Argus - A Review

 

                                   Michelle Knudsen and Andrea Wesson (illus.)

Question, Research, Hypothesis, Experiment, Observation, Analysis, Conclusion, Presentation. These are the steps involved in a scientific project and Sally follows the above steps to the T, but much to her chagrin, her results are disproportionately out of the ordinary.

In her classroom project, while the other kids have been given chicken eggs to test and analyze as part of a class science project, Sally ends up getting a green dragon egg. Her results are skewed. But at the end, she ends up loving her dragon and the two make a great pair

Argus is a hilarious take on "embracing change". 

While we don't expect change, change is constant and the only way we can prepare for it is to expect it in the most unexpected situations.

Very cartoony and yet detailed, this book is a fun read for children aged 4 - 6 years.

The Tale of the Tiger Slippers - A Review

 

                             Jan Brett (Writer and illus.)

When a tiger cub asks his father (the tiger king), why he (the king), treasures a pair of raggedy slippers, despite the cornucopia of wealth that surrounds them, the cub's father takes him (the cub) on a journey revealing how the slippers came about.      

They were gifted to him by his mother, when he was a poor cub, to protect and serve him; a guided tool.

The slippers were a wonder and brought the king immense wealth. However, as with any object; the continual usage rendered them useless and became an eye-sore.

The king's friend's tried to dissuade him from wearing those slippers and many even suggested discarding them. However, each time the slippers would be thrown out, they would caused massive havoc and eventually like a dog returning to his master; the slippers would return to the king.

Amidst much fan-fare and commotion, the beleaguered king finally relents and subsequently the slippers are pedestalized. :).

Adapted from the "classic folktale - Abu Kaseem's slippers", "The Tale of the Tiger Slippers", is story replete with timeless wisdom.

It evangelizes a mother's love for her child. Despite being poor and having barely enough to make ends meet, one of the ways the king's mother tried to provide for her son, was to stitch a pair of slippers. She gifts the pair of slippers to her cub, so that they could "protect and guide" her son as he would go about on his day-to-day work; showcasing that no matter where we are in this world and however desperate the situation may be, a mother's love for her child is always present. She is always there for her child (children).

The other message that jumped out at me, was, that we mortals are constantly seeking validation.

We get so carried away with what other people think of us, that we forget our roots.  We try to fit in; even if that proves costly.

"The Tale of the Tiger Slippers" also champions the cause, that there is no substitute for hard work. Discipline, dedication and diligence will one day eventually triumph and pave the way to success.

The story is esconsced in India. The illustration is based on Mughal art-work. It's fascinating.

The tiger king wears long over-lapping robes with floral motifs, a bejeweled sash around the waist, with an aigrette on his turban (head-dress) and curved pointy shoes.

The elephant with its floral patterned caparison is a treat to the eyes.

There are almost 30 types of birds in the illustrations. It could be more. From the gorgeous peacock, to the royal crane, from the calm and quiet duck to the chattering green parakeets, it is an ornithologist's paradise.

The royal gardens are resplendent with roses, fostering the message that the Mughals loved flora and roses formed a special part of their lives.

The bright and vivid colors are a celebration of energy, enthusiasm and exuberance.

The myriad anthropomorphic animals and their intricate attire is spell-binding.

The illustrations are framed with woven-beaded borders; evocative of miniature Mughal paintings. The half-turned poses embraced with bejeweled frames heralds the unique evolution of portraiture in the Mughal era.

And I can go on and on...:)

All I can say the book is a treasure trove of brush strokes. An artist's paradise. And with a message as valid today as in the bye-gone days.

Image Source:https://www.amazon.com/ | Publisher:G.P. Putnam & Sons.

Coming on Home Soon - A Review

 

Jacqueline Woodson and E.B. Lewis (illus.)

This week...I had become exceedingly busy with work and volunteership, consequently... I had had had no time to start my blog let alone finish it.

I was furtively trying to figure out what I would blog about...

I had two books in my mind, Coming on Home Soon by Jacqueline Woodson. 

Oh yeah! I can never tire from her fabulous books. 

The other was a remarkable biography of Maestra Antonia Brico.

While I toyed agonizingly, waiting for the right thoughts and words to cascade through my bewildered mind as to which book would be my blog magnet...I started flipping through a book called The Living Name by H.H. Sachidananda Swami Maharaj.

I flipped open the book and started scanning the page and the following sentence jumped out at me...

"As the baby birds who have not yet developed their wings always look for their mother to return and feed them..." Srimad Bhagavatam (scriptures).

I was astonished!

I knew I had found my inspiration. I knew which book I would review today for my blog.

Written by the incredible Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by the amazing E.B. Lewis, Coming on Home Soon is a tender and heart-rending story of anxious waiting and hopeful longing of a little girl for her mother.

Situated against the backdrop of World War II - while the men have gone to fight in the war; the women are left tending to their families.

Ada lives with her mother and her grandmother. Her mother has to leave Ada and her grandmother and head to Chicago to earn a living.

Ada is wretchedly sorrowful. She yearns for her mother. Memories of her mother haunt her. From the lye soap which her mother uses to "get the wash real clean" to the smell of her mother - "somedays like the sun" and "like sugar some days"...flood her mind constantly.

She and her grandmother are always on the look out for a tiny sign which would indicate the arrival of her mother. 

They stare out their window, waiting desperately for the mail, which would bring some joyous news.

E.B. Lewis captures the pitiably bleak and desolate mood with his haunting and lifelike illustrations.

His usage of grave shades of brown and grey and Jacqueline Woodson's sparse text and imaginative words capture the intensity of the situation with a force that will linger in the reader's mind, long after the book has been read.

While I read the book, my mind kept going back to the scene where Ada was staring out at the harsh winter, earnestly waiting for her mother's loving arrival. I cannot imagine how desperate it must have been for a woman to leave her family and go off to work, cleaning railroad cars! It must have been arduous and laborious and replete with dangers.

I wonder at the millions of families who must have had to deal with such distressing circumstances, hoping against hope, waiting for a loved one's return. My heart goes out to them.

However, Coming on Home Soon ends on a happy note when Ada learns her mother will be "coming on home soon."

Winner of multiple awards including the 2005 Caldecott Silver Medal, Coming on Home Soon is a brilliant and heart-wrenching story of love, survival and hope.

A must read for children and adults.

      Image Source: www.amazon.com |  Publisher: Penguin Random House

             

Hello Lighthouse - A Review

 

                             Written and Illustrated by Sophie Blackall

This is an incredible journey of a lighthouse keeper. 

What did he do? Sophie Blackall writes, he "polishes the lens" and "winds the clockwork that keeps the lamp in motion".

Now, here is some food for thought. Did you know lighthouses had keepers who took care of  lighthouses?

I did not!

I read the story and the author's note. It was incredulous.

Long long ago, lighthouses had keepers. They would toil "from sunset to sunrise" ensuring that the lighthouse would beacon signals to the ships and mariners, guiding them on their onward journey; as during day time the sun would reveal the surroundings to them; but come night time ...who would?

That was when lighthouses would serve as nocturnal guides.

Sophie Blackall unveils the story, when a new keeper arrives to work in a lighthouse. 

The work he does is unfathomably arduous. 

Come fog, hail, rain, snow or shine, the lighthouse keeper had to ensure that the light of the lighthouse would burn continuously. No matter what the weather, he had to ensure that the lens would be crystal clean as a tiny smidge of dust could destroy the focused rays of the beam and could prove dangerous to the mariners.

Amidst seagulls, waves and reefs for company, it must have been a terribly lonely life and to prevent monotony from seeping into his life, the keeper would fish, cook, sing, paint, write letters.

Who knew that the rooms were circular and that they were stacked one on top of the other, like a multistoried building?

Who knew that the stairway that led from one floor of the lighthouse tower, to the next floor were spirally?

Who knew that there were cellars of oil barrels that would provide oil for the lighthouse lamp?

I did not.

Surrounded by the gales and thunderstorms, and not a soul in sight, the lighthouse keeper must have been incredibly brave. 

Life as a lighthouse keeper must have been enormously hazardous. 

I wonder how they would communicate during their difficulties...?

As I returned to the book, I was humbled by the story. 

The art work is brilliant. A Caldecott Gold awardee, Sophie Blackall's Hello Lighthouse is an astonishing story of a lighthouse keeper's odyssey as he tries to maintain his life and and serve as a watch guard to the innumerable ships as they would cruise the choppy and calm seas, transporting folks and freight. Maybe live-stock too?

I was struck by the unknown and unsung heroes who had provided rays of hope to the ships and their crew with their extraordinary acts of bravery.

When I was writing this blog, I did a bit of research and I found...

"The first known lighthouse was the Pharos of Alexandria, Egypt. Ptolemy I and his Ptolemy II constructed it between 300 and 280 B.C. It was about 450 feet high."

Please read on for some interesting lighthouse facts...

The book is an absolute must read.

Image source: www.amazon.com | Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company.