Book Review - Amma, Tell Me How Hanuman Crossed the Ocean

Another favourite Indian book is this one by Bhakti Mathur and Maulshree Somani tells the tale of how Hanuman crossed the ocean at Lord Ram's behest.  With simple prose and vivid illustrations, the book describes the story in a lucid manner - crucial for young kids to be able to follow what is happening. Without delving into unnecessary detail, the book describes the various perils faced by Hanuman in his journey across the ocean, and how he uses his wits to outsmart his foes. All of the text is supported by the very detailed illustrations, which would help kids comprehend the story quickly. In my opinion, this book is a must-have on your bookshelf as it introduces kids to our Great Epics. Age-wise, as a read aloud the book can be read to kids aged 3 & over, while early readers can pick it whenever they are able to read.

A slim book (32 pages) it will take you around 15 mins to read to your kid. The write-up is simple enough for early readers to grasp, making it ideal for both purposes.

Little Lady Bee says: Mum, please tell me story from the book once more.

Let me know what you think of the book, or if you have any questions in the comments below - and don't forget to share the post to your friends if you liked it!

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Book Review - Captain Flinn & the Pirate Dinosaurs Smugglers Bay

This absolute rocker of a book is written by Giles Andreae and illustrated by Russell Ayto. The story wonderfully depicts a child's make-believe world - where he is a captain rescuing his friend from the evil dinosaurs who love sausages. The sense of adventure and action that the authors convey translates beautifully in the book by the animated write-up and vivid imagery in a large book. The book is an adventure roller-coaster from cover to cover. At 30 pages, the story is short enough to be a bed-time read, though it might supercharge your little ones' imagination. The language is fairly simple, but young readers would find words that they would need help pronouncing by themselves. In that respect, it is a good vocab builder as well. Lady Bee loves it - with the story engaging enough to draw kids back multiple times.

Age-appropriateness: 4.5+

Little Lady Bee says: I want to read it again, please!

Let me know what you think of the book, or if you have any questions in the comments below - and don't forget to share the post to your friends if you liked it!

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Book Review - A Saree for Ammi, Tulika Publishers

Today's book, written by Mamta Nainy and illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat, is a very sweet story about a young girl who wants to bring a smile to the face of her hard-working Mum. The slim, very reasonable-priced book, at 28 pages, is ideal as a read aloud and as one for early readers. A read-aloud to Bee took around 15 minutes. The story revolves around a little girl saving up her pocket money to buy her Mum a saree. The book also shows urban kids a rare glimpse into rural life - the houses, markets and the story backdrop is semi-rural. Beautiful illustrations help children relate to the story and the social setting of the tale. I found a moral message in it as well - the young child intends to do something to make her Mum's day, and co-opts her sister into the project. The story is also a great way to introduce kids to the world of savings and teach them about the value of money.

The publisher Tulika Books, lists the book in multiple languages, so if you are looking for a regional language version that is a good place to look.

Age-appropriateness: 4.5+

Little Lady Bee says: I liked the part where the little girl speaks in a grown up voice.

Let me know what you think of the book, or if you have any questions in the comments below - and don't forget to share the post to your friends if you liked it!

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