137 items in this section. Displaying page 4 of 14
The Dress
One evening, Maya was making plans for her birthday. She sat in the living room with her father and instructed him on what to get for her. “I want a chocolate cake…only a chocolate cake…and white candles on top, please ensure they are white…and five-differently coloured balloons, and of course, Nina’s blue dress,” she told him gravely. Her father who was writing all this down, looked up. “Why Nina’s blue dress?” he asked. “Because it is the only one that is the colour of the sky,” she answered....
The Puppy that wanted to Play
Bruno, the little, brown puppy wanted to play! He needed a friend. “Come play with me!” said Bruno to the white cow. “No! No! No!” replied the white cow, shaking her head. “I have work to do. I have to give milk for Tinnu and Minnu. Milk for their family, too. Go away. I have WORK to do! MOOOOOOOOO!” The Puppy that wanted to Play [Illustrations by Shiju George] Bruno went to the brown cock....
Veerappan's Folly
In the forests of South India lived an infamous rogue called Veerappan. There was no marksman who could shoot as well. His gang was known for its acts of cruelty. Mothers would frighten their kids with tales of Veerappan and how he kidnapped naughty children. The entire gang was high on the government’s wanted list, for Veerappan and his gang had killed 2000 elephants for their ivory and over 300 forest rangers. But, either through fear or otherwise, the villagers never informed on Veerappan....
The Candy
It was a hot Tuesday afternoon in the month of October. The geography lesson was interesting but Sharmila was getting restless waiting for the class to get over. The ice candy man had come some time ago and his day’s quota would soon get over. He visited the school every Tuesday and Thursday to sell his delicious candies that the children waited for eagerly, every week. It was always a struggle for the teachers to hold on to the students’ attention during the last period of school on those two days....
Heading For Trouble!
Dadaji (grandfather) comes visiting during summer holidays. And stays on till Diwali, which makes it half a year of fun. I’ll tell you why. First, he arrives with bundles of gifts. Stuff that no one ever brings me. Homemade laddoos bumpy from fingers that shaped them, sticks of sugarcane that smell of his fields, papads rolled out in his courtyard. I never know which is more fun, opening the bundles or wolfing the stuff down!...
The Cookie
The dining table was loaded with goodies – cake, pastries, pies, halwa, laddoo and yes, her favourite cookies. Nina wanted to eat them all. The 10-year-old stuffed a couple of cookies in her mouth but the cookies tasted a little different. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t gulp them down. The dream broke at that point. Nina woke up with a start and found herself chewing on a bed sheet. She was in her dormitory bed and it was pitch dark....
Kaku and Lal Hawa
Kaku lived in a small village called Chhoti Dadi. The small village had a small school. Everyday Kaku had to walk from his little hut at one end of the village to the primary school near the village well. On his way to school, he passed through green paddy fields, the village lake and the old Ram Lila ground. All his friends, be it dreamy Jhunjhunu, colorful Pinaki or talkative Tachi, did not like walking to school....
Back to School
The day I joined as a teacher at P.S 18 (Public School 18) in New York was a decisive day for me. I came from a small town in Buffalo and New York really awed me. My friend, who was teaching at a nearby institute, had warned me about the big bad city and the kids at my school. They were a hearty bunch of future hoodlums, he warned me. I laughed away his warning. My heart was full of hope at the thought of shaping the minds of tomorrow....
Follow the Leader
Chimpoo has a balloon. It is a BIG balloon! It is a BIG, RED balloon! It is a BIG, RED, ROUND balloon! Chimpoo has a LITTLE dog. His name is Chutku. Chutku loves Chimpoo. Chutku loves to PLAY with Chimpoo. There is a BIG, BLACK cat! Chutku does not like the cat! There is a TINY, GREY mouse. The BIG, BLACK cat does not like the TINY, GREY mouse! Follow the Leader [Illustrations by Shiju George] Cat loves Chimpoo....
The Holiday
Hooty owl was puzzled. No one had come to the jungle school. “Maybe the little ones are late,” thought the teacher. “I’ll wait for a little while longer.” Hooty owl did not know that her students had decided to miss school. They had started out for school but then changed their minds. “I am NOT going to school. I hate it,” said Squeaky squirrel. “I’m feeling lazy and so I’m NOT going to school,” said Hoppy rabbit ....