Our preteen reviewer Aditi Amritesh briefly reviews some good reads in her book recommendations for young readers.
Excuses, Excuses by Anushka Ravishankar. This enjoyable and almost real life tale of a young boy bounces along through the days of the week in a joyful rhyme/nonsense verse style that all children will enjoy. The book is all about a young boy, Neel and the tall tales he creates to cover up his everyday mishaps. Age: 4+
Tyrannosaurus Drip by Julia Donaldson. Another wonderful book from the author of the world-famous children’s book, The Gruffalo, Tyrannosaurus Drip also has a nice rhyme style and simple message. It’s an interesting prehistoric tale of self-discovery that young people are bound to enjoy. The book is beautifully illustrated. Age: 5+
Anno’s Mysterious Multiplying Jar by Mitsumasa Anno. This amazingly illustrated book carefully and fascinatingly explains factorials. You must be thinking “But factorials are a high school level concept!” Not with this book. It made my nine-year-old math-hating self want to explore factorials. It’s not necessary to be an art lover to appreciate the meticulously detailed illustrations and surrealism in this book. And no, these illustrations do not distract from the learning potential of the book, they’re part of the experience of reading; they add to the learning. However, younger age groups may become bored or may not understand the book, so I’m rating it Age: 8+
How Deep is the Sea? by Anna Melbourne and Serena Rigletti. This lovely book explores the undersea adventures of a curious little penguin who wants to find out how deep the sea is. He makes many new friends on the way, and learns a lot. The book also includes an informative pull-out poster at the end that gives a vivid picture of the various zones of the deep sea. This book is a great learning tool to teach kids basic geography in an interesting and fun way. Age: 5+
I Can Fly by Ruth Krauss. It is quite hard to find an unabridged version of this book, but the closest you can get is the version published by Golden Books. This is an inspiring and creative story about how anyone can be anything. Beautifully illustrated and written in an onomatopoeic nonsense verse style that kids will definitely enjoy. One of my personal favourites from my childhood. Age: 4+
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren. This whimsical classic by this Swedish author is commonly found in most libraries. Magically told, its shine won’t be dulled even by the most plain retellings. My preferred retelling is the one illustrated by Lauren Child, the creator of Charlie and Lola. Age: 6+
The Magic Rolling Pin by Vikas Khanna. This book written by India’s famous Master Chef Vikas Khanna is deliciously described and has a fairytale-like storyline. The radiant illustrations, along with the mouth-watering descriptions of meals and easy-paced story make this a good read for a young person. Age: 4+
The Pigeon Series by Mo Willems. Any of the books in this short storybook series will a muse young readers. The pigeon’s antics will make you laugh and the quick-and-easy narrative makes these books perfect bedtime stories. Age: 4+
One Grain of Rice by Demi. This interesting book illustrated in a Mughal style talks about a fantastic concept in the most matter-of-fact way—factorials! It’s not described as something mathematical in the book, instead the math is woven into a simple story. The story builds up your excitement as you witness the incredible numbers of rice grains by the end! Age: 5+
A Great Day For Up by Dr. Seuss. This brightly illustrated book with a fun rhyme scheme shouts out about waking up and seizing the day. It is a perfect morning read for after you just wake up. This book is another personal childhood favourite of mine. It can be read by any age group and will automatically get any sleepyhead immediately chirpy and revving. Age: 4+
