Of friends and books

Spent Valentine's day lunching with friends- Choxbox, Sangi and Starry, who have somehow over the period of the past two years metamorphosed from blog-pals to dear friends. Who know me. Who I know will not refrain from pushing me to do what I should be doing, what is right. Keep at it, ladies. Thanks for believing enough in me to nag. Much appreciated. I need it so much to overcome my inertia.

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February 14th was also the International Book Giving Day, a day to pass on new & used books to friends, relatives, strangers, your schools, libraries, or a favourite charity. Pass on the love of reading and books. A perfect day to celebrate. Check out what one of my favourite book bloggers, Zoe, did for this day.

Me? I gave a copy of one of my favourite Enid Blyton books, House at the Corner, to a very special boy. This book is partially autobiographical, as Blyton has taken many situations from her own experience of childhood in a dysfunctional family. The closest she has come in her fiction to her reality. This relatively unknown book by her is a must-read for anyone who enjoys her work.

I have also put together quite a few books to give away to A's school library.

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Here's to friends- those that we choose to be with- with two books having very different potrayals of friendship.

When I asked A to recommend the first book that came to her mind about friends and friendship, she promptly said- "Winnie-the-Pooh."

Contrary to the image of Pooh Bear, the Bear of Very Little Brain, as the fiefdom of very small children (no thanks to the Disney version of Pooh), Pooh belongs to everyone from 0-adulthood.

Winnie the Pooh / The House at Pooh Corner

Written by A. A. Milne

Illustrated by E. H. Shepard

Published by Puffin / Dutton books

Ages: 4+ read-aloud, 8+ read-alone

These stories are a labour of love- written by an indulgent father for his son Christopher Robin Milne, and featuring his collection of toys. I'm sure most parents would have at some point in time made up stories for their own children, with them featuring large in them.

As variegated a collection of friends as possible, staying in the wonderfully named Hundred-Acre-Wood. Muddleheaded Pooh with just one thing on his mind- food. A scaredy-cat Piglet, who can be the most courageous at times. A very Bouncy Tigger, who makes everyone want to 'unbounce' him at times. Rabbit, who can take his workaholic and irritating ways to limits at times, but has his heart in the right place. Wise Owl, who everyone goes to when in need of some timely help. Kanga- affectionate, yet a stickler for discipline- the perfect mother figure. Grumpy Eeyore, who seems dry on the outside, but a softie inside. Roo- the littlest one of the lot, who gets into many scrapes with the irrepressible Tigger.

A. A. Milne, though, contrary to what the books lead us to believe, was not a hands-on father to his son. He was usually absent from active bringing up of the boy, and the tales he has woven were around Christopher's escapades that his mother would narrate to her husband. If the stories are so wonderful, imagine how much more so they would have been, if Milne were to be physically there to take part in these.

A case for a father's involvement in child-care! 

A suggestion- by all means, watch the Disney versions, but read the books to enjoy the gentle humour and wonderful characterisation. There is no substitute.

Lord of the Flies

Written by William Golding

Published by Faber & Faber

Ages: 15+

A chillingly dystopian book, whose writer, William Golding was awarded the Nobel prize for literature.

Set during WW2, a plane carrying children evacuating to a safe place crashes on an unknown island. The pilot, the only adult, is killed. The children are left to fend for themselves. What begins as an adventure (reminding one eerily of the Enid Blyton adventures where only children feature) slowly but relentlessly descends into a primitive desire for power and survival.

None of the children, except those in a choir group, have ever met each other before. Unlikely friendships are forged; those seemingly most like each other ending up bitter enemies, not even stopping at murder. Again, a diverse group of characters, who bond and repel in the most unexpected ways. With echoes of the cat-eat-rat mentality seen in many of today's children. Friendships gone wrong. Survival of the fittest.   

Image courtesy flipkart. Crossposted at Saffrontree.    

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...please sir, I want some more!

Two books that I have read over and over again- 'A Tale of Two Cities' and 'Oliver Twist' - by a well loved writer, Charles Dickens.

Charles Dickens was born on 7th February, 1812, in Portsmouth, England. Which makes today the bicentenary of the birth of this writer who is held second only to the Bard in English literature- his contribution to the language in terms of words and phrases is that great. We often use terms coined by these literary greats as a matter of course, without even realising their origin.

The images that come to my mind when Dickens is mentioned is Victorian England, with the verdant countryside, the dirty, squalid, grimy, overcrowded back-streets of London, the romance and dangers of the French revolution, dry British humour, which comes across wonderfully in The Pickwick Papers and Bleak House, extending even to many of the characters- for instance, the characters from David Copperfield are more of caricatures. And of course, Christmas!

So of course I wanted to introduce the works of Dickens to A. And why not start early? IMO, the works of Dickens that can be read and appreciated by children as young as 10 years are some of his Christmas stories, the most well known of which is 'A Christmas Carol'.

But I was greedy- and impatient to introduce her to his works. Looking around for simplified versions, I found a few that had retained the original flavour of the stories. Some even for a reader as young as 5 yrs old.

image courtesy librarything

image courtesy librarything

I found two- Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol, from the Ladybird publication, Ladybird Classics.
Ages: 4-8yrs.

Absolutely great for this age group, a great introduction to these classics. Full page illustrations, with very simple, bare text, yet telling the tale wonderfully well. A loved them, and many other classics in these series.




When A was a bit older, I looked around for something more juicy, something she could really get her teeth into. Not the sundry abridged versions one encounters, but something really worthwhile. That is when I came across this one.

Image courtesy librarything

Illustrated Stories from Dickens
Illustrated by Barry Albett
Published by Usborne illustrated classics
Ages 8-12 yrs.

Meatier than the Ladybird books, these retold stories include five of Dickens' works, Oliver Twist, Bleak House, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities and David Copperfield.

There is also a short biography of Charles Dickens, introducing children to his life and times. How he wrote many of his books from his experience of poverty, and of the grime in Victorian London.

And then there is the incomparable graphic novel by Marcia Williams. This is available under two titles, featuring the same stories- Oliver Twist and Other Great Dickens Stories by Walker Books and Charles Dickens and Friends, also by Walker Books, and by Pan Macmillan India.
Ages 8+


Image courtesy walker books



Image courtesy amazon

This, in my opinion, is the best retelling of Dickens' stories that I have come across. Considering that I am generally not a fan of graphic novels, that is saying quite a lot.

Five of Dickens' stories are retold here in graphic novel form, illustrated by Marcia Williams in her inimitable style, brings alive the various backdrops of his stories. While the retelling has text in her words, the lines mouthed by the characters are in Dickens' original words.

So we have the Artful Dodger informing Oliver (Oliver Twist) - "I know a 'spectable old genelman...wot'll give you lodgings for nothink".

Joe advising Pip (Great Expectations) - "Well, Pip, you must be a common scholar afore you can be a oncommon one".

Sidney Carter thinking to himself (A Tale of Two Cities) at the guillotine -"I see the lives for which I lay down my life...It is a far, far better thing I do, than I have ever done".

Miss Betsy Trotwood and Mr Dick in consultation over David (David Copperfield) - " 'What shall I do with him?' 'I should wash him.' "

The ghost of old Marley, his dead business partner, explaining the heavy, clanking chains that bind him, to Scrooge (A Christmas Carol) - "I wear the chain I forged in life...I made it link by link, and yard by yard."

Marcia Williams says in her foreword, "When I was a child, I liked short books with lots of pictures. So, I don't think I would ever have read Dickens, if it hadn't been for one teacher...I was always a fidget - except when she read Dickens aloud. My desk would fade from sight and I would be in Victorian England..."

Crossposted at Saffrontree.