A Pocketful of Stars by Aisha Bushby Reviewed by Chitra Soundar

 When I was growing up, I was among the first generation of Indians learning about computers. I loved playing computer games and trying to get hold of gameboys and other gadgets which we couldn't afford. Often borrowed or just watching others do it, it was one of those things that I've always been in the peripherals are. I'm also a child of comic books - India is big on comics and most of the epics I learnt about - more than the stories told at home, I was reading them as comics. 

As a writer visiting schools, I often create workshops around games and stories - where characters can enter the realm of games or into the world of their favourite TV programmes to enthuse those kids who are more into gaming than into reading. 

So when I picked up Aisha Bushby's A Pocketful of Stars, I was so happy to read about the contemporary setup of games and animation stories and the friendship (and rivalries) of girls. But this story took me by surprise - the layers of emotions added into it. From a divorce of parents, to blended heritages, to theatre and drama, the story threads through difficult subjects in realistic and yet magical ways.

Then the magic - the way the game and the reality blends, and how the analogy of the relationship plays out in this game and in real life - this was beautifully done, no doubt, painstakingly crafted. 

The book's emotional punches are never pulled right until the end and when I was reading the last few chapters on a train, I found myself crying on the tube perhaps adding to the myth of "emotional immigrant".  I was so gutted by the end and yet so happy to have read the story and gone on this journey. 

The book is great to read as a class or by children on their own - but beyond the magic and games, the story will offer discussions, perhaps will open pathways of dialogue between friends, between parents and children - about relationships, guilts and our identities. 

If you have not read this book yet, what are you waiting for? 

Listen to Aisha Bushby read a little from this book here. 

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Chitra Soundar is an internationally published, award-winning author of over 40 books for children. She is also an oral storyteller and writer of theatre and TV for children. Her stories are inspired by folktales from India, Hindu mythology and her travels around the world. Find out more at www.chitrasoundar.com. Follow her on Twitter @csoundar. 

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Word of Mouse by Chris Grabenstein, James Patterson, Illustrated by Joe Sutphin, reviewed by Chitra Soundar

I normally don’t review books by super-star author or celebrities. They already get enough reviews, publicity and media attention. But after I read this book Word of Mouse, I had to shout about it.

If you have read The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo or Stuart Little by E.B.White, then you’ll love Word of Mouse. 

This is a book full of personality, cheeky proverbs, daredevil adventures and the story of love, friendship and families. Right from the get-go I was enthralled by both the plot and how it unfolds and the emotional rollercoaster it sets the reader on.

Although the ending is inevitable and we know the main character is going to win, the authors don’t let the reader sit back and relax. Full of funny references, underlying sub-plots of children who need to cope with school, mice that are different and unique, this story is not just for children.

The illustrations are absolutely perfect and add to the comedy and the drama in the story. Here is a link to some wonderful illustrations from the book at the illustrator's website. 

I’m guessing James Patterson has enough clout to make this into a movie, surely from Pixar. But until then, I will read and re-read this book as many times my library will let me borrow it.

Here is a list of books with Mouse as the protagonist.

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Chitra Soundar is an internationally published, award-winning author of over 40 books for children. She is also an oral storyteller and writer of theatre and TV for children. Her stories are inspired by folktales from India, Hindu mythology and her travels around the world. Find out more at www.chitrasoundar.com. Follow her on Twitter @csoundar. 

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This Rock That Rock by Dom Conlon Reviewed by Chitra Soundar

As a child and as an adult I'm fascinated by the moon. I grew up in a culture whose traditions revolve around the moon and other planetary bodies. Stories of gods, spirits and epic battles revolve around the cosmic elements of our universe.

So for me, this book This Rock That Rock was a special one to read.

Written by Dom Conlon, Illustrated by Viviane Schwarz, Published by Troika Books

Especially after touching the moon rock at Johnson Space Centre in NASA, the word rock resonated with everything lunar. The illustrations by Viviane Schwarz bring the words to life from dark skies to bouncy kids.

In this book, Dom Conlon goes beyond the moon as a planetary body. His poems are both whimsical and emotional.  These poems stretch your imagination, your knowledge and curiosity and yet deeply personal.

Often even as an adult reader, I felt as if the poet is directly talking to me. I'm sure young readers will feel that intimacy too - of the poet's voice echoing from the pages into their minds and hearts.

There are so many poems that I enjoyed in this collection. Every time I read a poem, it made me think of someone who'd love to read this poem too. I thought about sharing these poems with my nephews or friends who are space nerds like me.

There's something for everyone too. From perfectly circular shape poems to haikus and kennings,  funny poems to heartfelt poems, this is a treat to read any time of the day or night. Even better, under the blankets, pretending that the beam of the torchlight is actually the luminous moon.

You can find the the poet Dom Conlon read from his book here on this playlist. But here is a sample.

If you and your family love the moon and love watching it, enjoy using the cosmic elements to figure out life on earth, then this book is definitely for you.

Find out more about Dom Conlon at https://domconlon.com/ and Viviane Schwarz.

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Chitra Soundar is an internationally published, award-winning author of over 40 books for children. She is also an oral storyteller and writer of theatre and TV for children. Her stories are inspired by folktales from India, Hindu mythology and her travels around the world. Find out more at www.chitrasoundar.com. Follow her on Twitter @csoundar. 

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The Dreamer by Il Sung Na, reviewed by Emma Perry

There's an abundance of heart-thumpingly beautiful picture books out there at the moment. Whittling my decision down to just one for October was a little tricky, so, I've cheated a little. I've snuck in a shout out to more wonderfully crafted picture books at the bottom of this page.

However, the picture book I really wanted to focus on is The Dreamer from Il Sung Na.

"Once, there was a pig who admired birds."

Pig, (a glorious shade of mint green by the way) is a pig who dreams big. Very big. This is a pig who dreams of flying. So pig tries VERY hard to fly. He studies hard. When that fails he asks friends to help. Still no luck.

II Sung Na carefully captures Pig's perseverance and determination to make his dreams a reality. There is humour in his failed attempts, but also admiration for his trial and error approach

Eventually, pig sits and listens to those who know best - the birds - and guess what? It works!

But.

This pig is a dreamer remember, and as pig gazes up to the sky this dreamer can't help but wonder if it would be possible to reach the moon... why not? He decides to find out.

Pig's adventures inspire plenty of others, depicted in a humorous spread showing Pig's friends utilising their own flying inventions. And what has Pig learnt by the end of the book - well, he sits and gazes at those birds, and he still admires them. I wonder if he admires them a little more now?

The Dreamer contains the most gorgeous illustrations, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see this one popping up on a few award lists in the coming months - Il Sung Na certainly deserves it.

Now,

As promised, here's a shout-out to more beautifully crafted picture books that have made me stop in my tracks this month...

You're Snug With Me from Chitra Soundar and Poonam Mistry - with a beautiful environmental message.

Red and the City from Marie Voigt

Little Bear's Big House from Benjamin Chaud

Sing to the Moon from Nansubuga Nagadya Isdahl and Sandra van Doorn

Time for Bed, Miyuki from Roxane Marie Galliez and Seng Soug Ratanavanh

Happy picture book reading and gazing!

Emma Perry is a picture book author represented by Bell Lomax Moreton. 
She is the founder of the children's book review site MyBookCorner and organiser of International Book Giving Day. 

Twitter: @_EmmaPerry

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Tomorrow by Nadine Kaadan reviewed by Chitra Soundar

Tomorrow by Nadine Kaadan (published by Lantana Publishing) is a story of reality and hope.

Nadine Kaadan brings to life the story of Yazan, a Syrian boy who is stuck inside the house – no school, no play and parents distracted by war. Parents naturally are focussed on the reality, while the children miss their childhood – playing, being with friends, learning and getting to know the world. But what do you do when your world is literally crumbling around you and your life is restricted to the four walls of your house?

While the war has worsened in Syria, since Nadine left the country, tomorrow is a message of hope. We need to hope that tomorrow will be different, better, and more peaceful. Tomorrow is what many children are waiting for – because tomorrow might bring medicines, food, peace, and play.

Tomorrow is a story from young Yazan’s viewpoint – what is important to a young boy? Meeting his friends, playing with his new bike that has a special bell that goes TINGALINGALING! He even misses school and his friends. This is a story for every child in every part of the world – because this is a tragedy of our contemporary world. Children who are growing up now in the UK or in any other continent should be given the opportunity to understand and empathise with their peers in war-torn cities and countries.

Yazan’s story will initiate discussions at home and in schools. Not just about war, but also about what would they paint on their walls, if they could paint anything? Tomorrow ends with hope for a better future not just for Yazan but for all children in all parts of the world where strife has stolen their childhood.

Find out more about the book. And read Nadine's interview here.

And if you're a teacher or a parent looking to introduce your children to more books about refugees, here are some wonderful books. But many of them are published in the US.

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Chitra Soundar is an Indian-born British writer of children's books and storyteller. Find out more at www.chitrasoundar.com or follow her on Twitter @csoundar.

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If I had a dinosaur by Alex Barrow, Gabby Dawney reviewed by Chitra Soundar

I picked up this book on an impulse at Tales on Moon Lane's latest bookshop in South London - Moon Lane Books.

I read it to my nephew and we read it over and over a few times during a 30-minute period and we giggled together at the pictures and the rhymes.

Dinosaurs as favourite pets have been done a few times and here are two others I found.

The story has been inspired by the discovery of the bones of a large dinosaur Titanosaur in Argentina. The little girl in the story wants a dinosaur bigger than her house and of course she imagines what would happen at the swimming pool and school. The illustrations have big white spaces (which is my favourite style) with drawings that look children can learn to draw.

Even though I though the page with the poo will elicit the most giggles, it was the page with the swimming pool where the words contradict the images.

And I think the starting phrase “If I had a dinosaur…” would elicit some wonderful responses from young readers themselves.

Go and imagine having a ginormous dinosaur in your house!

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Chitra Soundar writes picture books and is the author of Pattan's Pumpkin (A Power of Reading selection) and You're Safe With Me (a BookTrust bedtime selection). Find out more at www.chitrasoundar.com and follow her on Twitter at @csoundar.

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The Boy Who Climbed Into the Moon by David Almond, Polly Dunbar reviewed by Chitra Soundar

I love magic realism – from Gabriel Garcia Marquez to The Boy Who Climbed Into the Moon which is deceptive yet magical.

I know it’s not a recent book of David Almond, but it’s one of my favourites. Walker Books had done an illustrated version of it with Polly Dunbar’s wonderful illustrations and I got it signed by David Almond a few years ago.

It’s a story of a boy who believes something different and with the help of like-minded friends explores his belief. He then meets Fortuna, a human cannon ball who introduces him to the world up there.

The people in this story are so surreal and so are the incidents. It constantly reminded me of one of my favourite stories as a child – The Magic Faraway Tree (by Enid Blyton) where different world appeared on top of the tree everyday.

This story has now been adapted for stage and is on stage this week (Apr 7/8 2018) on the Northern Stage and earlier it was put on by Polka Theatre too.

And if you missed the show like I did, then here is a short trailer. Maybe it’ll be back on tour again.

The Boy Who Climbed Into the Moon - Trailer from Theatre Alibi on Vimeo.

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Chitra Soundar is the author of many picture books including Pattan's Pumpkin and her next book is You're Safe With Me (illustrated by Poonam Mistry) by Lantana Publishing. Find out more at www.chitrasoundar.com and follow on Twitter @csoundar

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RISING STARS - NEW YOUNG VOICES IN POETRY - reviewed by Chitra Soundar

Rising StarsNew Young Voices in PoetryVictoria Adukwei Bulley : Ruth Awolola : Abigail Cook : Jay Hulme : Amina JamaIllustrated by final-year students on the Illustration course at Birmingham City University

Published by Otter-Barry Books (2017)

I attended a book launch recently – a book of poetry by young poets from varied backgrounds – the anthology Rising Stars – New Young Voices in Poetry is an amazing collection of wonderful poems from young and upcoming performance poets.

I heard these words spoken on stage by their creators, with passion and full of emotion. The words came from unique experiences yet it brought tears to the eyes of many present including me.

The B&W illustrations were created by alumni of Birmingham City University and complement the verse beautifully.

Here is a little sample:

We weaved stories into the silences.

He made me brave.

From Brother by Abigail Cook

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And bread rising?

the sun on hills

the smell as it rises?

            the last dream before dawn

From How to Build a Kitchen by Victoria Adukwei Bulley

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May your words stop

Letting you down.

May you laugh without thinking.

May you eat spaghetti with sugar

And fly to the moon.

May you let me in.

From Pray by Amina Jama

The Rising Stars – New Young Voices in Poetry is published by Otter-Barry Books in collaboration with Pop-up Projects. Read and find out how wonderful these young poets are.

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Here I am by Patti Kim Illustrated by Sonia Sanchez Review by Chitra Soundar

How do you belong? Fit in? Not feel like the other? Especially when there's no way to go back and no place to go back to?

In this wordless picture book Here I am, Patti Kim and Sonia Sánchez bring the awe, the unfamiliarity of a new city to a young immigrant. As there are no words, children who are in similar situations, (sadly more of them nowadays), can fill it in with their own unique stories. The cities they might have found refuge might be different - but the strangeness of it all is not.

How do you make a new place home? When you don't speak the language and when you don't eat the same food, when buildings look different, people dress different, how do you find the bond that you seek?

How do you keep memories of your home alive in your heart while absorbing the vibrancy of your adopted city? Told from the viewpoint of this young boy, Patti Kim shows us all that there is a common humanity that binds us all. This might remind young readers and perhaps even older readers to think about those special objects they brought back from their home. Is it a photograph or a pendant? Is it a bag that has been in the family for long? Does that symbolize home now?

The story begins with the unfamiliar at first. But when the boy runs out into his neighbourhood, meets people, mingles and shares, his gift from his home becomes something everyone can share. He feels more at home now that he's not only familiar with his new community but he also contributed towards it.

Have you read A Story like the Wind by Gill Lewis where the young protagonist brings a violin with him on the boat. That's his only possession. And that is home to him. It has stories to tell and it will forever be precious.

In beautiful watercolour brushstrokes, Spanish illustrator Sonia Sánchez brings the city alive for us. It's a great book to share with children of all ages right up to secondary school. It's a great book to initiate questions and discussions, interpret feelings and importantly be empathetic - wear the shoes of an immigrant or a refugee as you walk through your own city - what do you see?


Here is the trailer for this book.

Check out the book here.

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