Tag: bookblogtrain

Posted on

5 must read books on Indian festivals

As much as I love teaching my kids about culture and tradition, there is nothing like a good old book that can help in making them understand much better. We live in a world where kids well at least some of them would not have access to experience the essence of the festivity’s books can help them understand the reason behind the celebration came into place, how to celebrate, and what preparations need to be done.


Here are some books that I came across and I’m sure you would enjoy some of them too.


FESTIVALS OF INDIA from Sonia Mehta’s Discover India series


The book unravels the vibrant tapestry of India’s diverse festivities. The book takes readers on a journey through all the festivities. With vivid descriptions and captivating illustrations, the book brings alive each festival from Holi and Diwali.


The Author weaves fascinating stories and legends associated with each festival. Through this, the children learn customs, traditions, and the joy of coming together to celebrate the festivals.


The book is perfect for little minds to explore the country’s rich cultural heritage. The book strikes a perfect balance between information and entertainment.


FESTIVALS THROUGH THE YEAR by Rachna Chhabria


Through the eyes of twins, Natasha and Nikhil this book helps little minds explore the cultural heritage of the country and celebrate it.


Starting with Lohri in January to Christmas in December, Natasha and Nikhil explore festivals throughout the year.


The book is a treasure to cherish and revisit because of the detailed descriptions and wealth of information it contains about each of the festivals.


Young readers are introduced to rituals and joy associated with each festival along with explaining the significance.


Right from Holi to Diwali the child understands the traditions and customs.


Not only that Natasha and Nikhil record their experiences of the festivities on a blog.
Their observations add depth and authenticity to the storytelling.


AMMA, TELL ME ABOUT FESTIVAL series by Bhakti Mathur


This set is a lovely find for book readers. Fortunate to have had the chance to review these books, what caught my attention was the colorful illustrations, simple text, and engaging story narration.


Holi, Diwali, and Ramayana are the books in this series where the mother tells the children the story of how the festival came into existence.


Klaka and Kiki, the two siblings settle down for a story from Amma where she weaves a charming story on a delightful journey to celebrate Holi and Diwali.


SHE CELEBRATES


This book is an anthology of 21 stories by women across the world who are of Indian origin. Each of these stories has a backdrop of an Indian festival like Lohri, Sankranti, Teej, Onam, and Vishu to name a few. What I loved the most was the recipe at the end of each chapter associated with the festival. The illustrations were good too.


These are some of the books that had a festive background, caught my attention, and remain a favorite to me and my kids though these books were published long ago. But that’s what books are for right? To be remembered for time immemorial and to be revisited often.

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘BookishCafeBloghop2024’ hosted by  Rakhi   and Samata Dey Bose .

Posted on

5 unique ways to tackle reader’s block

Quite often while reading a book, we suddenly go blank. Kaboom…. Completely blank that you cannot proceed beyond that point. There is that lack of concentration or that loss of focus that does not let you read thereafter. I was not aware of how you would describe that. As a naïve human, I would just say I went blank or I had no mood to continue. Thereafter I came to know that the term used to describe such a condition is reader’s block. So far, I’ve read only about writer’s block and experienced it at times too.
So now that you experience this emotion or whatever you call it by the term reader’s block, how do you tackle it? The topic mentions to list 5 unique ways, I do have some more and I wish to share them here to help fellow readers.

DROP THE BOOK AND GET YOURSELF A REFRESHING DRINK

Yes, you heard me right. Drop of the book exactly where you are. Leave the place immediately and get yourself a drink. It could be a cappuccino, green tea, lime juice, hot chocolate or even a glass of water. A quick refresh is sure to give you a change of mind.

KEEP YOURSELF OCCUPIED

You can keep yourself occupied, when you are away from the book. Say catch up on some old friends. Call them and talk, complete some pending chores.

GO FOR A POWER NAP

Yep. It’s great to have a power nap and then get up feeling fresh. I’m sure that would give you a lot of new thoughts and energy to continue reading that book.

DO NOT STRESS OUT

When you have a reader’s block, do not stress out on deadlines. You might have to submit a review or even come up with content for a blog post. Do not do that in a hurry or when you do not have the focus. That is not going to give you fruitful results.

BINGE WATCHING

Ahh. Now there is an even better way. Now that you do not have to read why not finish watching the series that you always wanted to, but did not have time for. Some series are shorter that you can finish watching them by the time the reader’s block gets out of you.

SWITCH TO OTHER GENRES

You might have encountered reader’s block at times, because the plot is moving too slow or it goes to the uninteresting phase. So your next step should be simply switching the genre. Take up reading a different genre or short stories or even read out a book for your kid.

DO SOMETHING RELATED TO BOOKS

What if you are not reading, you can do something relating to books. Set up blog schedules or posts. Take pictures, come on you are a bookstagrammer you will have to take cool pictures. Read some articles relating to reading or try reading posts of other bloggers if you are participating in a blog train. Just like we are doing now.

SOCIAL MEDIA

You could catch up on some latest buzz, or read articles or browse pictures or statuses posted online. Check out memes that will give you a good laugh.Let me tell you that is really good to take your mind off. But precautionary is have the right kind of people in your circle, so that it gives you some positive vibes. Not viewing updates of someone who portrays life to be better than yours and you end up feeling like a piece of shit. I’m definitely not recommending following such kind of people.

OUTDOORS

Get a breath of fresh air. Go for a walk. Jog or take a stroll. Go for a ride on your bike or ride in your car. Call your coffee buddy. There is definitely no person who would say no to a coffee.

These are some of what I follow to tackle reader’s block. I hope it would be of some help for people who face similar blocks.

This article is written as a part of #Thebookblogtrain conducted by Vidhya Thakkar and Siddhi Palande powered by Penguin India and Redwolf should not be repurposed, republished or used otherwise. The content herein is owned by the blogger. Hosts are not responsible for any infringement caused.”

Posted on

Tips and tricks to increase reading on kids #thebookblogtrain

“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” — Emilie Buchwald.

I believe that the reading trait can be imbibed when you start reading to them when they are in womb. The baby has the ability to listen and this makes it easier when they are out.

Learning through seeing is a great way to grasp. Seeing parents read could intrigue the child to pick up book. But that does not stop you from sitting down with them and reading a book. I have a detailed blog post on what to read to your kids. You can check that out here.

Check here : books to read to your kid.

Once you start reading out to them often, they would begin to gain interest. First they might like to feel the hold of a page, then turning them over, look at pictures, feel them if they have textures and then start reading.

What does it take in the beginning to read? THE BASICS. By basics I mean phonics.

What is Phonics?

It is the study of sound or method on how you read. It initially is taught by grouping alphabets of similar sounds under groups. There are a lot of tools or aids available online to help teach your kids. You have books, flashcards, and worksheets available in the market to make it easier for you to teach at home. Age 4 is apt for you to start teaching them, since that is when most kids begin to read. But if you believe that your child has an above average vocabulary for that age you are good to start at 3. You can even enroll yourselves for a phonics course before teaching your kid.

Make reading time a must on the schedule

Reading daily can increase reading comprehension, vocabulary expansion, identifying similar words or sounds and familiar words. If your child is still not started reading I would urge you to have story telling in place of them reading. Listening regularly could help in gaining familiarity of words and help them use it in appropriate situations. Once they start reading, they could read out to you. Trust me this is such a joy of having your kid read out to you.

Reading out regularly

Do you believe that if you surround yourself with specific things you have the curiosity or the urge to go see and check out what it is? That is exactly what needs to be done. Surround the kids with books and aids that will intrigue them to

go pick up. Keep a wide variety so that they do not get bored.

Lead them by example

When they see you reading before bedtime regularly they are sure to inculcate the habit as well. Soon after they will also pick up a book and read alongside with you. Have you seen children with mobile during bed time that is probably because they are imitating behavior.

Find the right choice of what they would like

If your child can decide, then let them pick their own book. Make suggestions here and there but do not thrust books.

Read outside apart from books

Let them read the signs on road or read out a recipe of their favorite dish that they want you to make.

Support the child, each child is different

Not all children take instant liking to reading. Some are quick, some are mediocre and some are slow. Take the time to stop, step back and see why where the child is having difficulty. Try to correct that difficulty.

Visit the local library

Take a visit to the local library. Not many people visit the libraries these days, since everything is available online. Spend time at the library with both you and your kid reading books. Who knows you might even uncover certain unknown treasures not present in the online world.

Use ruler or finger

Use a ruler or a finger to follow along. That makes reading easier, and also easy to grasp for the little one. Tell them how each word combines and forms a sentence and how does that make sense.

Review and recap

Ask your child what they finished reading and which part did they like the most. Let the child explain in their own way. You can help in correcting when they are done explaining. Note down difficult words which you can teach them later.

Take part in reading challenges

Once they grow up, you can start signing them up for reading challenges. Nowadays we have more reading challenges which do help in spreading awareness about the importance of reading and also let them explore the world of books and joy of reading.

I hope the above helps in making your children read.

This article is written as a part of #Thebookblogtrain conducted by Vidhya Thakkar and Siddhi Palande powered by Penguin India and Redwolf should not be repurposed, republished or used otherwise. The content herein is owned by the blogger. Hosts are not responsible for any infringement caused.”