We started reading to Gargi when she was 4 months old. She often gets lost in the world of her books. But recently, she started showing less and less interest in her collection. She had either outgrown them or found them less amusing. It was a huge task to pick the perfect book from the vast collection available on Amazon. That’s when Kids Book Café happened to us. The recommendations we get from this group are so apt. Gargi now enjoys every book that we have got for her.
The #kbcBookBingo2022 made our summer vacation more fun and exciting. We enjoyed reading throughout our vacation and we are planning to make this our vacation ritual!
Here is Gargi’s list of 30 books for #kbcBookBingoJr. I hope you like them as much as we do!
1. A green colored book: Monkey Puzzle by Julia Donaldson illustrated by Axel Scheffler
We started book bingo with one of the most read and most loved books from our collection. Monkey Puzzle is a story about a cute little monkey who lost his mother and a friendly butterfly who wants to help him find her. The butterfly doesn’t know what she looks like but still tries her best with the clues Monkey gives her.
2. A book with a Penguin character: The Lost Penguin: An Oliver and Patch Story by Claire Freedman illustrated by Kate Hindley
Three best friends, Oliver, Ruby, and Patch, loved to visit the city zoo. During one such visit, they come across a small rescued penguin named Peep. Peep goes missing from the zoo, and the three friends try to find her. Peep, the penguin, belongs to the species Eudyptula minor, which is native to Australia and New Zealand. We read about this species for the first time and added it to our Penguin fun fact list!
3. A Tom Percival book: Ruby’s Worry
Worrying is one of the big emotions that tiny humans go through. It is often difficult for them to deal with it without getting overwhelmed. This book enables the little ones to deal with worry, providing them with the right tools. An absolute must-have for every toddler.
4. A book with siblings: Charlie and Lola: But excuse me, that is my Book by Lauren Child
Two siblings, Charlie and Lola, visit the library. Lola, the younger one, loves the book Beetles, Bugs, and Butterflies, but alas, the book is missing from the rack. Lola’s elder brother Charlie saves the day by presenting various other book options that Lola could try. We visited the library recently after two long years (due to the pandemic and other things) and totally enjoyed it after we read this book.
5. A book about school: Show and Tell by Rob Biddulph
One of the favourite activities of all school going kids is show and tell. The book is based on this regular activity, but the things these kids take to school are anything but ordinary! This book is filled with surprises and adventures that every child is sure to enjoy.
6. A rib-tickling book: There was an Old Lady who swallowed a frog! by Lucille Colandro illustrated by Jared Lee
A super hilarious book about an old lady who is on a swallowing spree in her garden. She keeps on swallowing all kinds of funny things at the start of the spring season. I am raising a little gardener who giggled and laughed at every single page.
This book can be ordered from Scholastic India via our kbc storefront as well. Scholastic India always has special offers on.
7. A book by an Indian author: The Unboy Boy by Richa Jha illustrated by Gautam Benegal
Gagan is teased by his peers and his grandfather for being an un-boy boy, not conforming to stereotypical boyish behaviours. But Gagan never stops dreaming and enjoying the little cute things. The peer pressure does make him sad and makes him question himself at times, but his mother always assures him that it is okay to be just the way he is.
To order this book or any other acclaimed book by Pickle Yolk Books, please be sure to use kbc’s Special Promo Code KBC50 to avail a discount of Rs. 50 on any book you purchase from the Pickle Yolk Books Shop (on their website).
8. An award-winning book: The Jungle Radio: Bird Songs of India, written and illustrated by Devangana Dash (Awarded by the South Asia Book Awards ‘Honor Book’ 2020)
This book is a complete treat for the eyes. The illustrations are so breathtaking that even an adult would love to have this book in their collection. The story is about a little girl Gul, who loved music and one day tunes into nature and listens to the music of the lovely birds around her. If you are raising a young birder, then this book is an absolute must-have.
9. A book with a female protagonist: Suni goes to Space (Little Leaders): A story inspired by Sunita Williams by Arthy Muthanna Singh and Mamta Nainy illustrated by Aniruddha Mukherjee
Suni (Sunita Williams) had a solution for every problem. So when she heard that Neil Armstrong had set foot on the moon, she wanted to be an astronaut too. A story of dreams and hardwork, that will inspire all the children who are curious and love to solve problems, to work hard towards their dreams.
10. A book that breaks gender stereotypes: Izzy Gizmo by Pip Jones illustrated by Sara Ogilvie
Izzy breaks gender stereotypes and how! She is nothing like the cute little girl, playing with dolls and sitting still. With Izzy comes unruly hair, a strong-willed attitude, her huge tool box, and amazing mending ideas. Who says only men can work with tools and repair things? Izzy will prove otherwise! I feel so proud reading this book to my daughter!
[Izzy Gizmo and the Invention Convention comes highly recommended by Amardeep. The Chocolate Monster for 2-5 years is another cute picture book by the same author.]
11. A Scholastic book: Puu by C G Salamander illustrated by Samidha Gunjal
This book is very different from the rest of the books we have. This is a book where literally you cannot judge the book by its cover! The cute pink cover and the title are a metaphor referring to the unconfirmable reality of the protagonist. It’s a moving story about the girl and her experiences due to her parents’ line of work, manual scavenging. The discrimination she faces and her coping mechanism are so harsh that it is difficult to read this one without being emotionally moved.
This book can be ordered from Scholastic India via our kbc storefront as well. Scholastic India always has special offers on.
12. A Zayn & Zoey book: Zayn and Zoey: The Journey of Sugar
As a part of the natural to processed series, Zayn and Zoey take us on a journey to learn how sugar is made and explain the whole process with the help of illustrations right from the extraction of juice till the refining of sugar.
My child who has never in her wildest dreams, thought sugar crystals were made from plant juice, if told so, would have not believed it, rather would think it was done by magic! But this book explains the entire process so well that she now believes it is a factory process rather than magic.
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.
13. A non-fiction book/encyclopedia: My First Encyclopedia, step inside and discover our world by Neil Morris (the book linked has a different cover but the author is the same).
This is the first encyclopedia from our collection, and is still our go-to book when we have no topic to discuss or we have 1000 questions on one particular topic. This encyclopedia covers it all!
14. A mystery/adventure book: The Mystery of the Nasty Grey Cloud by Sonia Mehta
This is part of the Econuts Mystery Series. The Econuts- Dewy, Waggy, Pebbles, Woosh and Petals, are trying their best to solve the mystery of the nasty grey cloud that is making everyone sick. Woosh, the air champion, along with his friends, fights the air pollution.
As I am raising an econut myself, I have realised that we mostly focus on waste management and sustainability. Somehow I missed discussing another important topics like air pollution, and this book covers the complexity of this topic in a simple language any child can understand. In fact, the whole series talks about different issues related to saving the earth. These books are a must have if you wish to raise an environmentally conscious child.
15. A book on space/solar system: Space Adventure! illustrated by Ed Myer
At least once in our childhood, everyone wants to be an Astronaut. We went through this phase too, where we loved everything about space and discussed stars and planets for hours. We still love doing that. Space Adventure is one of the books we picked during this phase. It comes with a DIY 3D spaceship model and two tiny astronaut figurines. We have to build the model, and the space ship goes to every planet, and the astronauts find out interesting facts about each planet throughout this journey.
16. A book on any festival: Angelina’s Christmas by Katharine Holabird illustrated by Helen Craig
Angelina, the mouseling, comes across the cold and dark house of Mr. Bell, the old village postman, while she is returning home after practising for the Christmas show. She convinces her parents to make a Christmas surprise for Mr. Bell. Her parents are on board, but Henry, her brother, is not very thrilled with the idea. All he wants for Christmas is to see Father Christmas and give him biscuits by himself. Neverthless, he tags along with his sister and father to Mr. Bell’s house to give a Christmas surprise to Mr. Bell, not knowing that a sweet surprise is waiting for him too.
We love this book because it’s all about festivities, sweets, surprises, Christmas magic and compassion.
17. A book about a place in India: Sadiq wants to stitch by Mamta Nainy illustrated by Niloufer Wadia
Sadiq, who lives in the valley of Kashmir, loves to embroider just like his mother. He wishes to help his mother embroider the beautiful rug, but she refuses, stating that the men in their Bakarwal community do not stitch but tend to livestock. The story is set against the backdrop of the Kashmir valley, and through the vibrant illustrations you get to see the beauty, calmness, culture, and artistry of Kashmir.
18. A book that talks about food: Machher Jhol by Richa Jha illustrated by Sumanta Dey
A piping hot bowl of fish curry is exactly what is needed to make Gopu’s ailing father feel better. Being from Goa, I can completely relate to this emotion. Gopu takes us on a walk through the busy lanes of Kolkata in his quest to get his father his favourite meal. This journey is extremely heartwarming and endearing.
To order this book or any other acclaimed book by Pickle Yolk Books, please be sure to use kbc’s Special Promo Code KBC50 to avail a discount of Rs. 50 on any book you purchase from the Pickle Yolk Books Shop (on their website).
19. A bilingual book: Click! by Students of Olcott Memorial High School text by Niveditha Subramaniam translated by Vidhu Purkayastha
Click is the collection of photographs taken by the children of Olcott Memorial High School, who were using the camera for the first time. The accompanying text is thought provoking and provides an insight into the wide imagination of kids and their observation skills. It’s a unique book in our collection that made us grab our camera and click some amazing photographs.
20. An inspiring book: The World made a Rainbow by Michelle Robinson illustrated by Emily Hamilton
A story of a little girl who is stuck inside the house due to the lockdown. It is emotional to see how she is feeling so lonely and missing the bright world outside. At the same time, she finds a ray of hope by making a beautiful rainbow with the things available at home. Her story inspires us to not lose hope, to be positive and to colour our own rainbows with positivity.
21. A book by your favorite illustrator: Tiddler by Julia Donaldson illustrated by Axel Scheffler
Our favourite illustrator has to be Axel Scheffler. Gargi grew up loving each of his books. Tiddler is a story about a story-telling fish who has a great imagination. He makes up very interesting stories each time he is late to school. Illustrator Axel Scheffler, with his lively and colourful illustrations, makes us dive into the sea!
22. A book by your favorite author : The Whale who wanted More by Rachel Bright illustrated by Jim Field
We went through a phase where our bookshelf was overflowing with books on animals. So we almost stopped buying books based on animals until we came across books by Rachel Bright. The protagonist animals from her books are not just simple characters; they help us deal with big issues for tiny humans. Humphery, the Whale, for instance, is a hoarder who likes to collect things of all kinds without any purpose. The more he collects, the more lonely he feels. He keeps on wandering without any direction, and one day he meets the wise crab, Crystal. Crystal helps him find the perfect gift within himself. The story tells us how we can be content with non-materialistic, simple things.
23. A new author you were introduced to: There’s a Snake in my school! by David Walliams illustrated by Tony Ross
We recently picked a book simply because the title had the word “school”. The new school-going kid enjoys every book that involves school. But what came home as a random purchase turned out to be a powerhouse of fun. This book has made us fall in love with David Walliams’ writing and took us on a roller coaster ride filled with fun and laughter. It’s one of the books that has never been kept aside since it got home. The illustrations by Tony Ross are awesome.
On the first day of her online class, Gargi had an activity of “bring your pet to class,” and Aureus, our golden retriever, was more excited than Gargi to be part of it. It’s the best memory of the first day of school.
So Gargi could completely relate to Mr. Bright’s class when they all brought their awesome pets to “Bring-your-pet-to-school-day” but the most surprising one was the one gotten by Miranda. She took her pet python, Penelope, to school. The kids and their pets were scared at first but soon realised Penelope was indeed a very nice pet to have. Until Miss Bloat, the headmistress, enters the scene and spoils all the fun by confiscating the pets. Will kids be united with their pets? Will Penelope and Miranda continue to have fun together? You need to grab this book to find out more.
24. A book that helped address an issue: I need to Pee by Neha Singh illustrated by Meenal Singh and Erik Egerup
I hate public toilets and my daughter is a public toilet enthusiast. She doesn’t drink enough water though like Rahi, the protagonist of this book, but she likes to visit the washroom at every place we visit. No matter how much I feel uncomfortable using public toilets, this book made me accept my daughter’s need to use them.
25. A book on potty humor: Pigeon Poop by Seema Chari illustrated by Aparajitha Vaasudev
We have a crow that visits us every morning, sits on our garden gate and poops at the entrance of our front yard, while we watch helplessly and Gargi sighs, “Ohh, the crow pooped again. Maybe we should buy him a diaper.” So when I saw the title “Pigeon Poop,” I had to pick this up because pooping birds are indeed very funny.
This book can be ordered from Scholastic India via our kbc storefront as well. Scholastic India always has special offers on.
26. An interactive book with an unconventional format: You Choose illustrated by Nick Sharratt woords by Pippa Goodhart
Pages filled with wonderful illustrations by Nick Sharratt! We got this book when Gargi was 2.5yo and I still have the note in which I had noted her first choices. It is nice to notice how their choices change with growing age and the cute reasons they tell for choosing something! It increases the vocabulary and helps in story building. We love this book because in a very kid friendly way this book gives a very important life lesson, that their Choices matter.
27. A picture book with more than 40 pages: Number March by Nalini Sorensen
Number March is a must have book when you are introducing your child to numbers. There are numbers, a peppy march song, and an array of illustrations, simple quizzes, and fun facts. It is such a wholesome book that it will make kids fall in love with numbers, which are all around them.
28. A hook book (by Duckbill): Shoo, Crow! by Kavitha Punniyamurthi illustrated by Priya Kuriyan
Velu and Akif are tired of shooing the crows of Rajapuram who are gobbling all the corn from the corn fields. They try every trick up their sleeves. Will the arrival of Pichu Mama help them in any way? You will know when you are hooked on this book. Shooing crows was never a hilarious task. You can read a detailed review of the book HERE.
29. A book on being eco-friendly: Join our Earth Club! by Kimberly Mc Arthur Illustrated by Ayeshe Sadr and Ishaan Dasgupta
Join Sargam, Vidya and Max on their awesome journey to save the Earth. A book from The Me and We Series by Scholastic which talks about the small changes we can do in our day to day life for living an eco-friendly lifestyle. The book presents the Indian family set up so it’s totally relatable to the kids.
This book can be ordered from Scholastic India via our kbc storefront as well. Scholastic India always has special offers on.
30. A book that was gifted to you: The Paper Dolls by Julia Donaldson illustrated by Rebecca Cobb
Of all the books that have been gifted to Gargi, this one is special and very close to our hearts. This book is filled with Julia Donaldson magic. It’s a heartwarming story about a girl whose mother helped her to make some paper dolls. Ticky and Tacky and Jacky the Backie and Jim with two noses and Jo with the bow, who were always holding hands and wouldn’t let go. There is lots of fun pretend play until a naughty boy appears with his scissors. This book introduces us to the power of our memories. The precious moments, the precious things, and the precious people are never lost, they always find their way into our memories and stay there forever!
[Note from Team Kids Book Café: For your convenience, affiliate links (MARKED IN PINK) to some of the book titles & images have been added to enable you to buy the books from AMAZON, should you wish to! A very small amount of money comes to kidsbookcafe.com when you purchase a book via the amazon affiliate link provided (at absolutely no extra cost to you!). Do let us know if you need information about other children’s books by writing to asha@kidsbookcafe.com.]
