43 items in this section. Displaying page 2 of 5
The Friends
Two friends, Hemant and Vikas, planned to go hiking in the woods. They packed their knapsacks, lugged them over their shoulders and started out. One evening, while walking through the dense forest, they heard a bear growl. They were very scared and started to run away, but “Twick, twick”, they could hear the twigs breaking with each step the bear took towards them. Desperate, Hemant saw a low branch hanging from a tree. He quickly caught hold of the life-saving branch and climbed on top of the tree as soon as possible....
Coconut Oil + Kerosene = Fuel
Coconut Oil + Kerosene = Fuel [Illustration by Shinod AP] March 27: Fossil fuels or fuels that are naturally found in the earth, are being rapidly consumed by humans. And the world has begun searching for an ‘alternative fuel’. Necessity is the mother of invention. And out of necessity, a coconut farmer in a village in Thailand has ‘invented’ an alternate fuel. Guess what this ‘invention’ is – a little kerosene mixed with a lot of coconut oil!...
The Eagle and the Arrow
Eagle was a strange creature. He got his fun out of teasing and frightening the little birds. Even when he was not hungry, he would soar through the sky and swoop down on some unsuspecting birds and pretend to prey on them. The poor little birds would cower with fear and try to fly away. Eagle would then burst into an ear-piercing laugh and flap his wings disdainfully. “I am the King of the sky! How scared you all are of me,” he would exclaim....
A Chest Full of Stories
Zigzag and Other Stories Written by Asha Nehemiah Illustrations by Atanu Roy Published by Scholastic India Pvt. Ltd. A queer-looking African bird, with shocking pink plumes on the head, a yellow beak and eyes the colour of Cola, Zigzag, is the main character of the title story in this collection of short stories. Somu leaves Zigzag, a talking bird, in the keeping of Dr. Krishnan while he is away. But this strange guest turns out to be a disappointment for the Krishnan family....
Pickpocket
December 9: Small children on streets running around, darting in and out of traffic seemingly without a care in the world. They are usually homeless and all alone. Even at such a young age they have a profession, where they earn at least Rs 20 a day – pickpocketing. Not a profession any of you would like to practise, would you? But not having much else to fall back upon, some poor young children in Calcutta were lured into stealing....
Where Holi is the Talk of the Town
Think of Holi and you think of two places in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh where the festival has a special status. First, the area known as Brajbhoomi comprising Mathura, Vrindavan, Govardhan, Gokul (all connected to Lord Krishna’s birth, childhood and early youth) and Barsana (Radha’s village). Here Holi is a robust enactment of the legends of Radha and Krishna. Then there is the Holi of Banaras. The way it is celebrated is the talk of the town and the famous kavi sammelan or poets’ gathering at Banaras is one reason for this....
Holi in Fiji
March 19: Before it was Holi in India, phagua, as Holi is called by the Indo-Fijians, was already being celebrated. The Fiji Islands, in the Pacific Ocean, are six-and-a-half hours ahead of Indian time and the Indo-Fijians were already singing chautal, an oral tradition of celebration. For the community, memories of India go as far back as 120 years, when the first batch of Indians in colonial India, were taken to Fiji, also a British colony, as labour....
Easter's Here
Go out into the market on Easter and you cannot miss the Easter egg on the shop counter – filled with sweets and chocolates, it is irresistible. Several people also paint eggs or emboss chocolate eggs with sugar flowers to gift to friends and relatives. But what is Easter? Easter Sunday falls on the Sunday after Good Friday and on this day Easter eggs are available in the market – that is what most of us know....
The Favour
There lived a wolf called Lalu in the Himalayan forests. Lalu was very mean and selfish. He thought only about himself and none of the other animals liked him. The rest of the wolf pack also avoided meeting him. At most, they would say a polite ‘Hello’ and then go their own way. After all, when they were hungry, Lalu never offered to share his meal. So the wolves avoided him, as they did not want to be impolite....
Escape to Freedom
Horses to Vijayanagar Written by Monisha Mukundan Published by Scholastic India Pvt. Ltd. Fortune favours the brave – those who have the courage to ride into the mouth of danger for the pearl of happiness that awaits the deserving ones. And that’s exactly what this fascinating adventure is all about. Twelve-year-old Ferdinand and his little sister Manuela live with their elder brother Jose and his wife Esmeralda in a little village, in Goa. Work as hard as they might around the house, they are neither appreciated nor given enough to eat....