I was having a normal day, swimming peacefully in the pond, until a breadcrumb hit me on the bill. And then another. It was like a hailstorm! But with breadcrumbs. I quickly turned and gobbled as many as I could.
Then, I spotted my archenemy – Peter the Rabbit – dashing around a tree. Every time I waddle to the pond, he shakes the tree I pass under, making acorns rain down on my head.
Continue reading A Duck’s Disaster – Breadcrumbs, Quakes, and a Broken Home
Chaos frolicked around my home as I was late
At school the teacher would scold me, what would be my fate?
I gobbled up my breakfast and rushed out the door
And that’s when I realised my project was lying on the floor.
Book Name & Publisher: The Girl Who Lost Her YES published by Harper Collins Children’s Imprint
Author: Aarti Khatwani Bhatia
Illustrator: Priya Kurian
Book Reviewer: Navyaa Mathur
What if, one day, you suddenly start saying ‘no’ to everything – even to the things you like, like candies, toys, and ice cream? That’s exactly what happened to little Mia!
Continue reading Book Review – The Girl Who Lost Her Yes by Aarti Khatwani Bhatia
Book Name & Publisher: Boo-Boo’s Adventures, Boo-Boo Investigates, Boo-Boo the Eco-Warrior published by Om Books International
Author: Tanushree Podder
Genre: Fiction
Book Reviewer: Mannat Ahuja
Continue reading Book Review – Boo-Boo Series by Author Tanushree Podder
This poem has been composed by 11-year-old Shaurya Gupta from Hyderabad and was chosen by the Jury as the Runner-Up of ‘Best Poem of the Year’ award at the BTB Wordsmiths of the Year Awards 2023.
Finally, I am conquering the feat
Of making the world’s most beastly sandwich seen
Poisonous if you do eat
Enough to make one’s mouth go scream
This poem has been composed by 11-year-old Aditya Shukla from Hyderabad and was chosen by the Jury for the ‘Best Poem of the Year’ award at the BTB Wordsmiths of the Year Awards 2023.
I grew up
Overshadowed by laughter,
Where the books spoke wisdom.
At Beyond the Box, we are constantly thinking of ideas to give something unique, refreshing as well as challenging to our community of writers. Two to Tango is one such endeavour to encourage the participants to work along with another writer as a team and bring about a creative synergy. 40+ teams participated in Season 3 of this one-of-its-kind contest and the winners were chosen by prolific author Kanchana Banerjee. Below prompt was given to the writers and they were asked to narrate the same story from two different points of view.
Prompt – Write a fictional story in which a book reveals a secret. Feel free to creatively interpret the prompt in any genre of your choice.
The Winners in the kids’ category were Ethan Gonsalves & Leona Saldanha (Team 16). Enjoy their story!
A few years ago, in the Bengali town of Kalyani, there lived a young girl named Radha. She was a simple girl. She lived with her mother in a 2 BHK apartment above a sweet shop. Her father had gone to Chennai 10 years ago to make his fortune, but never wrote to them or sent any money back home. Her mother worked as a peon in a big office, and earned 1000/- a month, just enough for the two of them. Every morning she woke up at 5:30 in the morning to go to school, and by the time she came back, her mother would have left, but not without setting up lunch in the kitchen.
I was sure my face
looked greener than green.
He looked down upon me,
I was sure he thought,
“Thou look like a rat catcher.”
God, why did I tend to embarrass myself?
Book Title – Flyaway Boy
Author –Jane De Suza
Published By – Puffin
Recommended Age Group – 9-12 years
Kabir is an ordinary boy at first glance, but there’s an astonishing difference between his biological and mental age. Despite being an imaginative and kind individual, he often finds himself sidelined by peers, teachers, and even his own family, almost invisible to those around him. However, when he mysteriously disappears, he becomes the center of attention. His elder sister and the police mobilize to find him, leaving the question hanging – will Kabir ever return to his family? Discover the answer in ‘Flyaway Boy’ by Jane De Suza.
