Thursday 21 July 2011

Room on the Broom- Julia Donaldson


I am a dog, as keen as can be,
Is there room on the broom? For a dog like me?
YESS! cried the witch! and the dog clambered on,
The witch tapped the broomstick and whoosh they were gone!

I typed these word out of memory- and am certain I can reproduce most of the book verbatim --- that's how many times I have read the book and have read it aloud to Tuhina and her class kids.

An absolute absolute favourite -- a delightful tale full of rhymes and visuals that steal your heart. The well mannered witch and her large heart helps her to make new friends and get her out of a spot. For those who want a spin to the usual notion of "bad, evil, witch" this is such a welcome change! ( of course there is 'Kiki' but that's another post!) 

Dare I say, it is even better than the Gruffalo (reviewed here)  by the same author and illustrator , in my opinion.This book enjoys a massive fan following and that comes as no surprise to me. A fabulous story can lend itself to anything: classrooms use it in the UK as resource material; Jackonary Junior featured it on Cbeebies; and it even has a stage production. Also, a wonderful audio version can be found on YouTube

Go ahead and grab this book- it is a book for everyone- an infant/a toddler/ a 7 year old/ or a parent!

And, yes, call me for storytelling! :D





Thursday 14 July 2011

Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? Dr. Seuss's Book of Wonderful Noises

Dr. Seuss needs no introduction to early readers and their parents. His books are fun, bright, catchy, lyrical, and extremely imaginative.

"Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can you?, Dr. Seuss's Book of Wonderful Noises is a WONDERFUL book of wonderful noises!  I would even recommend it to be read out to a baby! It's so much fun and the repetitive noises and the actions it can provoke are very entertaining!

I used it for a story telling session for 2-5 year olds with resounding success! All the kids were mooing, buzzing, popping, klopping, dibbling and dopping, ticking n tocking with sheer delight!

Sample this:
Oh, the wonderful sounds
Mr. Brown can do!
He can sound like a cow
He can go Moo Moo
He can sound like a bee
Mr. Brown can Buzz
How about you?
Can you go Buzz Buzz

Unfortunately, the copy I own (the board book)  is a toned down version- I learnt later that the hardback and even the paperback versions  have many more things that I didn't get to read in this one- such as the goldfish's kiss and the hippo's chewing gum! :(((

So please look out for the nicer version. It is published by Random House and is available easily at bookstores and even at Flipkart.

Monday 11 July 2011

Dancing Dinos

I own a whole load of Step Into Reading books published by Random House and I own a fair amount of dinosaur books. In either category, It is this book, Dancing Dinos, that really shines through.

The story line is hilarious, words are simple, the rhymes are great and my kid walks and stomps n munches and gobbles like a 'Dino' long after the book reading is over!

Sally Lucas does a great job in creating the story-- the kid who watches the dinos come alive on the page has just the right emotions and the versus are just right for a 3+  kid to remember and sing along! Margeaux Lucas, really makes the book come alive with her illustrations. She makes the dinos look naughty, the dad look confused, the cat being part of all scenes, and all the dance steps so real! Interestingly the author-illustrator are a mother-daughter team! http://www.randomhouse.com.au/Author/Lucas,%20Sally

This book is priced Rs. 60/- by Strand Books (slightly cheaper than other books in this series). It is a MUST BUY in my opinion! Simple words. Fun story. Silly antics.There. The perfect combination to a fun and light read!
My daughter and I have this book memorized. We have also read its sequel: 'Dancing Dinos go to school' but it is this book which makes us laugh more and prompts us to act silly!

And oh! There is another reason why I like this book so much:  Its dedication reads, "To Terry, who loves to Dance".  My kid loves to dance and that's why reading this dedication always touches my heart!