay, bottles and fish and ‘what not’ has been used to form a silhouette of this incredible cow. Incredibly amusing indeed!

About the author and original story: The original story was written in Bengali. In the year 1964.

Satyajit Ray, in the year 1961, was trying to revive a children’s magazine ‘Sandesh’ which was started by his grandfather Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury (1913). ‘Sandesh’ the word means  ‘message’ and is also a much relished sweet in Bengal. Satyajit Ray, man who needs no introduction, was a visionary. He spotted the talent to write for children in ‘Khuku’. Khuku , the storyteller would write crazy tales of her family members and their pets. . ‘Amader Nyadosh’ the Bengali original title (translates to ‘Our Nyadosh ( name of the cow in the story;also means lazy plump and adorable) was one of her several contributions to Sandesh. She went on to become our famous writer Mahasweta Devi. Her distinguished legendary works ‘Hazar Chowrasi ki Ma’, ‘Rudaali’ is well known and were adapted to cinema. She eventually also became a social activist for the empowerment of the tribals.

Author: Mahasweta Devi

Illustrator: Ruchi Shah

No. Of Pages: 21

Reading level: 5 - 100 years

Paperback: 24 pages

Publisher: Tulika Publishers; 1 edition (2013)

Language: English and is available in 8 more languages ( Bengali, Hindi, Tamil, Malyalam, Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, Gujrati)

ISBN-10: 9350466759

ISBN-13: 978-9350466759

Product Dimensions: 24.1 x 21.6 x 0.5 cm

Goodreads rating : 4.5/5

Amazon rating: 4.5/5

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate Dicamillo

I walked into her room when I saw my 7 year old lying down , eyes closed and tear drops rolling from her eyes. She sensed my presence and opened her eyes. I didn't need to ask anything. 

"Mumma! Winn-Dixie is lost" 

"I know!" 

"Then tell me if they will find him ever, sob! sob!"

"You will have to read that for yourself" 

She obviously didn't like my answer.  

Scene change - Day 2 - in the car. 

"Mumma! Keep looking outside that window, and you will get a surprize." 

"What is it that u want to show me?" 

"Wait and watch, You will be able to see it!"

"why don't you tell me what is it?" (loosing a little patience)

"Mumma! If you won't tell me if Winn Dixie would be found or not.... Then why should I? Wait and see it for yourself!" 

..................................

Because of Winn- Dixie - By Kate Dicamillo 

An emotional and enchanting read, this book is the first publication of the author. 

Apart from it being a Mesmerizing story it also talks about not going with the popular opinion about people. You must always make your own opinion. And that each one of us is lovable. And sometimes people make friends in a roundabout manner. And that age is just a no. And .... 

Honestly speaking , quite a many takeaways from the book. And a very beautiful and lovable real life like story. Beware, if your child is the fairy tale types then it may be a little heavy for them. You can expect a few giggles here and there as well. We would have loved a few illustrations but, I guess ,imagination played its role in the absence of it. 

We haven't seen it, but it was converted into a motion picture in 2005. 

Age Recommendation- 7+ 

No. Of Pages - 159

Publishers - Walker Books 

Published in - 2000

Author - A very adorable - Kate Dicamillo 

Who won the Newberry honor for this book and some others as well. Not that it matters to me but she is New York Times best selling author. This book has been translated into 30 languages. 

Goodreads rating - 4/5

Common sense media - 5/5

Our Rating - 5/5

'I Wonder' by Annaka Harris

Rain! 

10 o'clock in the night, it was raining outside my bedroom window. This rain was after a month of scorching heat that Kolkata had never witnessed before. Me and my almost 7yr old daughter were busy in our bedtime ritual of reading a book in a air-conditioned room, back of mind stressing about sleeping on time, school, homework, verbs and multiplication tables. 

The sound of raindrops on our window panes was so welcoming. We opened the windows and let the drizzle touch our arms. It touched our souls. We sat on the window sil in silence, leaning on each other just watching the rain. Those moments were healing moments from the stress of the clock. 

The next night, we waited, but it didn't rain. My daughter didn't want to read the book that we were reading. After a while, she ran and got this one from the library. 

A book with illustrations that touch ur heart. Visuals that tinkle similar emotions that we felt that rainy night. A little girl and her mum - on the beach - in the forest - with reflections in the water - of the clouds. And conversations between them that go beyond science. A book that leads you to discovery of things without loosing the romance of it. 

I had purchased this book from the Facebook group that sells children's books. Sometimes u find books like these. A Book that has recieved all praise from wide spectrum of people from the academic world - Professors of Psychology and Professors of Physics and Astronomy , Neuro- Scientists and children's writers. 

Writer : Annaka Harris 

ILlustrator : John Rowe

Goodreads Rating : 4.2/5

Our Rating - Highly recommended for reading together with ur children.

Published by: Four Elephants Press, US

Age Recommendations : 2 and up. 

Publishers age reco : 1 and up. 

The book is available on Amazon.in in India and has a kindle version as well. 

Charlotte's Web by E.B.White

Dad: "Its10:30pm, you could now keep the book down and go to sleep!"

6 year old : (showing the back cover) "See, what is written here - 'No Child should be without a Copy' .! 

The book is Charlotte's Web, a children's classic published in 1952. 

Author : Elwyn Brooks White ( The author of Stuart Little) 

Illustrator: Garth Willams

Publisher : Puffin, Penguin Group 

Age recommendation: 6 to 12 years (publishers recco - 9-12 years)

Goodreads rating: 4.19 /5 

The book came to us as a gift from the highly controversial book chain gifting system. Anyway! The cover photo of a little girl with lots of animals made my little girl pick the book up immediately. A chapter book with 22 chapters made the little reader carry it everywhere with her - to the car- to relatives place- to grandmothers house - to ..... And book got MISPLACED in between chapters. 

When the book could not be placed, we picked up a copy from the library. 

A beautiful tale of friendship between humans and animals ; animals and insects; about 'where there is a will, there is a way' and also about ' जाको राखे साईं, मार सकें ना कोई' ! A tale that talks about weaklings and having faith in them, about having faith in ur children and their special powers. 

Wilbur the Pig, Fern the Little girl, and the most heroic - Charlotte the spider and their magical story is a must read for Kids AND THE PARENTS. I insist - must read for the parents. I would also like to mention that it's not a book that you catch upto very fast. It's slow but with a lot of depth. 

This book has been adapted into picture books for younger children, movie, plays etc. And all kind of versions are available online. 

The American author E.B White won 1953 Newbery Medal honor for this first children's book of his. His second book 'Stuart Little' also recieved a lukewarm welcome but both these books are highly acclaimed in the literary world. 

Magic Tree House #47 : Abe Lincoln at Last

Magic tree house series of books is a #1 New York Times Bestselling series. 

Well I am not fond of bestseller particularly but it was also a highly recommended series on the Reading Racoons group so I bought two from the series 

1. Abe Lincoln at last 

2. Moon mission 

This review is about the HIGHLY RECOMMENDED "Abe Lincoln at Last"

Author: Mary Pope Osborne

Publisher in India : Random House Kids

Age recommendations : 5+

Pages - 114

I was supposed to transport my daughter and her friend some where and so I was in the car with them. I chose to stay away from their conversation and just overhear what kids talk. 

Both of them got going on topics like - who is taller - to who is feeling cold - to biscuits - to - Pepsi - to Virat Kohli in T20 WC to Indian flag and then .... 

6 yr old girl - my Mumma and me painted the India flag on our cheeks while watching the match. 

7yr old boy - I know India Flag and also know American flag. 

6yr old - (quite)

7yr old - do u know American President? 

 We learnt that in school in G.K. - Barack Obama 

6 yr old - (quiet .... Suddenly jumps up) - Do you know the first American President ? 

7 yr old - (quiet) 

{My ears were also on alert now. I didn't know where this information was coming from?}

6 year old - it's Abraham Lincoln. People call him Abe Lincoln and Sam is his pet name. Do you know he was very poor and used to live on a farm all alone. He loved riding a horse. And later lived in the White House. 

He had two kids - Tad and Willie and Tad was very Naughty. You know he played the piano keys in a party. And Abe Lincoln was trying to stop a War.... Civil war.... 

I was shocked out of my wits. 

Piku had read the book. I hadn't. 

Later I did. Only to discover how beautifully the story was woven with a little bit of magic and fantasy. Seamlessly woven into Reality and Facts. How beautifully it talks about Abraham Lincoln's childhood, his family and the struggles and His ideologies as a President and as a father. An Excellent way of introducing kids to Biographies and History and a Taste of Ideologies. 

And I love the way the book ends when the two fantasy kids say "How lucky we are to go to school" 

When I asked Piku to say a few words about the book she said "No words, Just read it" 

The book was delivered in the afternoon and was finished by my 6 year old at bed time the same day. 

"Unputdownable" 

The book also has some activity pages and facts pages after the story. 

Twits - by Roald Dahl

Publisher: Puffin

Author: Roald Dahl

Illustrator : Quentin Blake 

Age recommendation :5+

Goodreads rating : 3.92/5

Our rating : 4 stars 

We borrowed this book from the library last week. Though we didn't get time to pick it up until early this week. And when we did there was no keeping it down. 

Books not only take you to an imaginary world,  it also brings you to think about things from reality. Or face things that u actually thought about but refrained yourself from soeaking about. 

 Facial hair of men is one such thing! 

A friend of mine with an intriguing persona has facial hair. Incidentally he also shares his Nick name with my daughter. Piku was immediately reminded of him after reading the first page. What happened next is - 

Page 1 of the book 

A small conversation that followed 

"Piku wants to ask a question to you! ( she thought of u while reading this) 

What happens when a hairy faced man eats icecream in a cone? Much of icecream falls on the beard - then what do u do? 😂😂😂"

The reply came - 

"That's a very pertinent question! Tell her that my beard hosts lots of magical creatures, who also need good food! So I deliberately drop food in my beard, so that they can have a feast! In return they give me loads of magical powers and gifts!"

A magical conversation indeed! 

Now coming back to the book, it isn't about facial hair as such. But I guess that is the trade mark feature of Roald Dahl books. They always start on a note that tinkles thoughts of things that we may have thought about but not spoken about. And it just confirms the feeling that 'it is ok to think about things which,logically speaking,may sound silly to think about' 

So the book is about some monkeys and a Roly poly bird and a Couple - Mr. and Mrs. Twits. An entirely adventurous tale that subtly talks about concepts of collaboration. 

Pikus's review of the book- 

"The book of Twits is a very funny book and I want to read it again. Upside down of the room was the funniest thing "

The book is available here 

http://www.amazon.in/gp/aw/d/0141346396/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1457780627&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=twit&dpPl=1&dpID=518UuHZTCTL&ref=plSrch

The Why Why Girl by Mahasweta Devi

The Why Why Girl by Mahasweta Devi

What we managed to read last night! Why I say 'managed' is because we wanted to read the book "The why why girl" by the renowned Mahasweta Devi before we attend the play on it today in the evening. We didn't have the book at home. Ordering and delivery would take time.

But WHY can't we read it today only???

We went to the library and reached there 10 mins before the closing time. We were not even sure if they have the book.

But we could find it there!

And obviously it had be to read on the way back itself.

The book is (obviously) about a girl who asks many "why's". What is touching about the book is the why's that she has asked for. Moyna's whys make our children aware that not everyone is fortunate enough to get formal education and other things that we are blessed with. And to add to it are the finely detailed illustrations by Kanyika Kini. A highly recommended book by Tulika publishers. 

Goodreads Ranking : 4.25/5
Google Ranking : 5/5

Details of the book by the publisher: Moyna Lives In A Little Tribal Village. She Cannot Go To School Because She Has To Tend The Goats, Collect The Firewood, Fetch The Water& But She Is So Full Of Questions That The Postmaster Calls Her The 'Why-Why Girl'!

Mahasweta Devi Is One Of India'S Foremost Writers. In This Delightful Story, Her First Picture Book, And The Only Children'S Book She Has Written In English, She Tells Us How She Meets Moyna (And Her Mongoose!) And Helps Her Find Answers To All The Why-Whys - In Books, That Moyna Herself Learns To Read.

Some Of The Translations Have Been Done By Well-Known Writers: Malayalam By Paul Zacharia, Tamil By Ambai, And Kannada By Girish Karnad.

The Book is available in 8 languages (English and 7 Indian languages) here

‪#‎thewhywhygirl‬ ‪#‎tulikapublishers‬ ‪#‎6yearold‬

Books focusing on Africa!

Just like India, the perception of African countries is fairly tilted outside the continent. These books could keep the concept straight for the young people from the beginning. 

Picture books for Toddlers

1. TINGA TINGA Tales - Tinga Tinga Tales series, inspired by traditional animals stories from Africa. The brightly coloured, vibrant illustrations are inspired by the Tinga tinga artwork of Tanzania. These books are are now also available as lady bird versions - Level 1

Author : 

      a. Why Elephants have a Trunk

There was a time when Elephant had no nose. He was big, clumsy and very, very smelly and always covered in flies because his nose was too small to wash himself with. He was miserable. Find out how elephants got their trunks in the book.

• The lady bird version of the book is available online here. 
• Booktime.org.uk has also made this book digitally animated and read aloud and is available here

b.Why Giraffe Has a Long Neck

You see, there was a time when Giraffe didn't have a long neck. She had short legs, short horns and a very short, stumpy neck. She was also a very fussy eater . . . So what do you think happened when she tried to get some honey from deep inside the tree?

Brilliantly colourful Tingatinga artwork tells the story of Giraffe's transformation from a stumpy necked beast with short legs into her elegant Tinga Tinga persona. 

The ladybird version of the book is available online in India Here

c. Why Lion Roarrrs!

There was a time when Lion didn't roar like a king. You could say that Lion had no roar. Crocodile won’t share the waterhole with any of the other animals, so they go to complain to Lion, the King of Tinga Tinga, to ask him to let them use it. But Lion has lost his roar and Crocodile won’t listen to him, so he asks his friend Flea to help him. A fun story about how the lion gets his roar back.

The book is available online in India here

      d. Why Monkeys swing

      You see there was a time when Monkeys didn't swing in the trees. They used to stay on the ground and play . . . And they loved to wind Crocodile up! Join the mischievous Monkeys for a gloriously colourful adventure through Tinga Tinga, and find out what happens when Crocodile gets cross and goes SNAP!

      The book is available here

       e. Why Chameleon changes color

You see, there was a time when Chameleon wasn't bright and colourful. In fact he was dull and grey. But one day he dipped his foot into a rainbow and - POW! - suddenly he could be any colour he wanted!

Brilliantly colourful Tingatinga artwork tells the story of Chameleon's transformation from a nondescript, colourless creature into his vibrant Tinga Tinga persona. Featuring the colourful cast of Tinga Tinga Tales animals and glorious Tingatinga-inspired artwork. Available online in India here

The books undoubtedly are classics and are highly recommended for kids worldover. If you are a digital person then there is an app launched by Tinga Tinga as well. More information Here 

Tickets for 3-5 years olds

1.   I lost my tooth in Africa

Focus Area: - Mali

Author : Penda Diakite 

Illustrator : Baba Wague-Diakite 

Pages : 32 Pages

Goodreads Rating : 3.87

Amazon Rating : 5 stars

Age Recommendations: 3+

Description of the book:

Coretta Scott King Honor author/artist Baba Wague Diakite and his 12-year-old daughter, Penda, create a charming, original adventure story about losing a first tooth while visiting family in Mali. More than anything, Amina wants to lose her loose tooth while visiting her family in Mali, West Africa. Only then can she put it under a gourd for the African tooth fairy, who will exchange it for two chickens! Happily this happens, and even better, the chickens lay eggs. But will the eggs hatch before it's time to return home to America? In this fresh, spontaneous story that is infused with close family warmth, Penda June Diakite joins forces with her award-winning author/artist father to give a charming peek at everyday life in Mali.

2.  My painted house, my friendly chicken and me

Focus Area: - Ndebele Tribe in South Africa

Author :Maya Angelou

Photographer : Margaret Courtney-Clarke

Pages : 32 Pages

Goodreads Rating : 4.23

Amazon Rating : Not rated

Age Recommendations: 3+

Buy Online Here

Description of the book:

Full color photographs. "Hello, Stranger-Friend" begins Maya Angelou's story about Thandi, a South African Ndebele girl, her mischievous brother, her beloved chicken, and the astonishing mural art produced by the women of her tribe.  With never-before-seen photographs of the very private Ndebele women and their paintings, this unique book shows the passing of traditions from parent to child and introduces young readers to a new culture through a new friend.

3. Galimoto

Author :Karen Lynn Williams

Illustrator:  Catherine Stock 

Pages : 32 pages

Goodreads Rating : 3.93

Amazon Rating : Not rated

Age Recommendations: 4 - 7

Buy online here

Description of the Book: 

Kondi is determined to make a galimoto -- a toy vehicle made of wires. His brother laughs at the idea, but all day Kondi goes about gathering up the wire he needs. By nightfall, his wonderful galimoto is ready for the village children to play with in the light of the moon.

4. My Fathers Shop

Focus Area: - Morocco, Moroccan Carpets, North Africa

Author : Satomi Ichikawa

Illustrator : Satomi Ichikawa

Pages : 32 pages

Goodreads Rating : 3.90

Amazon Rating : 

Age Recommendations: 4-7

Buy online in India here

Description of the book: There is a rug in his fathers shop that Mustafa loves. (It has a hole in it, so you can put it over your head and still see out.) No one else wants the rug, though lots of tourists visit the shop. His father always welcomes them"Bienvenue"and offers them tea"O cha wa ikaga desu ka?" Mustafas father would like him to know some words in other languages too, and he tells Mustafa that he may have the rug if he agrees to learn. But after the first lesson, Mustafa is so bored he runs out of the shop (with the carpet on his head). Ending up at the market, he finds a very different way of learning foreign languages....and of getting tourists to visit his fathers shop.

5. Mama Panya's Pancakes: A Village Tale from Kenya

Focus Area: - Kenyan Village life, East Africa

Author :  Mary Chamberlin,  Richard Chamberlin

Illustrator : Julia Cairns

Pages : 40

Goodreads Rating : 4.23

Amazon Rating : 5 stars

Age Recommendations: 3+

Buy online in India here

Description of the book : Mama Panya is alarmed at the market when her son Adika invites all of their friends to come over for pancakes. However will she feed them all? This clever and heart-warming story about village life teaches children the benefits of sharing as well as introducing simple Swahili phrases.

Tickets for 6-9 years olds

1. We All Went on Safari: A Counting Journey Through Tanzania

Focus Area: - Tanzania, Masaai Tribe

Author :  Laurie Krebs

Illustrator : Julia Cairns

Pages : 29

Goodreads Rating : 4.23

Amazon Rating : 5 stars

Age Recommendations: 5-8 years

Buy online in India here

"HIGHLY RECOMMENDED" 

Description of the Book: Join Arusha, Mosi, Tumpe and their Maasai friends as they set out on a counting journey through the grasslands of Tanzania. Along the way, the children encounter all sorts of animals including elephants, lions and monkeys, while counting from one to ten in both English and Swahili. The lively, rhyming text is accompanied by an illustrated guide to counting in Swahili, a map, notes about each of the animals, and interesting facts about Tanzania and the Maasai people.

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