Book Bingo is like a festival in our house. It involves a lot of discussion, preparation, healthy arguments and finally when we put together all the books it brings pure joy! This is Adu’s third book bingo and at times I wonder how he will feel to read his bingos when he grows up. I am sure the joy will only be more.
- A book with pirates
The Grumpy Pirate written by Corrine Demas & Artemis Roehrig, Illustrated by Ashlyn Anstee
A pirate and grumpy!! That is quite a strange combination. But you will know how grumpiness can sound when you meet Gus. Oh he is ever so grumpy, always cribbing and whining till he understands how he sounds when he is grumpy. Just like Gus when Adu realised he doesn’t look as cute and doesn’t sound good at all when he is grumpy, he made a huge effort to not be a GRUMPY ADU. A wonderful book to help kids understand why being grumpy is not cool at all.
This book can be ordered from Scholastic India via our kbc storefront as well. Scholastic India always has special offers on.
2. A book with siblings
My Big Brother Boris written by Liz Pichon
A story of croc family and the two brothers- little croc and his big brother Boris. Little croc hero worships his elder brother (just like Adu) and always wants to tag along. But big brother has his own friends and needs his own space (just like Adu’s elder brother Divit). This cute story is about the love-hate-love relationship that we often see among siblings. But no matter how much we fight or disagree at the end it is the love between the brothers that matters. A very reassuring story of love between siblings and importance of this beautiful relationship.
3. A book with grandparents
Grandmas From Mars Written by Michelle Robinson, Illustrated by Fred Blunt
What happens when Fred and Nell’s parents go off for a meeting leaving them with their grandma? If you think it will be just eating greens, doing homework, taking a bath and going to bed before eight, you are in for a surprise! What follows is total chaos and a complete fun riot. We love funny books and what can be more fun than reading it with your Grandma and pretending she has grown some cool horns!
4. A book by your favourite Indian author
Pickle Mania written by Srividhya Venkat, illustrated by Shailja Jain Chougule
This story is about Nitya who wants to try out the pickles her grandfather eats. But they are all too spicy for her and burn her tongue. Nitya decides that pickles are not for her and becomes very sad that children don’t have pickles like the grown ups! But then she had a brilliant idea! Love this story for all the pickle love it brings.
5. A book by Mark Sperring
Mince Spies Written by Mark Sperring , Illustrated by Sophie Corrigan
What would happen if on a Christmas shopping trip to your next door supermarket, you find all ginger bread cookies broken, candy canes in pieces, cakes all flat and plum puddings all over the floor?! Will the Christmas be fun without all these sweet treats?? Through this super funny, action-packed story written by Mark Sperring he teaches a very important lesson. You will be loved only if you are nice and good, not when you are pushy and mean.
6. Any Indian language book
This is a beautiful story told by “Bhinbhin”-the bee about how they make honey and all the hard work that goes in making a beehive. The book has very detailed information on how the bees know which is the right flower that has lots of nectar, how they mix the nectar with their saliva to make the honey and finally how they store the honey in their hive. Did you know that the hive actually has different sizes of compartments meant for different things?? Or the bees have a different style of dancing to convey if the flower with nectar is nearby or far?? A very good book to talk about teamwork and how we all need to work together to achieve something.
7. A book set outdoors or in nature
Hugless Douglas and the Nature Walk written by David Melling
A lovely book where Douglas goes out with his class for his first ever nature walk. What fun to find all type of animals, plants and insects and get rewarded with stickers! From finding tickly ants to shiny beetles to slimy snails, Douglas has super fun till it starts raining! Will the rain spoil the fun? A story set in outdoors with Douglas is always exciting!
8. A book about bugs
Do you love Bugs? Written by Matt Robertson
Among all the books that we have on bugs this clearly tops the list. Written in the most fun way with loads of trivia and colourful pictures, this book makes bugs seem more friendly. We absolutely love the stick insect who is the longest bug on our planet. Did you know one of the biggest earthworms is taller than a giraffe?! You would be amazed to know grasshoppers existed long before dinosaurs and that snails are deaf! We love to read this when we travel because it makes a great book for lots of discussion.
9. A book set in winter
Meerkat Christmas Written by Emily Gravett
This is a very cute book about Sunny the Meerkat who is in search of the perfect Christmas. While his family is busy cleaning and decorating, Sunny has been reading all about how to have the perfect Christmas. He moves across many places only to realise that the perfect one is always with your family. The book comes with flaps which makes it so interactive and fun. This makes a perfect Christmas book for gifting too.
10. A biography
Strong and Tough Written by Rico Hinson-King, Illustrated by Nick Sharratt
This story was written by footballer Rico Hinson-King when he was ten years old. This is based on the true story of his adoption.
The story is narrated through the eyes of a young boy called Charlie. He looked like any other normal kid who loved playing football but his life was not so normal. His birth parents couldn’t take care of him or his sisters so the social workers took them to foster care. Unfortunately, he was separated from his sisters and they went to different foster homes. Things changed when he was moved to a new foster home where two parents agreed to look after him and his sisters till a judge decided what would happen to them. He didn’t give up hope. He played football every day to take his mind off things. His story teaches us how in the lowest phase of our life also, we should stay strong, stay brave and hope for the best!
Rico Hinson-King is just 12 years old. As a baby, he was taken into care. He spent years in the care system before finding his ‘forever family’. Rico now lives happily with his two dads, sisters and their dog in Cheshire. He is an avid footballer and has played for Liverpool FC, Manchester United and Manchester City. (Source:google)
11. A book set in another country
Zayn and Zoey – Tour Europe (from the Continents set of 6 books)
Zayn and Zoey books are our very favourite ones. And this particular set of 6 books take you around the world across the continents. Adu particularly loves this one on Europe. With Zayn and Zoey, we love to visit Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, France and United Kingdom. The book is structured beautifully where it first gives the important trivia like Capital, language spoken, Currency, Flag etc. And then covers the important history, monuments and most famous food of the place. What we love the most is that the simple language and just the right amount of information.
ONLY KBC MEMBERS HAVE A SPECIAL COUPON CODE KBC15 which will give you 15% OFF when you order directly from the ZAYN AND ZOEY website. Simply click this link that takes you to the Zayn and Zoey shop on their website.
12. A book about someone making the best out of a sticky situation
The Littlest Lighthouse Keeper Written by Heidi Howarth, Illustrated by Daniel Howarth
This is the story of Henry the little mouse who lived in a lighthouse with an old lighthouse keeper. He absolutely loved to live by the sea and was perfectly happy in his cozy little nest. But one day he found the lighthouse was eerily quiet. To his surprise he found the lighthouse keeper was gone. It was night and he could hear a ship blowing the horn. He needed to switch on the light the very instant to guide the ship. Would he be able to find a way to do it??
A beautiful tale of friendship, the littlest light house keeper teaches one to never give up even in the trickiest situations while talking about the importance of friends in our life.
13. A book with a bird on the cover
Tico and the Golden Wings Written by Leo Lionni
Tico is a bird who was born with no wings! He couldn’t fly but he had some amazing friends who would get him the best berries and fruits. But still it was not the same as being able to fly like all the other birds. He always dreamt of having golden wings and his dream comes true one summer night. Oh what joy it was to spread his wings and fly high. But what follows is not something Tico expected.
The story teaches the most important moral- we are all different and unique in our own ways. What people think of us should not stop us from being ourselves.
14. A non-fiction book
Doctor in Training Written by Catherine Ard, Illustrated by Sarah Lawrence
This book has been our favourite ever since we bought this. And why not when this lets you be a doctor in training, while helping you learn all about human body. The book covers all the important functions of our beautiful body machine and the information is just perfect for the little ones to remember. Each section comes with a small activity and doctor’s notes. Oh well you need to clear the examination at the end to get the certificate of being a doctor! So why wait.. let’s get started!
15. An inspiring book
Roshan’s Road to Music Written by Mamta Nainy, Illustarted by Priyanka Tampi
This is a beautiful story based on the true story of the famous surbahar player Annnapurna Devi who was born as Roshanara Khan. Being the daughter of the great musical legend, Baba Allauddin Khan she had a love and ear for music right from her childhood. She could find music in literally everything around her. Her heart desired to go up to her Baba and ask him to teach her as well just like he taught her elder brother. But she was scared. After all, those were times when girls were not allowed to do many things. A very inspiring story of letting your heart dream and making them true.
16. A book that helped address an issue
Fair Shares Written by Pippa Goodhart, Illustrated by Anna Doherty
Having two boys I am always listening to one thing-“That’s not fair”! Siblings always fight for things so it’s no different at our place as well. Sometimes it becomes rather difficult to explain why giving more or less to one is actually fair because that is exactly what is needed for him. Fair shares is a beautiful and apt story that helps address this issue. Story of a hare and bear who are trying to reach the pears at the top of the tree but for both of them it’s too high up. They decide to use chairs to reach them but is it fair for them to have one chair each?? The story helped us understand why giving the same thing to each of them is not always fair. Giving something is based on their need and doesn’t define how much we love them as parents. I can very well say this has helped us immensely to understand why I need to sit patiently with Adu to help him with his homework but ask his elder brother Divit to just do it on his own and then check it later.
17. A book published by Parragon Publishing
We absolutely love to search and find things and when they are spooky the fun is doubled. This amazing book has 1001 things to find – in the Ghoulish Graveyard or the Pumpkin patch or the Wacky Lab. My 6 yo enjoys finding all the spooky things on every page. A perfect book for travel and to do with siblings while enjoying and admiring the lovely illustrations.
18. A book with a human-animal duo
Horrible Bear Written by Amy Dyckman, Illustarted by Zachariah Ohora
A beautiful book about a girl and a bear and a big realisation. When the girl’s kite gets destroyed by a sleeping bear, she blames it all on the “Horrible bear”. But is it the bear’s fault? Is the bear really horrible?
The story teaches a very important lesson – to say sorry. It happens so often that we end up doing something unintentionally that hurts others. It is okay to make mistakes but one should never shy away from using the magic word of sorry because that can make all horrible things better at once.
19. A book with a vegetable’s name in the title
There’s Broccoli in my Ice Cream Written By Emily Mackenzie
Granville believed there was nothing good about fruits and vegetables. Who would want to eat them when there were such sugary, cakey, chocky wocky, goey options available?! His family tried to sneak in veggies and fruits in the junk he loved to eat but Granville would easily find them all. Being born in a family of greengrocers, he was a total misfit. But his family wouldn’t give up on him so easily and they soon come up with a master plan. Would Granville finally give in and try the broccoli or will all their efforts go in vain?
This book has immensely helped my very fussy eater. From a kid who only ate curd, rice and bhindi, he has now started eating little bit of noodles, biryani and cheese toast! And trust me it is a big deal for us.
20. A book with the letter Z in the title
Who’s Afraid of Z? Not me! Written By Lubaina Bandukwala, Illustrated by Allen Shaw
It is the biggest scare for any of us working from home to have some coffee or tea spilled over the laptop. And that is exactly what happened here. And when that sticky brown liquid stealthily sneakily went under the keys, Z just stopped working! Actually Z got rather upset when he heard he is not needed when other letters are there. Big mistake! Can you think of any zoo, zebra or zipper without Z ! Oh don’t just ignore and dismiss Mr. Z because he is equally important like all other alphabets. A funny tale written in rhyming text, this is a book that will make you think of all words that start with Z and what would become of them if Z would not be there!
21. A second hand book
Big Bully and M- Me Written By Arti Sonthalia
This story is about Krish who is not only the shortest, skinniest boy in the class but also stammers when he speaks. Naturally he is often laughed at and gets bullied in school. His worries get doubled when they all had to do an extempore because talking was not his forte! To add to his woes, he gets paired with the big bully of the class-Ishaan. Will Krish be able to survive the constant bullying from Ishaan and make it through? In this beautiful book, the author has touched upon a very important topic of bullying and conveyed the most important message that one should never give up! Winning is not as important as trying. This was Adu’s elder brother’s book which got passed onto him and he loves all his second hand books more than his new ones.
22. A book with stars on the cover
Never Teach a Stegosaurus to do Sums Written by Rashmi Sirdeshpande & Diane Ewen
My 6 yo is a huge fan of dinosaurs and he absolutely wanted to include one book on dinosaurs in the book bingo. Luckily, we found this funny one in our bookshelf. In this fantastic book the author explains the power of maths in the most beautiful and hilarious way through a stegosaurus. Join Stego to learn maths like adding up (addition), taking them away (subtraction), learning some more tricks and then soon you will find yourself solving secret codes and equations. This can help kids get rid of any fear of maths and make it sound fun and interesting. When the Stegosaurus can have so much fun, won’t you want to join in??
23. A book about books
The Ghost Library Written by David Melling
Bo was reading her favourite book about a witch with smelly feet when suddenly the lights went out, a clammy hand from nowhere came and grabbed her book trying very hard to pull it away. When Bo wouldn’t let go of the book, she was pulled along and soon she found herself in an empty library. What is a library without books thought Bo. And just then she was greeted by three smiling ghosts! Magpie, Twit and Puddle Mud warmly welcome her to “The Ghost Library”. A heart-warming tale of a world full of ghosts who love stories just like us. After all books and stories are a joy for all!
24. A book with a villain
Super Happy Magic Forest Written by Matty Long
Everyone is happy in Super Happy Magic Forest because they have the mystical crystals of life. But when it gets stolen, it is on the five super heroes to find the stolen crystals. Hoofius, Herbert, Twinkle, Blossom and Trevor set out on this epic quest through frozen tundras, haunted forest, dangerous dungeons till they reached the Goblin tower. Would the five heroes be able to bring back happiness in Super Happy Magic Forest?
25. A book that has a royal character
The Queen’s Orang-Utan Written by David Walliams
What happens when the Queen is bored of too much stuff? When she starts feeling trapped inside the palace? As much as this sounds crazy, things get crazier when she asks for an orang-utan as her birthday present. And when her highness wants something that has to be fulfilled. Things go absolutely messy with the big beastly orang-utan around but the Queen is happy! And then she goes missing….! A roll out on the floor kind of book that will leave you in splits.
26. A book that focuses on cooking or baking
The Great Dragon Bake Off Written by Nicola O’ Byrne
Meet Flamie Oliver who was an enormously terrifying dragon. But though he looked terrifying, he wasn’t good at doing bad things at all. When it was time for him to join the Ferocious Dragon Academy, he was not sure if he was the right fit there. He also had a secret- a very sweet one. He had a passion for PASTRY of any kind. He just loved them all. And what he was good at was making these wonderful, delicious pastries. But to graduate from the academy he had to show his dastardly dragon skills! Will Flamie be able to finish the academy’s tasks? The story is full of beautiful illustrations of pastries, cupcakes, cakes and of course dragons! And the fact that when someone is good at something, the world will eventually see it.
27. The most engaging Activity Book
The Usborne Little Children’s Activity Book by James Maclaine and Lucy Bowman, Designed and Illustated by Erica Harrison, Fred Blunt, Benedetta Giaufret, Enrica Rusina and Lauren Ellis
This is one of our all-time favourite activity books that has mazes, puzzles, colouring activities, racing track and most important of all-Stickers!! It has different themes like Desert sand, Dragon castle, Sporty Fun, Mad Science and many more. The book teaches small concepts of counting, addition and so on through fun and engaging activities. Great for holidays and travels.
28. A book you gift often
Meet the Oceans Written by Caryl Hart, Illustrated by Bethan Woollvin
This is a wonderfully illustrated book that takes one on a joy ride across the wondrous oceans which cover 3/4th of our earth and is home to millions of sea creatures. We particularly love the book for the way it personifies the oceans and goes on to explain the most important features, the flora and fauna that is found there. It is a beautiful book to learn about our oceans and seas. With rhyming text and colourful pictures learning surely becomes a joy ride.
29. An early chapter book you enjoyed
Kung Pow Chicken – Let’s Get Cracking Written by Cyndi Marko
This is about Gordon Blue who was an ordinary chicken till he and his younger brother Benedict fell into a bubbling toxic sludge in their uncle Quack’s lab. And from then on Gordon became Kung Pow Chicken and Benedict was his sidekick -Egg Drop! They were initially reluctant to use their powers but once all the chickens of Fowladelphia started losing their feathers and became naked, they knew there was no other option but to use their super powers to find the one who was doing this. First in the series of 5 books, join Kung Pow Chicken and Egg Drop in this hilarious and action-packed story to help save the chickens.
This book can be ordered from Scholastic India via our kbc storefront as well. Scholastic India always has special offers on.
30. A book you got from kbc recommendations
Barbara Throws A Wobbler Written By Nadia Shireen
We have a huge collection of books that talk about feelings and help in handling different mood tantrums. This is one such beautiful book that we got based on recommendation from Kbc.
Barbara is not in a great mood. Today is not a day when she is grumpy or sad or upset. Today is a day when all the bad moods are wrapped up in one and that has resulted in a huge wobbler. A wobbler that is right over her head looming like a sticky angry jelly. The wobbler wouldn’t let her talk or accept a cuddle or even have an ice cream. It just wouldn’t leave her. Soon she realised her whole existence is consumed by this huge wobbler. And she is taken aback when the wobbler starts copying Barbara because after all the wobbler feels she is created by Barbara. But Barbara learns the most important lesson here. That she is in charge. She gets to decide if she wants the wobbler or not.
Yes there are times when our little ones fail to understand what they are feeling exactly. Whether they are angry or sad or just grumpy for no reason. That is when this book becomes super helpful. Having a very sensitive 6 yo, understanding mood and managing the same has been my biggest challenge. Thanks to Kbc there are books which make life so much easier!
Sincere thanks to Kbc and the valuable members of this tribe I call my home whose wonderful recommendations have filled our home with books and our lives with joy!
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