Archive for the ‘good reads’ Category

If anyone has been around my kids lately, they’d know that tsunamis have been a big topic of discussion since December.  I just happened to mention to my 4-year-old one day that tsunamis were really big waves where the ocean comes onto the land, and somehow unleashed a series of questions that had to be answered (and re-answered) on a daily basis.  And so we have all the prime tsunami YouTube videos bookmarked on our television and the kids roll around the house pretending to be ocean water that “crushes everything” (though I have to broker peace when big brother tries to roll over and “crush” his little sister).

No wonder then that my son, who normally tries to distract us with all his might from the NBC Nightly News, has been sitting through entire broadcasts of the events in Japan.

If your child is interested in tsunamis and the current events, I highly recommend Tsunami! by Kimiko Kajikawa.  It’s a remarkable Japanese story of a wealthy farmer (Ojiisan) who gives up everything to save his fellow villagers from a tsunami – admirable societal values that kids from all cultures should ponder.  There is a beautiful spread in the middle of the book that depicts an impending tsunami wave (no words) that I would love to have framed – a work of art that reminds you that nature is supreme.

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If you’re committed to teaching your kids your native language, reading to them in that language is oh-so-important.  Too bad that the number of engaging Telugu picture books for kids is so limited.  It seems that for every good Telugu book out there, there are 200 English ones ready to lure the kids away.

I really do lament the lack of resources.  Yes, there are some quality publishers out there, but not enough if you have voracious readers like I do.  So I do whatever bilingual parent eventually resorts to – reading English books in Telugu by substituting the words (although, as my son is now learning to read, I may have to start taping Telugu text over the English counterparts).  Not all English books are suitable for switching – especially those that rely on rhymes or have a decidedly Western theme and vocabulary (e.g. Halloween or Valentines books).

Here are 5 of my kids’ favourite books they love to hear in Telugu (and amenable to substitutions in other languages I’m sure):

1.  Listen, Listen!:  Simple nouns and verbs, mixed in with fun sounds.  A great vocabulary builder.

2.  The Little Engine That Could:  The repetition in the scenes makes for easy substitution – and the story line keeps the reading interesting.  Kids learn about feelings and emotions.

3.  God, Dog. Go!:  Perhaps our all-time favourite – terrific for learning opposites and colours.

4.  Clip-Clop:  A fun romp about a horse who gives rides to farm animals.  Good for learning about questions and commands.

5.  Harold and the Purple Crayon:  A creative masterpiece in any lanugage.

Tags: Books, language
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Unless you lived in some urban, egalitarian, utopian community, you probably go teased when you were little – especially around Thanksgiving time.  “Indians” were the theme of many songs, crafts and activities – and there were several levels of teasing, from simple questions like “Do you live in a teepee?” to the more blatant, racist forms – my lease favourite of which was the yodeling (the “aw-wa-wa-wa-wa…,” coupled with flapping hands over the mouth).  Awful.

These days, even though most schools use the term “Native American,” I’ll bet the “Indian” word still slips out sometimes.  I only hope parents and educators are teaching kids to be more tolerant these days.  But whatever situation my kids face, I’d want them to be armed with facts and knowledge – the best defense as my father always says.

I chanced upon these 2 books from the our local library:  More Than Moccasins (a craft book with very simple, doable activities) which is worth purchasing and If You Lived With The Cherokee (this is part of series – the other books feature other Native American tribes).  The latter is perhaps a bit over-simplified, but just right for kids 4-8.

So, no, we are not “that kind of Indian.”

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There are so many stories from India capable of delighting children – stories of princesses and Maharajas and mythic gods and beasts – enough to fill several volumes and to last an entire childhood of storytelling.  But the key word is capable.  Kids these days are used to books with gorgeous illustrations and age-appropriate text – 2 features that many books about Indian and Hindu mythology are seriously devoid of.  (Some books have such poor grammar, I’ve had to unwittingly improvise and basically re-tell the story in my own words…)

But the future of Indian stories for children is looking hopeful.  Lately, we’ve been reading from Indian Children’s Favourite Stories – a collection of 8 stories as retold by Rosemarie Somaiah (Tuttle Publishing).  The stories include The Birth of Krishna, No Ordinary Lad (accounts of Krishna’s childhood), The Story of Rama, and Journey to Heaven (about Akbar and Birbal), among others.  The text reads very smoothly and the illustrations, which remind me of those Kondapalli dolls from Andhra Pradesh, are captivating and whimsical.

My son’s favourite seems to be Tenali Raman – an account of an episode from the famous court-poet’s childhood that features Goddess Kali (his latest interest – she’s a Goddess, but wait, she looks kind of scary…an interesting combination indeed).  It’s told in a way that has just the right amount of silliness – a rarity when it comes to “Indian” stories!

Tags: Indian Children's Favourite Stories
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Sure there’s Jhumpa Lahiri and Arundhati Roy.  But what of Indian fiction written in native languages?  We in the West are pummeled with the importance of reading translations of War and Peace and Madame Bovary, but what of the Tolstoys and Flauberts of India?

I admit I don’t know have a huge knowledgebase of classical Indian fiction writers (meaning, those who write in their native languages).  I picked up few novels while living in Bangalore:  some by Sarat Chandra Chatterji (Devdas (of course), and Parineeta (much better than the movie – and I liked the movie) and Nishkriti (a little disturbing)) and also Tagore (Chokher Bali – absolutely brilliant).

There is certainly something to be said about native Indian fiction.  And I found a goldmine of a website:  DK Agencies – a Delhi-based book supplier which ships worldwide.  They have translated works from writers all over India – both classical and contemporary.  Hindi, Telugu, Punjabi, Tamil, Kannada…and the list goes on.  I can’t wait to get my hands on Premchand’s Short Stories.  Or maybe The Blaft Anthology of Tamil Pulp Fiction – a little more contemporary(Outlook India calls this “the best produced paperback in the history of Indian publishing.”).  And many others that would be great additions to the library

Beach reading, no?

Tags: Hindi, Kannada, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu
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I know I certainly do.  I could study it for an entire lifetime and still feel like there is more I want to know.  But most of the books out there (those published in the U.S. and in India) are so dense and unreadable – mired in tangential explanations and footnotes that just leave you scratching your head.   (I even have one book that has footnotes for the footnotes!)   Perhaps this is why many people glaze over definitions of purusha and prakriti, and then throw their hands up in the air in defeat.  They probably feel like they just don’t have the time to digest a seemingly “complicated” religion such as Hinduism after working a 60-hour week and taming their toddlers.

Well I have a book for you:  The Essentials of Hinduism: A Comprehensive Overview of the World’s Oldest Religion.  Think of it as Hinduism 101 written by an eloquent and authoritative Swamiji.  Swami Bhaskarananda breaks down the essentials with clear headings and no-fuss explanations`of karma, yogas, mantras and moksha.  It’s not the be-all-end-all resource on Hinduism – I don’t think such a book is possible – but it’s a darn good start.  In any case, it’s several steps up from “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Hinduism” which, I ashamedly admit I have read, though would certainly NOT recommend.

And I love his explanation of the Paramahamsa that’s depicted on the cover:

“The picture on the front cover depicts the Paramahamsa – a mythological swan with the ability to drink the essential part of milk rejecting its watery part… [I]t is seen that a Paramahamsa remains in water and yet the water never clings to its feathers.  Similarly, a spiritually illumined soul lives in the world, yet is never contaminated by it.”

Befitting, no?

Tags: Hinduism
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The Little Ganesh book we have has caught my son’s attention of late.  He seems to be drawn to the large colour illustrations – and Ganesh’s potbelly.

It’s the story of Ganesh and his brother Karthikeya and their competition for a magical mango.  In brief, Brahma (on a whim) decides that he MUST know who is the “wiser” of the 2 brothers and enlists Narada, the mischevious sage, to find out.  Narada gifts a magical mango to Shiva, telling him that it must be eaten whole and can’t be cut into pieces.  Being the chivalrous god that he his, he passes it onto Parvathi – but she’s too proper of a wife and so decides one of her sons should have it.  But which one?  Narada steps in, reclaims the mango, and says he will give it to the first one who circles the world 3 times.  Most of us know what happens from here:  Karthikeya hops on his peacock, thinking he’ll be lapping Ganesh on his mouse (the peacock and the mouse are their respective vahanas (modes of transportation)).  But Ganesh shows that he’s the “wiser” one by circling his parents 3 times.  After all, his parents are his world…

I get it – but I see a number of problems with this story from the perspective of a 4-year-old.  I don’t like how the brothers “can’t” share the mango (NOT the example you want to set when you’re trying to teach a kid the importance of sharing).  I don’t like how Brahma and Narada were trying to quantify how “smart” the brothers were (would not want my kids doubting if they are “smart” or “smarter” than their friends, or worse – their siblings – what a confidence killer!).  Lastly, I don’t like how it alludes to parents (Shiva & Parvati) playing favourites among their kids – this breaks the cardinal rule of parenting!

(I was also a bit disturbed by Mandala Publishing’s Elephant Prince: The Story of Ganesh – a beautiful book about how Ganesh got his elephant head – but my kids do NOT need to be thinking about how the god Shani accidentally destroys a child’s head at this point in their lives.  Of course this version of the story is probably less horrific than the one where a father (Shiva) actually beheads his son.) 

I don’t want to avoid these important mythological tales altogether, so what do I do?  I change the wording of the story – that’s what I do.  Instead of “wiser,” I use “sillier.”  And rather than the prize being the mango itself – it’s who gets to use a really cool plastic knife to cut it. 

And I make Ganesh share that darn mango.

Tags: Ganesh, Hindu
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We actually don’t have any coffee tables in our house (it’s a vaastu thing), so we’d call these “end table books.”  I like to display books around the house – so the kids can browse through them when they want.  I rotate the books (like I do with our toys) every now and then to keep things fresh – but these 3 are my absolute favourites – and are always story-starters for the kids:

Light of India: A Conflagration of Indian Matchbox Art by Warren Dotz :  This is much more than a book of pretty matchbox visuals – think of it as a concise distillation of Indian history, culture and iconography.  From images of India’s historical heroes, architecture, religious and political symbols – it’s great learning for the kids.  It really is “India in a matchbox.”

Around the Word in 80 Plates by Rashmi Uday Singh:  From Asia to Europe and Africa and Australia, this book is a collection of recipes from 80 celebrated chefs around the world.  AND all the dishes are vegetarian!  I fail to understand why this book hasn’t received more press - it’s a must-have in any gastronome’s library.

Beasts of India by Gita Wolf and Kanchana Arni:  This is an amazing compilation of Indian folk and tribal art that kids can really relate to.  There are pictures of lions, tigers and other “beasts” in various regional art – even my 4-year-old can distinguish between Madhubani and Gond styles.  And the book is actually “handmade” – it’s screenprinted on handmade paper.  Talk about art!

Tags: Books, India, vegetarian
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Hanuman, simply put, is remarkable.  I think he’s the reason kids love the Ramayana so much.  He has tremendous strength and powers, darts through the sky, moves mountains with a single hand, and carries Rama and Sita in his heart.  But underneath it all he’s still a monkey – what a superhero!

Finally we have a book for toddlers (or any age really) that centers around Hanuman.  Where’s Hanuman is a seek-and-find book put out by Torchlight Publishing.  We featured it in our March Newsletter, but the awesome-ness of this book is so great that we had to write about it on our blog as well.  And check out the book’s official website: www.whereshanuman.com.

So hat’s off to you, Hanuman, for rousing the superhero in all of us.  And yes, we know most of India (except Tamil Nadu and Kerala) celebrates your birthday today – so janamdin ki badhai.

Tags: birthday, ramayana
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Kinda wierd to say Happy Birthday to a God, but that’s what we’re doing today:  saying Happy Birthday to Lord Rama.  Ram Navami is big deal for Hindus around the world – sort of feels like Christmas in March.  It’s a commemoration of the Ideal Man after all – the protagonist of the epic Ramayana.

So how are we celebrating?  We’re digging into Sanjay Patel’s just-released Ramayana: Divine Loophole.  (If you don’t know already, Patel is an animator for Pixar and has previously published the uber-cute The Little Book of Hindu Deities).  At 186 pages, it’s a bit beyond a toddler’s attention span – but the visuals are so stunning, you can narrate the Ramayana in brief to your kids just by flipping through the pictures.

Thank you, Mr. Patel, for giving parents a phenomenal way to present the Ramayana to kids.

Tags: birthday, ramayana
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