Tag Archives: Books

Book Review – My Act Of Heart

Book Title – My Act Of Heart

Author – Various

Ideated & Curated By – Anjali G Sharma & Deepika Ahuja

Recommended Age – 7+ years

Ideated and Curated by Anjali G Sharma and Deepika Ahuja, My Act Of Heart is an anthology of stories written by children from around the globe which bring to fore the virtues of compassion and generosity towards everyone, irrespective of genders and races. The stories included in this book are heartwarming and at times quite funny as well! Majority of the plots in the book are of a child or a group of children (for the most part friends) who either go somewhere where they observe someone in need, or chance upon something or someone they can help. Whatever be the case, the children in question choose to act on the scenario and with the consent of their parents or grandparents, help those in need. Now, if every single story was about helping a human, we could get pretty bored reading the book after a point. But what makes this book interesting throughout are the varied acts of compassion which are each unique. The book manages to keep the reader engaged and wanting to know what is coming next. 

Continue reading Book Review – My Act Of Heart

Book Review – Kings, Saviours & Scoundrels

Book Title – Kings, Saviours & Scoundrels: Timeless Tales from Katha Sarita Sagara

Author – Anupama Jain

Genre – Folktales/Legends

Publisher – Readomania

Recommended Age – 7+ years

Timeless Tales from Katha Sarita Sagara by Anupama Jain is a retelling of tales from the Kathā-saritsāgara – one of India’s oldest classics. It is a well-known collection of stories from the 11th century. It was also told in Sanskrit by Somadeva who was a Brahmin Sanskrit scholar from Kashmir. The stories are very old, but the morals conveyed by them are still relevant and understandable to kids as well.

Continue reading Book Review – Kings, Saviours & Scoundrels

Book Review – Prince With a Paintbrush

Book Title – Prince With a Paintbrush – The Story of Raja Ravi Varma

Author – Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan

Illustrator – Rayika Sen

Genre – Biography

Publisher – Red Panda

Recommended Age – 6+ years 

“The greatest treasures are those invisible to the eye but found by the heart.” Judy Garland.

Mona Lisa is a world–famous painting by Leonardo De Vinci. The specialty of the painting is that it looks towards us from all the sides. But, there are many other artists and painters around the world who have done wonders. However, we do not know of all of them and hence, it is so important that we tell stories of these extra-ordinary talents to pass on their legacy from generations to generations.  “Prince With a Paintbrush – The story of Raja Ravi Varma” by Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan does exactly this. It is a fantastic illustrated biography of one of the greatest artists of India – Raja Ravi Varma. 

Continue reading Book Review – Prince With a Paintbrush

Evolution of children’s literature in India

My first foray into the world of literature was when I was three. My dad got me a magazine called ‘Magic Pot’ and simply said ‘You’ll like this. Read.’ I admit, I initially read only for the free stickers that came with the book, but as I grew older, most of my time was spent swimming through pages of monthly magazines and storybooks that my cousins passed on to me.   

Continue reading Evolution of children’s literature in India

Book Review – The Chameleon Effect and Other Stories (Isapuram Tales – Book One)

Book Title – The Chameleon Effect and Other Stories (Isapuram Tales – Book One)

Author – Anita Satyajit

Genre – Realistic Children’s Fiction/Short Stories

Publisher – Anita Satyajit

Recommended Age – 6+ years 

Continue reading Book Review – The Chameleon Effect and Other Stories (Isapuram Tales – Book One)