Genre: Children

Childhood is a gift and should be cherished before the raging hormones of teenage make their appearance and the daily drudgery of adulthood sets in. School days, people say, are the best days of their lives. Zainab Sulaiman’s Simply Nanju reminds you of that. 10-year-old Nanjegowda, fondly known as Nanju, has […]

Simply Nanju – Zainab Sulaiman

Must-Read Children Middle Grade by Sujata Sahoo

Funny Stories is a collection of 8 stories, each written by a different author. They tell stories which will make you laugh. Whoever said that laughter was the best medicine, was right. It will scare your blues away. The Boy Who Could Not Finish a by Nury Vittachi is a great […]

Funny Stories – Various Authors

Worth a read Children Humour Short Stories by Sujata Sahoo

The Gory Story of Genghis Khan - Nayanika Mahtani — The Gory Story Of Genghis Khan by Nayanika Mahtani is a light-hearted account of a weighty subject. The book is a breezy read, with many illuminating details about Genghis Khan, his tactics, campaigns and even his ruthlessness. Nayanika tells you all about the good, the bad and the ugly as […]

The Gory Story of Genghis Khan – Nayanika Mahtani

Must-Read Children History by Kanika G

The Diary of an Indian School Girl Vol. 4 - Nandini Nayar — The Diary Of An Indian School Girl (Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 ) by Nandini Nayar have been reviewed on these pages earlier. The series is about Apoorva Joshi, a good-natured, fat, ‘misfit’, who eventually wins over the hearts of her antagonists. Her super powers are her ability to laugh […]

The Diary of an Indian School Girl Vol. 3 & ...

Worth a read Children Contemporary Fiction Humour by Kanika G

The Diary of an Indian School Girl Vol. 2 - Nandini Nayar — The Diary Of An Indian School Girl by Nandini Nayar is a series of stories about Apoorva Joshi, a good-natured, fat, misfit, who wins over the hearts of many people who are initially inclined to make fun of her or dislike her. Her super powers are her ability to laugh […]

The Diary of an Indian School Girl Vol. 1 & ...

Worth a read Children Contemporary Fiction by Kanika G

Sringeri Srinivas Learns To Laugh - Rohini Nilekani — I have a pile of books published by Pratham books that I am trying on my son. Of the lot, Pehelwaanji Learns a Slippery Lesson seems to be his favourite. Sringeri Srinivas Learns to Laugh is also a frequently read one. The plot line is simple, to say the least. At […]

Sringeri Srinivas Learns to Laugh – Rohini Nilekani

Worth a read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

Pehelwaanji Learns a Slippery Lesson - Sanjiv Jaiswal 'Sanjay' — I have done a few reviews of Pratham books (The Elephant Bird, The Cat in the Ghat and Chuskit goes to school to name a few) and it is always a joy to do them. Pratham Books is a not-for-profit children’s book publisher with the mission to see ‘a book in […]

Pehelwaanji Learns a Slippery Lesson – Sanjiv Jaiswal ‘Sanjay’

Must-Read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

It is one thing to be born into a faith, but quite another thing to understand what your faith says and to live by the tenets of your faith. What better way to do this than by witnessing firsthand the episodes drawn from your holy book. Debutant author Shiny Babu […]

Enchanted Holidays – Shiny Babu

Readable Children Fantasy by OO

Ravana Refuses to Die - Rustom Dadachanji — Ravana Refuses To Die by Rustom Dadachanji is a collection of four short stories about the antics of a gang of four youngsters living in the village of Babubari, appropriate for 10 to 13 year old kids. The gang consists of a boy Chippa, whose father is a barber and […]

Ravana Refuses to Die – Rustom Dadachanji

Worth a read Children Humour Middle Grade by Kanika G

Maya In A Mess - Meera Nair — Maya In A Mess by Meera Nair, is a nice read for 5 to 7 year old kids. The language is simple and casual with many Indianisms that should appeal to kids. Maya, a little girl in class III, is thrilled to be made the cupboard monitor. She has longed […]

Maya In A Mess – Meera Nair

Worth a read Children drama Humour by Kanika G

Lucky Girl - Shabnam Minwalla — Lucky Girl written by Shabnam Minwalla is a cute read for 4 to 8 year old kids. It has a light hearted, funny tone. Sumi, to all appearances, has the ideal life. Her room would be any little girl’s dream come true – with quaint furnishings, lots of books and […]

Lucky Girl – Shabnam Minwalla

Worth a read Children Humour Short Stories by Kanika G

The Boy Who Swallowed A Nail And Other Stories - Lalita Iyer — The Boy Who Swallowed A Nail And Other Stories, written by Lalita Iyer, is a collection of 9 stories based on little anecdotes from Lalita’s life, while she was growing up. It is a nice, relaxing read, for both, children and adults alike. Lalita lived in a house at the […]

The Boy Who Swallowed A Nail And Other Stories – ...

Worth a read Children Humour Short Stories by Kanika G

How Weird is that? - Ranjit Lal — Ranjit Lal’s latest book on offer is How Weird is that? from TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) Press. Being a naturalist and a writer, he is best equipped to bring out a work on some weird aspects of certain animals. It is a book on animal facts wrapped up […]

How Weird is that? – Ranjit Lal

Worth a read Children Nature by Menaka S

Jalebi Jingles - Sakshi Singh — Sakshi Singh’s book of poems, Jalebi Jingles, appears to have been inspired by Shel Silverstein’s anthologies of verse for children. Or maybe it wasn’t – it’s quite tiresome for writers to create something that they believe is original, only to be told that they sound ‘inspired’. It isn’t our fault […]

Jalebi Jingles – Sakshi Singh

Worth a read Children Poems by Sowmya Rajendran

Squiggle Gets Stuck - Natasha Sharma — Natasha Sharma’s Squiggle Takes a Walk was well-received and appreciated as a fun book to explain punctuation. So, when I received its sequel Squiggle Gets Stuck, I knew what to expect. When Squiggle is happily seated on the cover of her book, a gigantic book from the lopsided piles of […]

Squiggle Gets Stuck – Natasha Sharma

Must-Read Children Education Humour by Menaka S

A Mauryan Adventure - Subhadra Sen Gupta — After reading and enjoying A Chola Adventure by Anu Kumar in the Girls of India series of Puffin, I promptly bought the other two books in the series – A Mauryan Adventure by Subhadra Sen Gupta and A Harappan Adventure by Sunila Gupte. A reader’s block (yes, I had one) […]

A Mauryan Adventure – Subhadra Sen Gupta

Worth a read Children Historical Fiction by Menaka S

Tania Casts a Spell - Kanika G — I saw the link to “Tania Casts a Spell” by Kanika G posted by an FB friend. I vaguely remembered that another book (Tania Has an Idea) by Kanika G was reviewed on this site. Recalling that I was intrigued about the ending of that book, I downloaded this book. […]

Tania Casts a Spell – Kanika G

Must-Read Children by OO

Half the Field is Mine - Swati Sengupta — With a blurb talking about a friendship between two girls — one of whom is the daughter of the domestic help of the other — based on football, this book Half the Field is Mine by Swati Sengupta was irresistible for me. Thirteen-year old Oli has been initiated into football […]

Half the Field is Mine – Swati Sengupta

Must-Read Children Middle Grade Sports by Menaka S

The Shy Supergirl - Shabnam Minwalla — Can a nine-year old girl be a super hero? Yes, says Shabnam Minwalla in her chapter book The Shy Supergirl by showing us one. Nina, all of 9 years, is very small, shy and barely noticeable. But she has a superpower in that she can see into people’s hearts. She […]

The Shy Supergirl – Shabnam Minwalla

Worth a read Chapter book Children by Menaka S

Caravan to Tibet – Deepa Agarwal — Caravan to Tibet by Deepa Agarwal is an adventure story based on the annual journeys of Indian traders in the Himalayan hills to Tibet. Fourteen-year-old Debu lives with his mother and his younger brother Hayat in Milam, a small village in the Himalayan hills of Kumaon, India. During the trip […]

Caravan to Tibet – Deepa Agarwal

Must-Read Adventure Children by Menaka S

Daksha the Medicine Girl - Gita V Reddy — Daksha is a little girl who lives in a hamlet high up in the Himalayas. She was orphaned by one of the flash floods that hit the village, but she was adopted by the village, as is the norm in villages. She started assisting Panditji, the medicine-man, and thus cultivated […]

Daksha the Medicine Girl – Gita V Reddy

Worth a read Chapter book Children by Menaka S

Tania has an idea - Kanika G — I literally stumbled upon this book as I was browsing my flipkart eBooks App. Tania Has An Idea is a free ebook written and published by Kanika G. It is available on the Smashwords link at the bottom of this page. This is the fifth book in a series of […]

Tania Has An Idea – Kanika G

Must-Read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

The Gita For Children - Roopa Pai — I have never read the Bhagavad Gita, till yesterday. It all started with my daughter saying (whining) that she is-not-familiar-with / did-not-know “God Stories” like her friends. An outcome of having atheist parents! We pacified her, and asked her to look at the lives of great people, by reading their […]

The Gita For Children – Roopa Pai

Must-Read Children Self-Help Spirituality by Devi S

Woofus 'Don't want to learn' - Reena I Puri — To wind up the Woofus series of Woofus ‘Everybody Works’, A Home for Woofus, Woofus ‘My Mom’s the Best’ and Woofus ‘I am hungry’, we picked the only remaining one Woofus ‘Don’t Want to Learn’. Reena Puri and Savio Mascarenhas have gently touched upon the need to learn and how everyone learns. Woofus is bored and wants to […]

Woofus ‘Don’t Want to Learn’ – Reena I Puri

Must-Read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

Spinning Yarns - (ed.) Deepa Agarwal — Spinning Yarns – The Best Children’s Stories from India edited by Deepa Agarwal attracted me with its interesting title and attractive cover. Short stories being my favourite genre, I suddenly realized that it has been long since I read any. As I read, I found myself enthralled by the genre once […]

Spinning Yarns – (ed.) Deepa Agarwal

Must-Read Anthology Children by Menaka S

Woofus 'I am hungry' - Reena I Puri — As we are lapping up the books of the Woofus series — Woofus ‘Everybody Works’, A Home for Woofus and Woofus ‘My Mom’s the Best’ — I decided to try one more of the series. Reena Puri and Savio Mascarenhas have come together to offer the story of another quest by Woofus, the puppy. Rrrumble […]

Woofus ‘I am hungry’ – Reena I Puri

Worth a read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

Moin and the Monster – Anushka Ravishankar — Being unwell has its own advantages. One can curl up with a book and relish every word of it, without the pressure of the next thing on the to-do list. If the book in your hands is delectable, then it is even better. So it was that I curled up […]

Moin and the Monster – Anushka Ravishankar

Must-Read Chapter book Children Humour by Menaka S

Woofus 'My mom's the best' - Reena I Puri — It was with no expectation that I read Woofus ‘Everybody Works’ and A home for Woofus. As we enjoyed them a lot, I decided to try another one in the series, Woofus ‘My Mom’s the Best’. Reena Puri and Savio Mascarenhas did not disappoint us. What does Woofus puppy do at bedtime? Well, mom gives him a […]

Woofus ‘My Mom’s the Best’ – Reena I Puri

Must-Read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

Akbar and the Tricky Traitor - Natasha Sharma — Finally, I laid my hands on the first in the History Mystery series written by Natasha Sharma. After reviewing Raja Raja and the Swapped Sacks, Ashoka and the Muddled Messages and Razia and the Pesky Presents in the series, I was curious to read the first one as well, so as to have the satisfaction […]

Akbar and the Tricky Traitor – Natasha Sharma

Must-Read Children History Humour Mystery by Menaka S

A Home for Woofus – Reena I Puri — After having a blast of an experience with Woofus ‘Everybody Works’, I was only too eager to catch up with the other books in the series. A Home for Woofus by the same duo of Reena Puri and Savio Mascarenhas is the story of another quest undertaken by Woofus, this time to […]

A Home for Woofus – Reena I Puri

Worth a read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

Woofus Everybody works – Reena I Puri — Woofus ‘Everybody Works’, from Think Big Books, written by Reena I. Puri caught my attention, while I was looking at the F-Page of its illustrator Savio Mascarenhas. So, I decided to try it out for my little son. Woofus is a puppy, who lives with his mother dog in her kennel. One […]

Woofus ‘Everybody works’ – Reena I Puri

Must-Read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

A Chola Adventure - Anu Kumar — A Chola Adventure by Anu Kumar is the first book I bought in the Girls of India series of historical adventures by Puffin. It is Hemant Kumar’s cover illustration that caught my attention. The protagonist is twelve-year old Raji, whose mother, the famed dancer Menaka, is in exile. Hazy versions […]

A Chola Adventure – Anu Kumar

Must-Read Children Historical Fiction by Menaka S

Horrid High - Payal Kapadia — Horrid High by Payal Kapadia is about young Ferg Gottin, who has mean and uncaring parents. Ferg and his best friend, Ace, go to Sunnyvale School. Ferg’s parents, who want to get rid of him, decide to send him to a place where they can abandon him forever. They send him to […]

Horrid High – Payal Kapadia

Worth a read Children by Shivani Krishna

The Elephant Bird - Arefa Tehsin — I think I have developed a craving for Pratham books. Every few days, I want to check out what their latest offering is. Everytime I do so, I chide myself for indulging in books for very young children. But I continue to get tempted. Here is the result of my recent […]

The Elephant Bird – Arefa Tehsin

Worth a read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

Charlotte’s Web is a book I’ve heard about time and again in children’s reading circles and it was on my wish list for quite sometime. Finally it was the response of a young reader that spurred me on: “I heard from his mother that he shed buckets of tears for […]

Charlotte’s Web – E B White

Worth a read Chapter book Children by OO

The Simians of South Block and the Yumyum Piglets - Ranjit Lal — When I discovered Ranjit Lal a few months back, I decided to explore further and bought this book, based on the title and the blurb. But I procrastinated the reading for too long, being entangled in other priorities. Storyline A certain industrialist and a certain minister in Delhi’s South Block […]

The Simians of South Block and the Yumyum Piglets – ...

Must-Read Children Contemporary Fiction Humour Politics by Menaka S

Ramu's Ride - Karishma — Ramu’s Ride written by Karishma and illustrated by Suzzanne is a lyrical picture book meant for ages two years and above. It is part of the Little Book Lovers’ series of Ms Moochie publishers. Ramu wants to ride a bike. But Pa says he is just four. One day, Sara […]

Ramu’s Ride – Karishma

Worth a read Children General Fiction Picture Book by Menaka S

The Stupendous Timetelling Superdog - Himanjali Sankar — Having read Himanjali Sankar’s Talking of Muskaan, a book meant for young adults dealing with a serious topic, I was only too eager to read this book to see the author’s attempt at humour. Rousseau, named after the eighteenth century (do make a note of the exact time period, lest Rousseau’s humans, […]

The Stupendous Timetelling Superdog – Himanjali Sankar

Must-Read Chapter book Children Humour by Menaka S

The Dugong and the Barracudas - Ranjit Lal — Everytime I read a book of Ranjit Lal, one of my favourite authors, there is one thing guaranteed – I am richer by a few words. His latest, and yet to be launched, The Dugong and the Barracudas, does not disappoint me in this regard, right from the title. Now that […]

The Dugong and the Barracudas – Ranjit Lal

Must-Read Children General Fiction by Menaka S

The Grand Plan To Fix Everything - Uma Krishnaswami — The Grand Plan To Fix Everything, written by Uma Krishnaswami and illustrated by Abigail Halpin, is about a eleven year old girl named Dini, living with her parents in Maryland. She and her best friend forever (BFF) Maddie are big fans of Dolly Singh. Dolly Singh is a very famous […]

The Grand Plan To Fix Everything – Uma Krishnaswami

Worth a read Children by Sahana Muralikrishnan

The Adventures of Stoob – Testing Times – Samit Basu — Samit Basu’s The Adventures of Stoob has been on my to-do list ever since it was nominated for the Crossword book award and finally I picked the first one in the series – Testing Times. Subroto Bandhopadhyay, named so by his grandfather, is better known to his friends as Stoob. Stoob, is […]

The Adventures of Stoob – Testing Times – Samit Basu

Worth a read Chapter book Children by Menaka S

Continuing with the Pratham books round-up, the next book to be reviewed is Kallu’s World 2: Monkey Business on Stage. Kallu lives in a small village, Khajuria, in the northern part of India, with his brother Shabbo, sister Munia and his Abbu and Ammi. It is a small enough village, […]

Kallu’s World 2: Monkey Business on Stage – Subhadra Sen ...

Worth a read Children Picture Book by OO

Kallu's World 1: In Big Trouble Again - Subhadra Sen Gupta — I have been keeping track of the #PBSummerReads of Pratham books – starting with The Auto That Flew, I followed it up with Chuskit Goes to School and then The Cat in the Ghat. Now it’s Kallu’s World 1: In Big Trouble Again. Kallan or Kallu is never punctual to school. Known […]

Kallu’s World 1: In Big Trouble Again – Subhadra Sen ...

Worth a read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

Ambushed – Nayanika Mahtani — Tara Tripathi’s adventure in the heart of a jungle, while her father is on a tiger trail experimenting with his photography, is the crux of Ambushed, a story written by Nayanika Mahtani. This one is not for the weak-hearted, I dare warn you. Tara, a 10-year old gadget geek, living […]

Ambushed – Nayanika Mahtani

Must-Read Adventure Children General Fiction Information by Menaka S

Razia and the Pesky Presents – Natasha Sharma — The latest in the History Mystery series of Duckbill books written by Natasha Sharma is Razia and the Pesky Presents. After reviewing Raja Raja and the Swapped Sacks and Ashoka and the Muddled Messages by the same author, I was only too eager to read another in the series. (N.B. […]

Razia and the Pesky Presents – Natasha Sharma

Must-Read Children History Humour Mystery by Menaka S

Magnificent Makhna - Aravind Krish Bala — With the Word Environment Day falling on Friday, I am thrilled to review Magnificent Makhna by Aravind Krish Bala from the house of Tulika, because it talks about another environmental issue. Makhnas are tuskless elephants that are usually aggressive, says the author. The story of a particular makhna, Moorthy, which lives […]

Magnificent Makhna – Aravind Krish Bala

Must-Read Children Environment Picture Book by Menaka S

1. Sunu Sunu Snail: Storm in the Garden – Sandhya Rao / Ashok Rajagopalan Must Read On one rainy day an unusual visitor visited our library. It let its feelers out observing the wet concrete and sailed slowly (extremely slowly). It was a slimy snail. Tiny tots felt awful to […]

Books for 3+ from Tulika

Must-Read Children Picture Book by Devi S

Oops the Mighty Gurgle - Ram G Vallath — Oops, I almost missed reading Oops the Mighty Gurgle by RamG Vallath, though this book had been lying on my desk for long. I have never been a fan of science fiction, and I had put this book off to the point of forgetting about it. With that kind of reluctance, I […]

Oops the Mighty Gurgle – RamG Vallath

Must-Read Children Fantasy Humour Science Fiction by Menaka S