Books are truly windows to the world. What can you not find in books? They make it so much easier to learn and understand different cultures, traditions, and in general, different peoples. Especially with young kids, there is no better way to open their minds to the fact that everyone in the world doesn’t live, eat, play, and talk like “us”. So grab your globes and join Anidampurva to peek at some interesting places, people, and customs.
1. Bamboo Grove in Assam: Jokhu and the Big Scare by Priyadarshini Gogoi and Debasmita Dasgupta [the book is available in other Indian languages as well]
Let’s take a stroll in Assam’s bamboo forest, but beware of Jokhu, the Jokhini who lives there. Her sharp teeth and nails, her thick, greasy hair, her terrifying shrieks scare everyone from little kids to macho wrestlers, and even other demons. She is extremely proud of being the scariest demon around. But then, a little girl comes into the forest one day, and Jokhu is just unable to scare her. Not her loudest shrieks or her scariest look can make the little girl scream in fear! Jokhu breaks down. Isn’t she scary anymore?? What happens next is light-hearted and fun. The pictures in this book bring out the spirit of the story so well.
2. Sleepless in Sikkim: Miss Lee and the Mosquito by Maria L Denjongpa and Anna Vojtech
Miss Lee is visiting her friend in Sikkim. She is sleeping in the shrine room in her friend’s home, with the beautiful statues of Buddha, the candles, and the smell of incense. But she just cannot sleep peacefully, because a mosquito buzzes around her ear every night. Now, you can’t kill in the shrine room, not even a mosquito! So what is Miss Lee to do now? The book shows the picturesque mountains of Sikkim, the little village nestled in them, the Buddist pagodas, and prayer flags. The pictures transport you to a beautiful dawn in the Sikkim countryside.
3. Weave into Rajasthan: A Saree for Ammi by Mamta Nainy and Sandhya Prabhat
This book so sensitively, subtly and thoughtfully talks about the lives and troubles of weavers in Kota, Rajasthan. Written in the innocent words of a little girl whose parents are weavers, the book talks about the history of weavers in Kota, the process of weaving sarees, and trials of weavers in the present times. It is thought provoking and an excellent conversation starter. The story itself is beautiful, with the little girl doing something heart-warming for her Ammi. She doesn’t understand why Ammi, who weaves such beautiful sarees, doesn’t wear a saree herself, but is always in an old salwar kameez. Along with her sister, she sets about trying to make this right.
4. Desert meets plains: Desert Girl, Monsoon Boy by Tara Dairman and Archana Sreenivasan
This book is about a girl in an Indian desert and a boy in a village in the Indian plains, and their separate journeys with their families in search of better living conditions. Each page in the book strikes a contrast between life in the desert and that in the village while it is ravaged by monsoon floods. It shows food, clothes, the games that kids play, and the work that people do in both these places. It shows how climate change adversely affects both places, though they have very contrasting climates. At the end of the book, the author explains the ground reality of life in the desert, how the nomadic people migrate to the plains in search of a better life and settle in villages. And how even these villages are not safe from nature’s fury and suffer floods during heavy monsoons.
5. The beautiful Kerala village: Kozhukatta by Sumi Chandrasekharan and Zafouko Yamamoto
Set in a village in Kerala, this book truly transports you to one too. The pictures show the little houses, the coconut and banana trees, the backwaters with little boats, the typical clothing of Kerala, and not to forget, the mouthwatering snacks! Anidampurva loves sitting with pictures for ages, looking at every small detail and talking about it. This book is as informative as it is funny. And funny it definitely is! Ponnu is forgetful and has trouble remembering the names of snacks he so loves eating. He visits a friend and there, eats Kozhukatta, a snack that he instantly loves. He is now worried he will forget the name before he can tell his wife. His antics while trying to not forget its name will leave you in stitches!
6. Temple elephant of Tamil Nadu: Gajapati Kulapati Gurrburrrooom by Ashok Rajagopalan
Another hilarious book, featuring the gentle, good-natured temple elephant Gajapati Kulapati. Everyone in the village loves him. We get to see the typical village dynamics – how connected people are to each other, how they love Gajapati and how everyone treats him as their own, and the different professions the villagers are in. Add to the mix a rib-tickling story where Gajapati is lovingly fed many different things by the villagers, all of which he gobbles up. Then start his stomach troubles! What happens next is a laughter riot!
There are other Gajapati Kulapati books available in different Indian languages!
7. A poor neighbourhood in India: Painted Walls of Malainagar by Shyamala Shanmugasundaram and Anthoni Guruz
This book is about a boy, Soori, who loves to paint. He belongs to a poor family and is looked down upon by his classmates because of his torn clothes, hand-me-down shoes and broken crayons. On top of it all, he hates the new neighbourhood his family is relocated to by the government. The buildings are dirty, there is garbage on the roads, and the whole neighbourhood is unsafe. Just when everything seems bleak, his life fills with colour! Artists spring up in his neighbourhood, painting murals on the buildings. The story takes us through the events that make Soori a hero in his class.
Note: The book is unapologetic in its portrayal of poverty and will need parents’ discretion in how and how much to read to kids.
8. Innuit innocence: Mama, Do You Love Me? By Barbara M. Joosse and Barbara Lavallee
This absolute gem of a book is so soothing. The context, the story with its innuit references, the pictures all come together so beautifully to create magic! The book is about a girl who asks her mother if she loves her and how much? Don’t we all wonder if our kids are wondering the same thing?! She wants to know if her mother loves her even when she is naughty. The mother’s answers are what we can all say to our kids word-for-word. The book also has a glossary at the end to explain the Innuit references.
9. All the way to Russia: Rechenka’s Eggs by Patricia Polacco
Another book that is rich in cultural references, this time of Russia. It is a story of kindness and miracles. The old lady in the story, Babushka, is famous for her exquisitely painted Easter eggs, which she takes to the Easter Festival every year. Once, after a snowstorm, she finds a goose hurt by a hunter in front of her house. she takes it in and nurses it back to health. But one day, the goose steps onto her Easter egg table and knocks all the beautiful eggs to the floor. Babushka is heartbroken, but there’s a miracle in store for her!
10. The US-Mexico border story: My Two Border Towns by David Bowles and Erika Meza
The story follows a boy and his father as they make one of their regular trips from the US border town where they live, to the Mexican town on the other side of the border where their extended family lives. The book paints a picture of what both the towns look like, the languages spoken, and the lifestyle. Along with the boy and his father, we travel cross the border checkpost, walk through the busy streets of the Mexican town, visit their family, and also do some shopping! The book also touches upon the sensitive refugee crisis at this border, and does so with great care and in a manner appropriate for a 4 year old. The interactions the boy has with his refugee friends, and the following conversation with his father are simultaneously thought provoking and saddening.
11. A modern home: Mama’s Sleeping Scarf by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Joelle avalino
This book is set in a modern African household. The little girl Chino loves her mother’s sleeping scarf, the one she uses to keep her hair soft while sleeping. When Mama leaves for work in the morning, she gives Chino her scarf to keep her company through the day. Chino has an adventure-filled day with the scarf and all her family. The book breaks gender stereotypes, with Mama leaving for work outside home, and Papa cooking dinner for the family.
12. Halloween hullabaloo: T-Rex Trick-or-Treats by Lois G. Grambling and Jack E. Davis
We introduced Halloween, the popular festival of the western world to Anidampurva through this book. It shows halloween traditions – jack-o-lanterns, scary costumes, and trick-or-treating kids. T-Rex has to go trick-or-treating with his friends, but can’t decide what costume to wear! He wants it to be unique and really scary. His friends finally help him decide on a costume. Does he manage to be as scary as he wants to?
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