We introduced books to Atharva at an early age and would randomly buy books without suggestions. He had a decent collection by the age of three, and then books took a backseat. It was during lockdown that I accidentally came across KidsBookCafe and was amazed by the wonderful recommendations of Asha ma’am and KBC family. Thanks to KBC our book collection has grown enormously and this book bingo gave us an opportunity to share our collection with other readers.
Atharva has helped me in writing these mini-reviews and I am so proud of him. I hope we will inspire you to get a few of these books.
Here is our entry to #kbcBookBingo2022 . I am posting on behalf of my son, Atharva (6 years) for #kbcBookBingoJr (4-7 years).
1) Green coloured book
Watch Out! No Bullying by K Krishna
This is a story of Nandini who gets bullied at school and learns how to stand up to them by working and teaming together with friends and saying No to bullies.
There are 2 books in the Watch Out! series, No Bullying and No Touch. Both the books address important issues for children. Simple sentences make it easy for my 6-year-old to read it independently.
This book can be ordered from Scholastic via our kbc storefront as well.
2) Book with Penguin character
Geronimo: The Penguin Who Thought He Could Fly! By David Walliams
Geronimo, the baby penguin has only one dream, and that is to fly, and he tries everything to make his dream come true. Just when little Geronimo decides to give up, his father uses his imagination upside down to help him achieve his dream. This is a wonderful book to encourage children to dream big and believe that anything is possible, and know that parents will always have your back.
3) Tom Percival Book
Meesha Makes Friends: A Big Bright Feelings Book
Meesha makes friends helped us post the lockdown while we were struggling to make friends. We used the idea that sharing your hobbies, interests or passions is a great way to start any conversation and friendship.
4) A book with Siblings
Why I Love My Brother
This is a new addition to Atharva’s collection. With simple reasons why you love your brother and cute illustrations, this is a perfect book to read together with your sibling.
5) A book about School
Frankin Goes To School
We have a few books from the Franklin series and they have been quite helpful in dealing with situations like going to hospital, riding a bicycle and going to school. Franklin goes to school has been one of the books which helped us in starting school.
A great first day of school book to deal with the insecurities children have when they start school.
6) A Rib-tickling book
The Pigeon Needs A Bath! by Mo Willems
Atharva loves all the books by Mo Willems and finds them to be hilarious. This one is about the dirty pigeon who has all the excuses to not take a bath. This book is particularly helpful for kids who don’t like taking a bath.
7) A book by an Indian author
Lila’s Loose Tooth by Mamta Nainy
Lila’s classmates are beginning to lose their milk teeth and have exciting stories to tell while Lila waits impatiently. When Atharva’s milk tooth started to wiggle, we introduced him to Mamta Nainy’s interesting story of Lila’s lost and found tooth. We enjoy Mamta Nainy’ stories and have a few in our collection.
This book is available in many other Indian languages.
8) Award winning book
Ismat’s Eid (Tulika Books)
Ismat decides to buy gifts for his family on the occasion of Eid. He buys a pair of trousers for himself, which are too long. He requests his family members to alter his trousers, but as they are busy he decides to do it himself. On the morning of Eid, when Ismat tries on his trousers, he is in for a big surprise. A story of gratitude with a hint of humour.
This book is available in many other Indian languages.
9) A book with a Female protagonist
Speak Up, Molly Lou Melon
Molly is a strong female protagonist who uses her fearless voice to speak up for herself as well as her friends. Molly Lou Melon books have helped us to boost confidence and self-esteem.
10) A book that breaks gender stereotypes
Kalpana Chawla: A Story Of Determination (Tota Books)
As the first Indian woman to go into space, Kalpana Chawla broke all kinds of barriers. The path she took was by no means easy, and she had to fight to simply do what she wanted to do. This book challenges gender stereotypes about girls and strength.
11) Scholastic Book
Let’s Have A Sleepover! (Acorn series)
Harry is sleeping over at Hedgehog’s place. After Harry arrives, he has sleepover jitters, and his friend Hedgehog is thoughtful enough to set the tent indoors. We love Hedgehog and Harry’s friendship as they are always listening to and caring about each other’s feelings.
Acorn series are perfect to encourage independent reading because of simple sentences and colourful illustrations.
This book can be ordered from Scholastic via our kbc storefront as well.
12) Zayn & Zoey Book
All About Earthquakes
It talks about how and where earthquakes happen, tectonic plates, seismographs and how to stay safe during an earthquake all in a way which is easily understandable by kids. The book also has activities and fun facts at the end which makes it engaging. This one was our first Z&Z book and we now have the entire collection.
ONLY KBC MEMBERS HAVE AN EXCLUSIVE COUPON CODE KBC15 which will give you 15% OFF. Simply click the red button below that takes you to the Zayn and Zoey shop on their website where you can buy this particular book. Should you wish to explore other Zayn and Zoey books on their website, simply click here. Be sure to use the coupon code KBC15.
13) Non-fiction/Encyclopedia
First Encyclopedia Of Our World (Usborne)
The book provides interesting facts and basic explanations along with superb illustrations of our world. It has chapters where we learn about concepts of geography like our planet, space, weather, disasters, and many more. It is perfect for my inquisitive 6-year-old.
14) Mystery/Adventure book
The Magic School Bus – Inside The Earth
This one takes you on an adventure to the center of the earth with Ms Frizzle and her class. We learned about different kinds of rocks, fossils, and the layers of Earth. We love how the whole MSB series introduces us to different scientific concepts in an exciting and fun way.
This book can be ordered from Scholastic via our kbc storefront as well.
15) Book on space/solar system
The Ultimate Book Of Space
Atharva is obsessed with space and so we got this one. The intriguing information and illustrations along with flaps, pop-ups and pull-tabs keep the curious mind engaged.
16) Book on Festival
Amma, Tell Me About Durga Puja!
We have few titles from Amma Tell Me series by Bhakti Mathur and are fond of them. This one covers all the days of Durga Puja starting from Mahalaya up to Dashmi. Highly recommend this to explain kids about Navratri, its significance, rituals, and the festivities.
17) A book about a Place in India
Mazzoo Mazzoo
Mazzoo Mazzoo is an amusing folktale from Kashmir about a simple Kashmiri household’s special family dinner and uninvited guests. This is a part of Under the Banyan series, which are folk stories from different parts of India conceptualized by Tulika books.
This book is available in many other Indian languages.
18) A book that talks about food
Superfoods For Superheroes
It talks about healthy food, healthy eating habits, along with kid friendly recipes. We have tried the recipes given in the book and love the nut power smoothie.
19) Bilingual book
Neelu’s Big Box (English-Hindi)
Neelu wants to use her big cardboard box, dupatta, basket and walking stick to make a fort, but things don’t go according to plan. She accidentally flattens the box, and immediately uses her imagination to create a big boat with the same objects.
We love playing with cardboard boxes and enjoyed reading this one and even made our own fort. The use of simple everyday Hindi words made it easy for Atharva to understand.
This book is available in many other Indian languages.
20) An Inspiring book
The World Awaits
The story begins with a little boy lying in bed, not wanting to face the day as he thinks it doesn’t matter if he stayed in bed all day. His elder brother explains to him about the potential he has and how even his smallest actions will make the world a better place.
A wonderful book to make us realize how we can make a difference in the world. This inspiring book is definitely a plus to our day.
21) A book by your Favourite illustrator
The Gruffalo (Axel Scheffler)
This one is a classic and part of every child’s bookshelf. It’s Axel’s brilliant illustrations that make Gruffalo the most loved giant. [There is a detailed review of The Gruffalo here.]
22) A book by your Favourite author
Little Owl’s Egg (Debi Gliori)
We always come back to Debi Gliori and have most of her books in our collection. Currently we are in love with Little Owl’s Egg which is a wonderful book to prepare children about new sibling’s arrival.
23) A new author you were introduced to
The Rabbit Listened (Cori Doerrfeld)
My cousin introduced me to Cori Doerrfeld. The Rabbit Listened is a heartwarming book for both kids and adults.
A great picture book about a boy who builds an amazing structure out of building blocks only to get it knocked over by blackbirds. He is devastated, and all the animals visit to suggest how he ought to deal with that. Then comes the rabbit, who sits and listens, and that is what the boy needed all along. A perfect book for emotional learning and listening.
24) A book that helped address an issue
One Lonely Tiger (Benita Sen)
The book thoughtfully introduces children to the series issue of endangered wildlife and the importance of conserving our environment. A thought-provoking book.
25) A book on Potty humour
Pigeon Poop
It is a hilarious tale of a day in the life of two pigeons Percy & Parvati and Aunty S. The story was so relatable with Aunty S trying to shoo away the panicked pigeons and ended up having to clean pigeon poop from all over her room.
This book can be ordered from Scholastic via our kbc storefront as well.
26) An Interactive book with unconventional format.
The Wonder Machine
It is a fascinating story of sharing your passion and making friends, with cut-outs and folding pages which make it interactive.
27) A picture book with more than 40 pages
I Am Invited To A Party (Elephant and Piggie book)
Piggie is invited to her first ever party and needs suggestions on what to wear. The Elephant knows about parties and comes to her rescue.
The phenomenal Elephant & Piggie series by Mo Willems are amusing and engaging. We absolutely love this series and enact them while reading.
28) Hook book (by Duckbill)
Hey Diddle Diddle
Minootty and Susie are best friends, till Minootty names her calf after Susie who thinks cows are stupid. The delightful story ends with cow jumping over and mending their broken friendship.
Hook book series are great chapter books for young readers who are just starting to read independently. Written by Indian authors, with colourful illustrations, simple vocabulary and funny story for kids, these are perfect to draw them to reading.
29) A book on being Eco-friendly
I Can Save The Earth! (Little Green Books)
It is a story of Max, the little monster who leaves a trail of trash wherever he goes, never gives away his outgrown toys and he wastes water and electricity. One night he accidentally discovers a beautiful moon and realizes how beautiful is our Earth. From that day onwards, Max helps to save Earth by reducing water and electricity use, reusing things and recycling his waste. The Green series’ books are made of recycled materials and teach children to be eco-friendly.
30) A book that was gifted to you
Here We Are (Oliver Jeffers)
Perfect gift for our little ones with breath-taking illustrations and simple message about the world we live in and to take care of it.
[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.]
