Brajesh's Review : Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

This being the 150th year since Charles Lutwidge Dodgson published this ageless story of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" - which was originally narrated during a boat ride on river Isis in the University town of Oxford.

Over the last year during my many trips to Oxford, I have heard about the story and seen the places where the story unfolded. Strangely while I got to know all about the history of the author, book related scandals and experienced the city, I had not read the book! So when Kim gifted me a Kindle on my birthday, the first book I downloaded was the original edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

My first reaction after reading the book was of amazement that this is classified as a children’s book. I found so many layers and such profound subtlety of social and moral commentary that I used the highlight function of the new Kindle quite liberally. Hoping to use these passages in my future lectures and presentations. A sample of these highlights is in the next picture. A great start to my new e-reader journey with this lovely timeless book.

Rating : 4.5/5

Brajesh's Review : Way of the Warrior - The Legend of Abhimanyu

I have become a total fan of Saurav Mohapatra’s Graphic Novels. His story vision always brings-out beautiful emotions through powerful designed pages. The story of Abhimanyu is no different.

Obviously the story is known by heart to most of us, but the beauty and power with which this short story comes alive over 80 pages is a treat to the senses.

I keenly look forward to any work done by Saurav Mohapatra after being impressed with him through Devi, Mumbai Confidential and Moon Mountain – each a signature representation.

Enjoy the collage below and then go buy the book.

Rating : 3.5 / 5

Also See : Kim's Review of Way of the Warrior - The Legend of Abhimanyu

Kim's Review : Way of the Warrior - The Legend of Abhimanyu

I've been enjoying Saurav Mohapatra's work from Devi to Moon Mountain and Mumbai Confidential. This time he has teamed up with Vinay Brahmania for his art work for a Graphic Novel for children on the story of Abhimanyu from the Mahabharat.

The story of Abhimanyu is one of Saurav's favourite Mythological stories and he was waiting for a chance to turn it into a Graphic novel.


While this story does play up Abhimanyu's courageous side, it also draws attention to his lack of patience and there are a few lessons that children can learn from this story.

The art work is very detailed when it comes to the characters and their expressions and loses detail when it comes to the larger picture of buildings and backgrounds (unlike Devi or snake woman)

This would make a lovely bed time read for kids.

Rating : 3.5 / 5

Brajesh's Review : Moon Mountain

As I was putting my last graphic novel - Mumbai Confidential back in the book-shelf, I noticed that this graphic novel - Moon Mountain - in our shelf, also had Saurav Mohapatra’s name on the cover.

What turned out to be a bonus, was the fact that this one is an adaptation of a Bengali classic “Chander Pahar” written by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay.

Now if not for this graphic novel, there was no chance for me to get a glimpse into the magical world of this Bengali writer who wrote an amazing narrative of the pre-war African landscape, without ever traveling to the continent.

Even this small graphic novel gives a peek into the amount of research the author had undertaken with only the State Library as the source of his information in pre-Independence Calcutta.

I used the modern Googlemaps and Wikipedia to follow the route of the adventure which starts in Mombasa and travels across Kenya before crossing over modern day Tanzania, Congo, Angola and Namibia before culminating in the South Africa Forest of Richtersveld.

The graphic part of the novel is ordinary, but I am thankful to the adaptation, which introduced me to this legendary writer who I discovered also wrote the famous Pather Panchali.

Since I am already in love with Africa, discovering a well-researched story of this wild and mystical land was deeply satisfying.

Rating : 3.5 / 5

Also Read : Kim's Review of Moon Mountain

Kim's Review : Moon Mountain

Moon Mountain is a Graphic Novel representation of Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay's "Chander Pahar". For those unfamiliar with Bengali Literature, Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay is the author of the "Pather Panchali" on which Satyajit Ray made a film which received much critical acclaim.

What is so wonderful about his stories is that he wrote travelogues detailing countries across the world almost accurately, without ever having visited them. And these were written in the pre-internet age. (He lived from 1894-1950 and started getting published in 1921) All his research was painstakingly done in libraries via encyclopedias, newspapers and journals. He also wrote for children and "Chander Pahar" was considered a Classic.

Moon Mountain has been illustrated by Sayan Mukherjee and the Script has been adapted from the original by Saurav Mohapatra.

The protagonist of the book is Shankar, a Calcutta educated boy, from a small hamlet in Bengal. Given his fathers failing health, as the eldest son, he has to take up the responsibility of being the breadwinner. He unfortunately gets stuck in a job as a pencil pusher in the nearby mill, while what he really loves is the open sky, travel and adventure. He lives vicariously through travel books, until a neighbour brings him a letter from her son-in-law Prasad and asks Shankar to read it to her.

Prasad it turns out, now lives in Mombasa and Shankar immediately corresponds with him directly. Given that this is the pre-internet age, it takes about 2 months for messages to reach from India to Africa and back. Prasad, however does help Shankar get a job in Kenya as a storekeeper and clerk, with a company laying railway tracks in the wilderness of Africa.

And this is where the adventure takes off, Shankar starts living the dangerous yet exciting life he had hitherto only read about. Wild Animals, diamonds, snakes, lions, mythical creatures, explorers, local tribespeople - all feature richly in this illustrated version of "Chander Pahar".

Its a lovely book for a child who is not yet jaded by the internet age and has only seen Africa in an air conditioned van. Its a book, that you can use to discuss with a child how much the world and life has changed in the last 60 years. As an adult, this book will take you bck to your own childhood, where these books were the only escape from generic small town life.

Rating : 3 / 5

Brajesh's Review : Theodore Boone - The Activist

Fourth in the Theodore Boone series, "The Activist" has all the usual stuff similar to the previous two. Simple story line with a key issue of eminent domain or land acquisition by government is relevant and is dealt with maturity for young readers.

After reading two John Grisham's back to back, I was quite amazed by the difference in style. As we know, Boone is the young reader series of Grisham, he keeps the narrative and language simple, yet never makes it stupid or dumbed-down. This makes it a powerful story for young readers.

The book also has several motivational and inspirational plugs without being preachy. I would say great read for all kids in the age group of 8-13, and the parents could also read and discuss the book to make the experience even richer.

Rating : 3 / 5

Kim's Review : Young Chefs - Vikas Khanna

Chef Vikas Khanna released his latest book - Young Chefs - on November 14th (Children's Day) in collaboration with Penguin India / DK Books.

Vikas Khanna is a Michelin starred Chef. As a judge on Masterchef India and Junior Masterchef India he is now a well recognised name and face in most foodie households in India.

The recipes in "Young Chefs" are well illustrated with a lot of them following a photographic step-by-step format, which makes them easy to follow for kids (they can check the pictures to verify consistency, texture and colour). I personally think that the first few pages are the most helpful section of the book. They include a photographic index of cooking tools, preparing ingredients and ways to cook & bake.

The book is divided into 5 main sections – breakfast bites, lunchbox, main meals, drinks, and sweet
treats.

Each recipe clearly mentions number of portions, prep time, cooking time and a lot of them also itemise the tools needed for each recipe to be prepared. I think, that is a wonderful idea for young cooks, so they can have all their tools ready along with their ingredients. Some recipes also have doodles of the ingredients and tools used.

There is also a warning sign (white exclamation mark in a red triangle) against recipes / steps which involve hot ovens, hobs, or sharp implements. Depending on the age of your child you can interpret it to mean adult help or adult supervision.

The recipes range from simple boiled eggs and eggy bread (French Toast) to Sweet Corn Fritters, Chilly Paneer, Veg Lasagna and Chicken Tikka Masala. The recipes aren't restricted to Indian staples, they come from all across the globe. But they are all dishes that are exciting for young chefs to cook or eat. Fun facts and tips accompany some recipes.

Its a lovely book to introduce a young chef to the pleasures of cooking, but there are a few things, I hope they can take care of in the next book.
- The recipes for crepes and pancakes are combined on one page in a manner which I think may cause some confusion for a novice cook.
- The recipe for cheese & pesto straws calls for cooked shredded chicken breast in its ingredients but isnt used in the recipe.
- On the page with 4 ways with kebabs - the non veg kebabs have a prep time of 20 minutes, but the prep time for the tofu chunks is 80 minutes. I later realised they had clubbed the marination time with prep time, but it was only for this recipe and not the other 3. Some standardisation will need to be maintained.

My other concerns with this book are:
- Some ingredients like yellow cherry tomatoes, smoked haddock and baby leaf spinach are difficult to find even in a larger Indian metro cities.
- Most recipes call for canned tomatoes and chickpeas and other ingredients. Given the availability of fresh ingredients in India and the side effects of preservatives and sodium in canned products, I would like to see an alternative with fresh produce listed alongside the canned ingredients. 
- The kids pictured in the recipes look so clean and neat, i don't know many young chefs who are so spotlessly clean when cooking. a slightly messy apron seems more natural to me than the pristine cleanliness pictured.

However, these are more minor personal peeves than a vote against the book.

I honestly think that its a great collection of recipes to get a young chef started. Its a lovely gift to present to a young kid and I hope the next edition takes care of the little oversights in this edition.

As Chef Vikas Khanna says in his introduction "Here's to the future Michelin star chef!"

Rating : 3.8 / 5

Note: Young Chefs is not yet available on flipkart or amazon. I was sent a copy of this book by Penguin and it was launched on the 14th, so I'm not sure if it is available in bookstores yet, but keep your eyes open and I'll update the online buying links as soon as they go live.

Brajesh's Review : Raj Yoga Mediation & Children's Father - Prajapita Brahma

I bought these when we visited the Brahmakumari's HQ ashram in Mount Abu.

I wanted to know the History behind the Brahmakumaris movement - hence the Amar Chitra Katha like book and the Philosophy - hence the Raj Yoga Booklet.

In both cases the thought is nice, simple and idealistic. But the books  are written so badly (language/grammar / sentence construction) that you are more likely to dismiss an interesting philosophy than be engaged further.

If you want to delve into the sect and it's philosophy I would recommend watching Astha Channel's discourses rather than read any of the official publications in English.

Rating : 2 / 5

Kim's Review : The Star of Kazan

Eva Ibbotson wrote the Star of Kazan in 2004 and it won the Nestlé Children's Book Prize Silver Award (9-11 years category) and was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.

Although, the Star of Kazan was selected for the Nestle Childrens Prize in the 9-11 years category, the depth of Historical and Cultural information on Vienna under Emperor Franz Joseph makes it a captivating read for older children as well.

The story revolves around Annika who is found abandoned in a country church by 2 housekeepers who adopt her and bring her up in the house of the 3 Professors that they work for in Vienna. Annika does all that normal children do, but also helps around the house. She particularly loves to cook and develops a strong sense of taste and balance at an extremely early age.

Her birth mother comes to claim her when she is almost a teenager and takes her away to their family estate - Spittal, in Germany.

While the initial part of the Star of Kazan describes life in Vienna, the beautiful countryside, the Viennese delicacies, the amazing Spanish Riding School and its horses, the second part shifts the action to Germany which is much bleaker and lonelier. But, the story hurtles forward with a series of twists and turns.

Its a lovely book and well written, so that readers across ages can find something to enjoy in the book. Eva Ibbotson also wrote a couple of adult novels which have now been recategorised and released as Novels for Young Adults. This is just further proof of her appeal to readers of all ages.

Rating : 4 / 5

Kim's Review : Geronimo Stilton

The Geronimo Stilton series is a lovely collection of graphic novels for children. Given the depth of information in the stories, I would not classify these as comics, but more of illustrated stories - hence graphic novels for kids.

Geronimo Stilton is a mouse and he, his friends and assorted relatives undertake time travel to save the world's history from the machinations of the cat pirates.

The issues that I skimmed through were all relating to ancient civilisations like the ice age, the Chinese empire at the time of Marco Polo's visit there, the Egyptian empire during the reign of Khufu.

While the stories are entertaining and  I have gotten past the fact that cats are the villains and mice are the heroes in this series, what makes this series special is the amount of history and facts that are slipped into the story line. Facts are marked differently, so its easy for kids to differentiate between fiction and facts while reading, yet they don't disturb the story line flow.

Rating : 4 / 5 (for young readers)

Kim's Review : The Witches - Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl's - the Witches has courted its fair share of controversy. It appears on the American Library Association list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990 to 1999, at number 22.

While it may seem politically incorrect today, I enjoyed it as a child and the re-reading was equally pleasurable.

The story is about how witches live among humans, looking completely human, until they take off their gloves and wigs and shoes. Their one purpose in life is to get rid of children because they don't like how they smell.

This story is like the ghost stories my nana used to tell. Stories we begged her to tell us, of ghosts and witches and demons. There is a wicked pleasure in reading books like these or hearing the stories. It scares you, without terrorising you, while at the back of your mind, you still know that they are just stories.

I think kids today (9-14 year olds) will also enjoy this book, especially little boys and girls who love to be scared. Be aware, tha this book isn't in the same genre as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but its still a good read.

Rating : 3 / 5

Brajesh's Review: Theodore Boone - The Abduction

Didn't like this half as much as the last Boone. Grisham is obviously trying to built a Potterish franchise - but the book doens't develop the characters or plot from the last one !!! Big opportunity missed. Hope he does better next time, else Boone is not goona get stickyness. Avoid.

Rating: 2/5

Kim's Review: Chandrakanta

My husband who grew up with Hindi Literature, always has an onset of nostalgia whenever anyone mentions the name "Chandrakanta". Growing up down South, where Hindi was an enforced third language, there were no libraries stocking Hindi books, nor did there seem to be any inclination to do so, since no one seemed interested in books written in Hindi.

Chandrakanta was also made into a television serial a couple of decades ago. But that too was in Hindi and we barely gave it a 2nd glance. Our 1 hour ration of tv time on Sundays was carefully conserved for the Famous Five, those Laugh-out-Loud tele-sports programs or the other rare English programming on state run Doordarshan.

Even today my Hindi reading skills are dismal, as I only studied it for 4-5 years, so I eagerly await any English translations of Hindi books that my husband has ever talked about. Unfortunately, a lot of the poetry and language gets lost in translation, but at least I can get the gist and flavour of the story.

Devakinandan Khatri is an author who is highly acclaimed in the Hindi speaking parts of India, as the first author of authentic prose in Adhunik Kaal (Modern Period). A writer who wrote in a version of Hindi that could be read and understood by the masses. Chandrakanta was serialised as bayans/chapters and had people deperately awaiting the next installment. It is said that many people learnt to read Hindi, just to be able to read Chandrakanta for themselves.

The story line is itself straightforward. A Prince - Virendra Singh - is in love with a Princess of the neighbouring kingdom - Chandrakanta. The king's minister's evil son Kroor Singh wants Chandrakanta and her Fathers kingdom for himself and hence forments trouble between the 2 kingdoms. The names of the characters immediately identify them as good or evil.

The mesmerising quality of the story comes from the aiyaars - magicians who are illusionists, herbalists, and many other things combined. Female aiyaaras are as competent as their male counterparts if not more so. Chandrakanta's companion/aiyaaras Chapla and Champa are both very strong characters.

The 2nd setting of intrigue comes from tilisms - an alternate reality with secret traps that seems completely believable to a person trapped inside it and which can only be destroyed by someone (often pre-ordained) who can break all the codes and locks set in place.

It is said the Devakinandan Khatri was heavily inspired by the tales of dastangos and the enchanting ruins of old forts near where he lived and worked.

Deepa Agarwal has done a good job of translating this novel, so that non-Hindi readers too can enjoy this mystical tale. Its well paced and easy to read in one sitting if you have the time. You will most likely find yourself irritated by having to break for mundane things like eating and sleeping.

Devakinandan Khatri has written a much more monumental work in Chandrakanta Santati and then another on Bhootnath I hope someone translates these 2 books too, as it would be wonderful to read the adventures of Chandrakanta's and Virender Singh's offspring too.

Rating: 3.5/5



Other books by Devakinandan Khatri:
Chandrakanta
Chandrakanta Santati (Hindi in 6 volumes)
Kajara ki kothari: Tilasmi jasusi upanyasom ke janaka ki amarakrti
Katora bhara khuna
Birendrabira

Brajesh's Review: Cricket! All you Wanted to Know about the World Cup

Written by a dear friend from XLRI whom I have always admired for his perspective on films and a great sense of humor. While the book was for kids, I read it in one sitting and found many a great story I had no clue about.



Cricket! All You Wanted to Know About the World Cup

Kim's Review : Enid Blyton's Faraway Tree Series

I was recently invited for a little girls birthday and remembering the lovely time I had reading the Faraway Tree series as a child, I decided to get all 3 books for this little girl.

By a strange set of circumstances, I could not make it to the party and the books were waiting to be gift wrapped, so I decided to quickly re-read them myself. Oh what fun it was, I was promptly transported back to my childhood. Of finishing up homework quickly so I could read the next chapter of Joe, Beth & Frannies adventures. Of checking to see which land would arrive atop the Faraway tree next.

In the Enchanted Wood, the children move to the country where their house borders a wood which seems strange and exciting. They soon realise that there is magic in that wood and at the centre of it is the Faraway Tree with its strange inhabitants and the new lands in the clouds that periodically appear at the top of the tree. While some lands are fun and exciting, some are more trouble than they bargained for.

Moonface, Silky the Fairy, the Angry Pixie, the Saucepanman, Mr Whatzizname, Mr Whiskers, Dame Washalot are all characters that are just so much fun.

In the The Magic Faraway Tree cousin Rick comes to visit and share in their adventures. (This book was voted No 66, in BBC's Big Read 2003) and in The Folk of Faraway Tree the daughter of their mother's friend - Connie comes to visit.

So while its fun to read all 3 books as a series, you can even pick out just one from the series because each book covers the basics.

The tales are quite fantastical in the fantasies that they create, I can't think of anyone who will read these books and not long to visit the land of toys, the birthday land, land of take-what-you-want, land of do-as-you please. There are also moral lessons to be learnt. Actions have consequences. Rudeness and destructive mischief will be punished and good behavior has its own rewards. I also really wish, I could cook some of the goodies that they enjoy in these books: goggle buns, Pop cakes, toffee shocks and the like.

Enid Blyton has had to face a lot of flak in recent times about being politically incorrect and gender stereotyping (racist and sexist are the terms used for her writing). But there's also a lot of nostalgia attached to her books and I'm most clearly in the 2nd category. I loved the books as a child, they took me and my imagination to far off places and re-reading them as an adult transports me back to my childhood.

Here's to many more Enid Blytons/Mary Pollocks.

Rating : 4.5 / 5

Kim's Review : An ABC Escapade through Egypt

An ABC Escapade through Egypt is a wonderful book for children within Egypt or outside to learn a little about things uniquely Egyptian.

It isn't just for the little ones who are learning the alphabet, but can be a reading tool even for slightly older children.

Cactus Crunching Camels and Underwater Urchins share space with crunchy konafa and jumping jerboas. Bernadette Simpson uses alliterations to create a fun reading experience accompanied with some lovely colorful photographs that make reading fun as well as informative.

Bernadette first moved to Cairo in 1993 with her parents and did a part of her schooling in this country before returning to the US to study further. She then came back to Cairo and was inspired with all the activity around her to write a book that would be fun, educational, informative and have content that would be familiar to its readers. This book is the result of those efforts.

Her book is available in Egypt in most of the major bookstores:
http://bernadettesimpson.com/buythebook.html

Also available on Amazon:

If, after reading the book, you still want more, you can visit her blog http://escapadethroughegypt.wordpress.com/ which lists more alliterations for the alphabet.

Her mother Ginda Simpson is also a writer and painter.

Kim's Review : National Geographic Series - Holidays Around the World: Celebrating Diwali and Ramadan

Author Deborah Heiligman has embarked on an ambitious "Holidays Around the World Series" with National Geographic
Aimed at 6-9 year old children the series is rich in photographs from around the world and lower on textual explanations, letting the pictures speak for themselves.
Celebrate Ramadan & Eid Al-Fitr with Praying, Fasting and Charity and Celebrate Diwali with Sweets, Lights, and Fireworks are the first 2 titles in the series.
Deborah has collaborated with a Consultant for each book who personally celebrates the festival being discussed.

I'm not sure what the scope of these consultants was though, because I spied a couple of technical errors in the book on Diwali. For example the Taj Mahal is called a mosque, Lord Ganesh is said to symbolise prosperity, the meanings of deepa and vali have been interchanged. The Consultants could have been limited to just writing the afterword instead of proofing the text of the whole book.
I'm not too sure about the exact technicalities in the book on Ramadan because whatever I have viewed has been as an outsider looking in. Although, I have been able to observe it in greater detail here in Cairo, where the sahour's and iftars are celebrated even in 5 star hotels. The entire city fasts, the timings turn topsy turvy. Offices close earlier. Unlike India where most praying and fasting happens inside closed doors of houses and mosques, in Cairo the sheer numbers forces them onto the street even during the regular Friday noon prayers.
The pictures are amazing and well laid out. For someone who celebrates either of these festivals, the pictures will seem incomplete because Diwali there are so many more aspects than can be represented in a 32 page book. But for someone who has no idea about Diwali, Ramadan, Islam and Hinduism, this is a very good introduction. I would have loved to compare these 2 books with the books on Hannukah or the Passover which I do not know about as well as these 2.


I especially loved the satellite pictures of India on Diwali and 6 days later showing the difference in intensity of light between these days. The pictures in both books represent an excellent geographic spread.

There is a recipe in each book that a 6-9 year old can easily help an adult assemble. Children who see these books will be instantly attracted and it could be a great way to initiate dialogues into cultural differences.
The books are an excellent buy for someone who is trying to introduce children to an alternative culture and festival. Priced at $15.95 per hard cover version, the entire series will be a wonderful addition to any Children's or School Library.
Also Published on Desicritics.org