Trying to find the best children’s books? Read our reviews of children’s books from all over the world. Dive into book excerpts and favorite reading lists by well-known writers and lists of great books for children. We review all genres of children’s books – the classics and the new, illustrated books, picture books…
41 items in this section. Displaying page 2 of 5
The Tale of a Circus Bear
Bholu and Golu Written by Pankaj Bisht Illustrations by Tapas Guha Published by National Book Trust, New Delhi This is the story of a small circus bear called Bholu. Golu, the mahout’s son, becomes his friend and resolves to free him from the cruel life of a performing animal. With Bholu’s help he helps the little frightened bear run away from the circus to the forests where Bholu was born. Excerpts from the book: The Ringmaster’s Whip...
Wonder in the Sand
Adventures in the Desert Written by Cheryl Rao Illustrations by Ashish Sengupta Published by National Book Trust, New Delhi Two children from Mumbai spend a year in a small army township in the middle of the Rajasthan desert. Missing the urban sights and sounds, it takes them a while to get used to living in a place where the only excitement is a roll in the dunes. But adventure is just a sandstorm away and all too soon their stay is over....
Far from Potty about Harry Potter
Harry Potter Series Written by J.K. Rowling Published by Scholastic Books (US) and Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) Two weeks ago, we had carried a book review by 11-year-old Sujit Thomas on J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. In his view, the Harry Potter series is far superior to Enid Blyton, or even Roald Dahl. But there are opinions and opinions on Harry Potter. We present the views of 10-year-old Moen Sen, a student of Loreto Convent, Delhi, in an attempt to see why some books become more popular and what makes them tick....
A Boisterous Bedtime Read
Mister Jeejeebhoy and the Birds Author: Anitha Balachandran Illustrator: Anitha Balachandran Publisher: Young Zubaan Books Author and illustrator Anitha Balachandran’s Mister Jeejeebhoy and the Birds, just published by Young Zubaan is a delight to the ears! Hey! But it’s a book! Exactly. A book that, as soon as I opened it’s luscious orange cover, immediately let loose a cacaphony of “bustling, hustling, crinkling, crackling, creaking” sounds, and much more. This delightful book follows two young girls, Diya and Tara, who come to live in their aunt Ninamasi’s house, and discover a world that is obviously on it’s own trip....
Flying Dogs and School-going Monkeys
Flying Dogs and School-going Monkeys [] Flippi the Flying Pup Squiggly goes for a Picnic Lippo goes to a Party Cheeko and the School Bag Written by Deepa Agarwal Illustrations by Atanu Roy and Deshraj Published by Frank Educational Aids Pvt. Ltd. Heard of Flippi the doggie-bird? Flippi is the dog who knows how to fly. Or, take Cheeko the monkey, who loves mangoes and goes to school, Squiggly the worm who’s a little untidy....
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....
A Royal Diet of Mangoes
A Royal Diet of Mangoes [] Jungle and Backyard Written by M. Krishnan Published by National Book Trust, New Delhi A thirsty, sweaty summer is here. You can see dogs with their tongues hanging out in the heat. Some of us would have done the same, but our tongues are busy tasting the king of all fruits – the mango. In fact, what makes summer bearable, is the mango. No one has said it better than wildlife expert M Krishnan....
Temper, Temper!!
Temper, Temper!! [] The Giant who Looked for his Temper Written by Santhini Govindhan Illustrated by Jagdish Joshi Published by Scholastic India Pvt. Ltd. Boomba is the name of the giant who lives in a cave on the mountain all alone, in The Giant who Looked for his Temper. He has no friends. Everyone is scared of him because he has a temper which bursts like a balloon at every small incident, and very frequently....
Snake People
The Snakes Around Us Written by Zai and Rom Whitaker Illustrations by Shekar Dattatri Published by National Book Trust, New Delhi This fascinating book gives us glimpses of the lives of the Irula tribals of Tamil Nadu, who are great snake catchers. The authors, who run a snake park in south India, have worked with these “snake people” for over a decade, and talk about their snake-catching abilities. They also talk about “snake people” in other parts of the world, who are great names in the world of research on snakes....
AHA! Books: Manjula Padmanabhan
Award-winning writer, playwright, artist, cartoonist and illustrator, Manjula Padmanabhan has published 21 books for children. She lists out her 10 all-time favourite children’s books and series, for Pitara’s A-Ha list. List of Ten: It’s not possible to make a list of “Ten Favourite” children’s books, without including whole series! So that’s what I’ve done. I’ve confined myself to those books that I read in childhood, which means I can’t include the recent children’s books I’ve read — such as Harry Potter (three books, the remaining four are feverishly awaited), the Animorph series (all 31!...