Sapno Ke Pankh – Choti Si Asha by Surbhi Mittal/Abhay Sahare (Book Review: 4.5*/5)!!!

2105th BLOG POST

11^th Book of 2024!

 

I read another book this weekend named “Sapno Ke Pankh – Choti Si Asha” which is written by Surbhi Mittal and Abhay Sahare. I read the Hindi version of the book as I wanted to understand how does this language entertain children through story books. I must say I am really impressed with the ease of words used by author which will help kids to understand the story and learn new words as well.

 

The book has been published by Sonalika publications who have again ensured that their children story book is written with great illustrations. This time the credit for the illustration goes to Eva Manral. I liked how she managed to illustrate all the arts and pages giving it a bit of Rajasthani traditional theme which matches perfectly with the story. Even the cover page of the book looks like a piece of art which you can hang in your bedroom.

 

The story is nicely based on a girl named Asha who loves the puppetry show she watches every day while returning to school. One day her school announces to participate in a competition where they need to present a story using a prop. She wishes to do so using a puppet but she gets upset knowing that she doesn’t have one and she might not have one due to her financial issues at home. She gets home and speaks to her grandmother about this. Eventually, how her grandma helps her achieve her target is what this story is all about.

 

The story gives a lot of lessons through its non-preachy tone and I must applaud authors with respect to how they managed to do so with such a short story. The book gives a perspective on how every kid must have a good habit out of their academic world which makes them curious and excited about learning the same art themselves as well. Author tries making children aware about the financial issues that their parents must be going through which will make them more compassionate about them and understand the difference between wants and need.

 

The story is based on a great bond that Asha shares with her grandmother which acknowledges the world-known fact of necessity of bonding between grandparents and grandchildren. Through grandmother’s ideation, book tries to teach kids about the environment-friendly alternatives they can prioritize rather than buying everything from market and adding more environment concerns. This synchronizes so well with the objective of Sonalika Publication which wishes to participate in social issues.

 

In the climax, author justifies that one can win in any competition with their efforts and not by expensive materials presented by directly procuring from market. Author herself gives a moral of the story that one needs to face a problem and find a solution rather than getting panicked. At the end of the book, there are couple of exercises and puzzles to keep children interested in solving them and get closer to the story.

 

Overall, I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5. Recommended for all the kids above 3 years of age.

PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE

 

Thanks!

 

WRITING BUDDHA

Tales of Different Tails - Mishti Learns to Swim by Surbhi Mittal (Book Review: 4*/5) !!!

2104th BLOG POST

10^th Book of 2024

 

If you have been following my reviews recently, you must be knowing by now that I am indulged madly in this children book series named “Tales of Different Tails” and I have finally finished all the books I had. The latest book that I finished reading is named “Mishti learns to swim” and the cover page of the book itself is so lovely that you can’t avoid the cute characters and would want to know more about them.

 

Sonalika Publications has initiated a series titled “Tales of Different Tails,” drawing inspiration from the authors' habitual zoo visits and their study of animal behaviors. They suggest that despite the significant evolutionary progress humans have made over thousands of years, there remains an element of our original monkey nature within each of us.

 

The first book in the series, "Introduction," sets the stage by explaining how the main five characters meet and come together. The second book, "Friends," focuses on one of their adventures that highlights their friendship. The third book is called "Investigation" and humorously depicts how these friends often overthink and overanalyze various situations. Finally, the 4^th book “Mishti learns to swim” talks about the fear of swimming that one of the animal friends is going through and how the rest of the friends make it easier for him.

 

An outstanding feature of this book is the unique approach of presenting the story in both English and Hindi on the same page. This is a fantastic way to teach children both languages and show them how the same content can be articulated using the correct vocabulary in each language.

 

Unlike the other books in this series, the author credited for this book is Surbhi Mittal alone whereas her children, Diya Mittal and Annant Mittal are added as adding the spirit of monkeyness to the series. The book is filled with illustrations by Sachi Shukla, who has created an animated look that mirrors what children see on television, making it easier for them to identify and relate to the animals.

 

The authors have skilfully named the animals, adding a touch of humanity to them. This story has the most words compared to all the other stories and your child will finally get to read and learn more. The language of the book is also getting slightly better as I believe author has assumed children to have learnt the basics after reading first 3 books. This book has lot of dialogues and conversation among characters which shall help kids understand how to talk with someone.

 

Author has very intellectually made children aware of the Archimedes principle giving it prominence in the story. The concept of making children learn such terms through stories is such a beautiful idea. Surbhi has also highlighted the importance of library and books through another event as well. The story is written in an entertaining manner where you will yourself feel like going to a swimming pool and enjoy water. Kids are definitely going to relate with this story and go into the world of their imagination.

 

The book mentions few difficult words used in both the languages in the end along with their meaning for increasing the vocabulary of the young readers. There are exercises for children as well similar to the previous books.

 

Overall, this is a good read and I give this book 4 stars out of 5.

PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE

 

Thanks!

 

WRITING BUDDHA

Tales of Different Tails - Investigation by Annant Mittal/Surbhi Mittal (Book Review: 3.5*/5) !!!

2103rd BLOG POST

9^th Book of 2024

 

As soon as I started reading the new series of book “Tales of Different Tails”, I couldn’t stop and I have already completed 3^rd book of the same back-to-back. The series is meant for kids but I can vouch it for everyone that you’ll enjoy reading it even when you are a full-grown adult. Haha! The stories are unique despite having the same characters in all its books. Similarly, it makes you feel nostalgic as well.

 

Inspired by their regular trips to the zoo and the animals they observed, the authors have teamed up with Sonalika Publications to create this series. They contend that even though human beings have undergone extensive evolution over millennia, there is still a hint of our ancestral monkey-like traits in all of us.

 

The first book in this series was named “Introduction” as it is literally the introduction of this series on how the main five characters of this book came together. The 2^nd book is named “Friends” which narrates one of the tales which describes their friendship. The 3^rd book that I have just finished is named “Investigation” which is a funny take on how these friends overthink and overanalyze sometimes.

 

A standout aspect of this book is its innovative dual-language format, where stories are written in both English and Hindi on the same page. This method is an excellent tool for teaching children both languages and demonstrating how the same concepts can be expressed differently yet correctly in each language.

 

The story is authored by Annant Mittal and his mother, Surbhi Mittal, with Diya Mittal also contributing as a co-author. The book is adorned with numerous illustrations by Sachi Shukla, who has brought the animals to life with an animated style reminiscent of television, aiding children in recognizing and connecting with the characters.

 

The authors have thoughtfully named the animals, giving them a human-like quality. This story is very different than the other two stories in this series as it is more an enjoyment read without any messaging as such. Rather than teaching anything about life lessons, this story helps the young readers understand about the different nature of plants. It introduces us with a new type of carnivorous plants which eats insects as well. The investigative nature of the friends are nicely described and how one of them knowing the fact doesn’t hide it from others but help them learn it. Reading such camaraderie among the friends is a great delight and pleasing element of the story.

 

The book mentions few difficult words used in both the languages in the end along with their meaning for increasing the vocabulary of the young readers. There are exercises where the words are jumbled up which the readers will have to correct. There’s a coloring exercise as well where the readers get an opportunity to paint two of the main characters of this series.

 

Author also introduces the concept of shadow hand puppets where we can make some signs with our hands and an image of an animal shall reflect on the wall through the shadow. The last exercises helps children match animals with their respective babies and find the heavier animal of all listed on the page.

Overall, this is a good read and I give this book 3.5 stars out of 5.

PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE

 

Thanks!

 

WRITING BUDDHA