Happiest 2025! Did you ring in the new year with any new books? Asha sure did! As usual, we’re sharing the books our members grabbed in Jan-Feb 2025!
WRAD SPECIALS!!
On World Read Aloud Day (Feb 5) all our members and author members shared some wonderful read alouds!
Surprise Gifts by Asha Nehemiah (3-6 years). The author did a splendid read aloud of this beautifully illustrated picture book for all of us in the kbc fb group here!
Good night, Sleep tight by Mem Fox for smallies was read by Dhwanee’s son here in our fb group.
Dinotrux books – Krutheeka has introduced us to this series with a read aloud. You can see the very interesting pages of the book here in the kb fb group.. Shlok read one of these books as well and Krutheeka shared the inside pages here.
BOARD BOOKS
Rockin’ Waves Children’s Sound Book
ACTIVITY BOOKS/ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES
Intelliskills Premium Pick N’ Stick Animals & Birds Premium Activity Board Book for Kids |No Mess Montessori DIY Activity &Learning Book for Toddlers/Preschoolers|30 Reusable Velcro Stickers|2+ Years. Abha has shared an inside page and a review in the kbc fb group here. Quoting her: “Is your toddler all about something one day and then completely over it the next? They can focus for five minutes and then zoom off to the next shiny object?
I totally get it!
My toddler is exactly like that – one day it’s books, toys, and the next, she’s in sticker heaven! That’s why we absolutely love this activity. It adds a super fun sticker toy to their collection, and guess what? The stickers use velcro, so they can be used again and again!
Perfect for toddlers who love switching it up, this activity will keep them engaged for hours!”
There are other pick and stick activity board books in this series.
PICTURE BOOKS
The Adventures of Toto the Auto: Book 2 | Fun Indian Comic Series for Kids | Amar Chitra Katha. There are other books in this series.
Animal Explorers: Lola the Plant Hunter (32 pages). Tejaswi has shared a few of the stunning inside pages here in the kbc fb group. Quoting her: “The moment I opened the cover, I was drawn into a world of beautiful arctic and journeying into the rainforest. The author’s masterful storytelling and beautiful prose have already captivated me, and I’m excited to dive deeper into the story. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves Sharon Rentta’s books of beautiful illustrations and those looking for adventure and botany inspirations.!!”
The Bear by Raymond Briggs for 3-6 years (40 pages)
I Tell the Truth! I Show Respect! for 3-7 years (The Best Me I Can Be)
Animal Fair for 3 years+ Sritama has shared a review here in the kbc fb group.
Sparkle and Splodge (32 pages)
The Moon from Dehradun: A Story of Partition
Waiting for Turtles for 3-7 years (36 pages). Sindhuja has shared a mini review and inside pages here in the kbc fb group. Excerpts: “Waiting for Turtles” is an amazing book about a little boy who eagerly waits with his mother to watch the turtles nest. This book particularly spiked my interest because when I was a little child my older cousins used to volunteer in turtle walks with an NGO that ensures safe nesting for the endangered olive ridley turtles during their nesting season. When I saw a book on the same subject I got excited. My kid thoroughly enjoyed it. And so did I.”
Dorje’s Stripes for 5/6 years+ owing to the topic. Quoting Sindhuja: “It is a story about a royal Bengal tiger who’s stripes seem to be disappearing. A kind monk gives shelter to a very exhausted and badly injured tiger and nurses him to strength. He then understands the reason why the tiger is missing it’s stripes. Turns out every time a tiger is poached the tiger loses a stripe. Suddenly one fine day a stripe appears on the tiger’s skin. The tiger seems to have found a friend and a companion tiger and hopefully soon there would be more stripes on his body.”
Raj Anna Forgets to Remember – a book about Alzheimer’s by Sonalika Publications for 7 to 9 Years (44 pages)
Grandma’s Box of Spices for 4-6 years (36 pages)
Leaves of Humility (44 pages)
A Tourist at My Door ! Bilingual Story Book by Sonalika Publications for 4-6 years (48 pages)
There are many other books by Sonalika Publications which can be found here. Sindhuja highly recommends these books as “llustrations are lovely and paper quality is excellent for the price!”
Dancing Bear (Karadi Tales) – for 6-8 years (28 pages). In Sindhuja’s words, “This is a story about the dancing bears of India. There are still some villages where bears are chained and trained to dance and entertain though it has been declared illegal. This story is based on this practice. However an unusual friendship develops between the bear and a young boy and he understands the animals pain and what it really wants! To be free! The boys love and care for the animal is really moving.”
RAZIA’S RAY OF HOPE for 6 years+ Sindhuja has shared the inside pages here in the kbc fb group. Quoting her:
“This book is part of the CitizenKid series. A series of books about very inspiring and interesting stories of common people who worked toward a social cause and achieved great heights and made huge impacts.
Razia is excited when she learns that a school is being built up for girls in her Afghan village. Finally she can also get education like her brothers like she had always dreamed. Her grandfather is supportive of her enrolling in the school. He tells her of a time, before the wars and the Taliban, when women were educated in Afghanistan and how it helped their families. Razia knows, however, that she will need permission from her father and her oldest brother, Aziz, in order to be allowed to attend the school. She begs her grandfather to convince them. But her grandfather’s words wouldn’t be enough. How she finds help and how she convinces them is the rest of the story.
This is a fictional story inspired by real-life Razia Jan’s experiences when she built the Zabuli Education Center outside of Kabul, Afghanistan.”
Kora the Bird Whisperer for 5-8 years (40 pages). Mahalakshmi has shared a mini review and inside pages here in the fb group. Quoting her: “A heartwarming story about a young girl Kora who is a bird Whisperer and an environment conservation aspirant who transforms her entire town through an unexpected event!
Kora is a kind little girl who lives with her grandfather and helps him in recycling the waste and making cute little gifts for her neighborhood! Unlike other kids who spend their evenings in playing, Kora visits the beach every evening and cleans up the trash. She is also a bird Whisperer who not only enjoys talking to birds, but also to animals and trees.
One day, an unexpected thing happens in the beach and the story is all about how Kora manages to gather her friends and handles the situation and give us all a happy ending tale, also transforming and guiding her town towards keeping their beach and environment litter free.”
She Sang for India Appeals to 5/6+ . Quoting Sindhuja (who has shared inside pages here in the kbc fb group),
“She Sang for India” is a beautifully written book about the legendary Carnatic singer, MS Subbulakshmi Amma. It highlights the challenges she faced as a woman in a then male dominated field. Her struggles to even get her first stage concert. The book also touches upon the part where Gandhiji requested her to sing for the nation during the independence and partition. It concludes with her iconic UN concert, where she sang for peace.
MS Subbulakshmi sang for the women of India, offering them inspiration; she sang to soothe the wounds of a nation during its freedom struggle and partition; she sang on the world stage to represent India and promote peace. She truly sang for India!
The book is beautifully illustrated on every page, making it a captivating read. It serves as a concise biography, focusing on key moments from her remarkable journey. As someone deeply moved by her voice and a devoted fan, I knew I had to add this gem to my collection.”
Cece loves Science series Sindhuja recommends these books for 6 years+. Quoting her: “A little bit of science and a whole lot of fun. These books introduce basic science concepts with an engaging story. Simple everyday science.”
Zoey and Sassafras – “Another great STEM based chapter book is “Zoey and Sassafras “. It is my daughter’s and my most favourite series. The stories are so good and so beautifully mixed with science and presented in such an easy format for the kids to understand.
One of the books addresses the problem of pollution and it explains about pH. We got a small pH kit and started testing a lot of things around the house. (We also made some shocking discoveries about how unsafe our detergents and soaps are.)
But hey who knew science could be so much fun! Loved those tiny experiments at home with the kid!!”
NON FICTION
Football Stories: Ronaldo for 4 years+ (32 pages). There’s an entire FOOTBALL STORIES SERIES by Simon Mugford.
Ronaldo Rules: A Year on the North Sea Coast [FOOTBALL SUPERSTARS SERIES] for 6-9 years (128 pages). This Football Superstar series also by Simon Mugford has many other books. There is also a boxset called Football Superstars 12 Books Collection Rules Mega Pack Set By Simon Mugford & Dan Green(Fact,Stories & Starts)(Rolando, Neymar, Messi, Kane, Mbappé, Rashford, Haaland & More) for 6-9 years
DK What’s the Point of Maths? for 6 years+ (128 pages) Divya has shared her detailed review and inside pages here in the kbc fb group.
Puzzles from the Past (64 pages)
Big Book of Indian Festival Puzzles for 6 years+ (88 pages)
The Super Book of Science (72 pages)
North Pole / South Pole: Pole to Pole: a Flip Book – Explore the Extreme Environment of the Arctic/Antarctic for 7-11 years (64 pages). Apoorva has shared some of the inside pages here in the kbc fb group.
AMAZING ISLANDS
This book can be ordered from Scholastic India via our kbc storefront as well. Scholastic India always has special offers on.
FACTOPIA for 8 years onwards IS EVERYONE’S FAVE NON FICTION SERIES and most of us grabbed it from the Scholastic Sale! This book can be ordered from Scholastic India via our kbc storefront as well. Scholastic India always has special offers on.
EARLY CHAPTER BOOKS
MARV AND THE HUMONGOUS HAMSTER for 5-7 years (128 pages)
Marv and the Blizzard Zone.
There are other Marv books in this series.
A Bear Grylls Adventure 1: The Blizzard Challenge for 5-8 years (160 pages).
There are lots of books in this Bear Grylls Adventures series.
BEAR GRYLLS ADVENTURE 12 BOOKS PACK
Wind Riders: Rescue on Turtle Beach for 6-10 years illustrated chapter book (105 pages). Sindhuja has shared a mini review and inside pages here in the kbc fb group.
There are other books in the Wind Riders series!
CHAPTER BOOKS
The Ghost of Mount Hantu [Diary of a Rich Kid] for 7-9 years (212 pages). There are some other books in this series.
Montgomery Bonbon: Mystery at the Manor for 9-11 years (288 pages)
Montgomery Bonbon: Death at the Lighthouse for 9-11/12 years (304 pages)
There are other books in this Montegomery Bonbon series.
FUTURE HERO series for 8-12 years
FIGHTING FANTASY series for 10 years+
YA/TEEN READS
POSITIVELY TEENAGE for 11-14 years (208 pages)
When Mom Has Cancer and Children Need To Grow Up: Our family’s journey on acknowledging our new normal and staying positive Kindle Edition for 12-18 years (42 pages)
Our Family Has Cancer Too! for 9-11 years (64 pages)
When Your Parent Has Cancer: A Guide for Teens (kindle edition) – 61 pages
[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.]
