MellowDrama

Let's introduce you to three extraordinary authors and illustrators who have left an indelible mark on children's literature. From captivating illustrations to enchanting narratives, their works have captured the hearts of readers worldwide. Join me on this delightful journey into the world of Oliver Jeffers, Julia Donaldson, and Chris Riddell. 1. Oliver Jeffers: Where Imagination Takes Flight!   Oliver Jeffers Picture this: vibrant colors, whimsical illustrations, and stories that make your heart soar. That's Oliver Jeffers for you! With his unique visual storytelling style, he transports readers to magical worlds through books like "Lost and Found" and "The Day the Crayons Quit." Jeffers' enchanting artistry will leave you in awe and craving more. 2. Julia Donaldson: Words That Dance Off the Page! Julia Donaldson Prepare to be swept off your feet by the lyrical tales of Julia Donaldson. With her rhythmic language and unforgettable characters, she c...

Reading is a gateway to a world of knowledge, imagination, and personal growth. Whether you're nurturing a child's reading habits or looking to cultivate your own, developing a lifelong love for books is a journey worth embarking on. In this blog post, we'll explore smart and informative tips and tricks to create lasting reading habits that will enrich your life and expand your horizons. Here are some nifty ideas to get yourself or your little ones to build a reading habit: 1. Create a Reading Challenge:  Design a fun and interactive reading challenge to make reading a thrilling adventure. Set achievable goals, offer rewards or incentives, and track progress together. Whether it's completing a certain number of books or exploring different genres, a reading challenge adds excitement and motivation. 2. Make Reading Interactive:  Enhance the reading experience by incorporating interactive elements. Encourage children to create their own bookmarks, act out scenes from thei...

It had happened so that in 2011 we had moved to Kolkata. Not knowing a single soul and unfamiliar with the language, the move was proving to be very difficult one for me. Gradually we settled down in the building we had moved in and got to know some people. It was the September 2012 , when I came across Pratham Books ' social campaign 'One Book One Day' to be held on World Literacy Day,  which is annually observed on September 8. What a fun day it turned out to be and we added more friends to our list then we already had! I vowed that I will be participating in the campaign every year. Unfortunately, in June next year, I lost my younger brother to a car accident. His birthday falls on September 7 and I could not ever again bring myself to participate in the activity since then. But things changed this year and I made up my mind to participate in One Day, One Book. Now, I was pushed into storytelling by my friends (Personally, I like to think that they just wanted to ge...

I grew up in a small town- Palampur- in Himachal Pradesh in the 80s and 90s. I was the only child in the house for quite sometime and was surrounded by adults- my maternal grandparents and uncles and aunts as well as doting neighbours of the now dead phenomenon called the mohalla.  My grandfather who was fondly called Bauji by everyone, owned an electronics shop, the kind which sells you tube lights and fans and switches. Right next to him was a bookshop. Nothing big or glamorous by any means or standards but more like a rectangular box out of which came all sorts of stationery, chart papers and comics, some college course books  as well and ah how could I forget the copies and more copies of Rapidex English Speaking Course. I was often sent over to my grandparents' house because my parents were both working. I can't recall my age at the time, but I must have been grown up enough to read very well because when Would begin to get on my grandmother's nerves, I would be b...

You know how it is when you open social media and sort of in a moment when you are to being mindful begin to feel sorry for yourself. You get into a rut and keep lamenting about things that could have been. You keep thinking about how good things only seem to be happening to people who take snapshots and frame them for Facebook posts and Instagram feed. Maybe they do it for the Twitter and Tumblr and Snapchat and whatever else there is, what would I know, as I can barely handle those two. So to cut a long story short, lying in the bed till a few minutes ago I was lamenting the lack of holidays and holiday pictures as well parties and party pictures and cursing my luck how I never seem be able to do anything 'fun' and being stuck in this unenviable spot like forever since 1990s. then I began to think of the most momentous thing that has happened to mean the last 1 year and it was like opening the floodgates of memory. I began to realise how giving this whole year had been and...

If you are a parent there are more chances than one that YOU have handed your child a book to read. Or you have chosen to bring home the books that you think that she might like to read. If any of these hold true then we are almost alike and no this is not an article that tells you how wrong you have been all along in bringing your child the books that you choose. This is just a few of my thoughts on this very subject that I gathered today morning as I wrote an Instagram post. Let me begin at the beginning. Today my soon to be 4, son sat down with a book and was at it for good 10-15 minutes. No, it wsn't a tome. It wa a small picture book on trucks. My friend gifted him this book on trucks on his first birthday. The chap was fascinated with it from the moment he got it. You could flip pages and see bright pictures of different types of trucks and then you could open little sliding screens to find out men in uniform who drove a certain kind of truck. Unsurprisingly his first...

Ah! what a lovely book it is. A Dog's Purpose is the story of a dog who keeps taking birth again and again and is unable to understand that even after being around a boy through his growing up years and after being a police dog who helped find and save lives, why is he born over and over again. What could be the purpose of his existence? While he grapples with the question, the dog, over a few lives learns various skills which help him actually realise his purpose. He goes through a range of emotions, meets nice people, is born in the home of an indifferent  Colnoel and bumps into some not-so-nice people. The book is written in first person and that makes it an all the more interesting read. His life isn't monotonous at all, especially as the police dog and the author communicates all this very well via the dog. He can do all the things that dogs are known to do but if you are not much of a dog person then this is an eye opener into how much the dogs as animals can perceiv...

The book had been borrowed after I finished reading The Krishna Key. Something or the other kept coming up and I could not settle down with the book. But then I decided to take my life in my own hands and managed to wade through this massive book (441 pages plus some more, bibliography etc).  Now you might wonder why am I using this particular verb- wade. If you are anything like me and have a thing for pace or a mother of two with limited access to 'me time' which you spend on reading rather than getting your eyebrows shaped then that is what I suggest you do, if the book is on your to-read list. The book has interesting portions and some information that any history lover would love but other than the author makes you work hard for the money you have spent on it. The story follows two tracks; one in present day India, where a girl child Chandini, from a Kanpur slum is polished to become the PM of the country, by her mentor who had found (dug out literally) an inscription wit...

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2010/05/19/childrens-books-for-grown-ups/ http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/01/10/chus-day-neil-gaiman / http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/01/07/charles-addams-mother-goose/

I am feeling inspired right now. Maybe it has to do with the fact that dinner or school are not on my mind. Anyway I have stolen an hour and besides many other things that I want to accomplish in this one hour, I also want to write down my goals for the year 2013. This is the first of its kind, me setting goals, so applause please. Without much ado here are goals  that I would like to achieve before the NYE. 1. Write: I had almost stopped writing. Writing for pleasure that is, so I am setting a goal of writing minimum of 500 words everyday. In addition to that I will look harder for opportunities for doing columns in newspapers, magazines, e-zines. 2. Read: As I summarised my year 2012, I realised that I had hardly read a thing. I won 5 books in various contests on twitter but I have not yet read them all. Also I have been at The Last Mughal for a very very long  time. I intend to finish it within this month. Also the fact that I want to make a place for myself as a sto...

It was a fine evening when a green package arrived at my door step. I was super excited as I tore it open and found a treasure inside. The treasure- the books – were sent by the Bangalore based publishers Pratham Books who were encouraging people to conduct a story telling programme on the World Literacy Day. And with just that much I became a Pratham Books’ Champions . The book reading was to be conducted on September 8 which fell on a Saturday. I had decided to conduct the story telling session at my house and had duly called up all the mommies around me, who I knew would be and should be excited by the prospect of a story session. Though the day had dawned bright and gay, by the time evening arrived, the rain gods seemed a wee bit unhappy. That, however, did not dampen the enthusiasm that had built inside the Sood household with the husband helping with shifting the furniture to make ample room for jumpy kids and Netra donning her brand new lehenga to essay the role of Sushee...

That I am a happy person with a cheerful disposition That listening to music always uplifts my spirit That sky gazing and deciphering the shapes of clouds is a favourite activity That I love waking up early and enjoy solitude and the house That I consider kindness as the biggest quality and honesty follows soon after That I can cry at the mere mention of certain things but that is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about That I believe in life, resilience, hard work and laughter. Ah! also hugs. That I may need to have some more self confidence in my abilities from time to time but I often know better than what I give myself credit for. That I believe that no relationship is a waste of time and utna hi upkaar samajh, koi jitna saath nibha de. That going the extra mile is fun because it is not crowded and you get some time to be on your own. That I believe in holding my head and standards high. That I believe in the power of prayer. That I also believe tha...