CROCUS - it's sure to be a wonderful journey

It is time for the annual festival at Saffron Tree, the kidlit blog I review books for. It begins tomorrow, at the site.

Here's my post there that introduces our theme for this year - Migration and Exploration - and unveils our poster.

"Migration, exploration, moving in search of a better life, across histories, geographies, cultures, setting down roots in a new habitat - it is a all way of all life. Why not, then, look at stories of these migrations? Surely a movement across cultures would produce challenges that fiction and non-fiction would thrive on? Fiction, after all, reflects life to a large extent. We, at the Saffrontree family, have handled many such moves in our personal lives; some of us multiple times, even across continents. Even a move out of one's locality into the adjacent one means a lot of logistical changes. This is surely a theme that would resonate with our readers - so many of whom might have their own stories of migration. As we brainstormed on the idea, we came up with a multitude of children's books that deal with the topic. For every age group.

Join in this celebration. Enjoy the journey with us. Spread the word - let it go far and wide! As Anna Quindlen has said in her book, How Reading Changed My Life, "Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home."

Come, let's go home."

Here's a post by Sathish Ramakrishnan, one of our contributors, that muses on the concept of migration. 


"And finally, I had a personal epiphany - migration is not about politics or about movement of people from one place to another - migration is about an individual. The reason for migration are many - some do it for the riches, some do it to escape a world that they cannot tolerate any more, some do it to live in warmer climates. In spite of it all, the migration is about an individual. It is the story of an individual and his or her hope."

Here's a post, again by Sathish, that gives a round-up of some of the books already reviewed on Saffrontree on our theme. There will be another such roundup post-CROCUS.

So our schedule for CROCUS?

Oct 23rd, Day 1: Animal Migration

Oct 24th, Day 2: Nomadic/Tribal expressions
Oct 25th, Day 3: Forced/Voluntary migration
Oct 26th, Day 4: Exploration/Making it home

Do visit. It will be quite a journey.

And yes, let the word go far and wide. Blog about it, post on facebook, twitter, and anywhere else that might gather more eyeballs.

And do not forget our crossword on the first day - CROCUSWORD. 

Blog tour day 1: Bijoy and the Big River

pic courtesy tulika books

Bijoy and the Big River
Written by Meera Sriram and Praba Ram
Published by Tulika Books
Ages 10+

The Brahmaputra. Called Burha Luit by the Assamese. The lives of the locals are closely tied to the river. Both the good and the bad times - the Big River affects it all.

This is the story of Bijoy, a young boy from a farming community that produces the famed Eri Silk, or ahimsa silk - the silkworms aren't killed in the production unlike those that breed on mulberry - as it is also known. A quiet, verdant, idyllic place, on a farm where Bijoy stays with Ma and Deuta (father in Assamese). It is a good life, even if the river sometimes destroys everything in its path during floods.

On an average day, Bijoy helps his father to look after the silkworms feeding on the castor leaves. To gather the silk after the eri moths have flown away out of the open ended cocoon. And to transport the silk to the village of Sualkuchi by canoe with Deuta after his mother has spun and reeled out the threads. It is hard work, but there is adventure as well, as when the xihu (pronounced hihu, the now endangered Gangetic Dolphin, also found in the Brahmaputra) are sighted along the way on the river, in large groups sometimes. Or when he sees the big city sights of tourist boats at Guwahati, enroute to Saulkuchi.

After a similar book with Tulika, Dinaben and the Lions of Gir, where the the authors introduce us to the Maldhari commmunity of Gujarat, Meera Sriram and Praba Ram have come up with another winner. This time they write about a farming family from Assam, in the far north-east of India. Praba, the founder of our beloved Saffrontree, and Meera, who was a contributor until recently, are both champions of a good cause - sustainable living, closer to nature. This book is exactly what would be expected as their brain-child:  This is what they have to say about how the germ of an idea became this book.

Bijoy's story has illustrations by Koel Basu, bare sketches that are evocative of the villages of Assam, as well as photographs by various contributors. Along with the tidbits as marginalia, we learn a lot about life as a silk farmer in this far North-Eastern state. This book is a welcome addition by Tulika books, as this part of our country is vastly under-represented in children's literature.

An extra tidbit:  Burha=ancient, Luit=blood. The legend goes that Brahma had a son by the wife of a sage, who was then abandoned at a place between the hills. The child took the form of water, which became the Brahmakund. Parashuram, having killed his own mother after being ordered to by his father, had the bloodstained axe stuck to his hand. As penance, he was told to release the waters for the people living in the valleys and plains. He axed down the mountains holding the waters, which started flowing as the river Brahmaputra - literally, Brahma's son - that brought sustenance to the locals. This released the axe as well as washed the blood off it. Brahmaputra is thus the only river in India that is masculine; all others are feminine.

**************************************

This will be a five-day-long blog tour - with five different perspectives. Here are the dates and places where our readers can find Bijoy and the Big River.

March 18th - Saffron Tree.. Posted by me. Yay, the first review of this book!
March 19th - Literary Sojourn. Vibha Sharma.
March 20th - The not-so artful dodger. Artnavy.
March 21st - Mamma of Twins. Itchingtowrite.
March 22nd - The Mad Momma. Lavanya D / Prateek.

Do visit!

Cross-posted at Saffrontree.

Book Review: The Deadly Royal Recipe

Masterchef meets Inkheart meets The Famous Five meets Bollywood. That is Ranjit Lal's latest book by Duckbill publishers, The Deadly Royal Recipe for you.

pic courtesy flipkart

The Deadly Royal Recipe
Written by Ranjit Lal
Published by Duckbill
Ages 10+

Zafira is a lonely, homeschooled-till-now princess, who comes from an extraordinary royal family. The family has an ancient tradition of excellent cooks among its scions, and consequently, the House of Kamargarh is legendary, almost revered among culinary circles.

The principality, placed around the north-west of Delhi, has a sinister neighbouring Rajah who has evil designs on its most protected treasure - a Masterbook of royal recipes handed down through the ages. These are written in a code that only members of the royal family can understand. So he does the obvious. He kidnaps Princess Zafira and her new-found school friends and holds them for a royal ransom - you guessed it - the Masterbook.

What follows is a nail-biting, edge-of-the-seat narrative that had us wanting to know what happened next; and what the recipe is that is royal as well as deadly.

There are some spine-chilling and seriously yuck moments - a la Roald Dahl - that one needs to be a preteen/adolescent to be able to stomach, and a lot of suspension of disbelief is required. That, however, is part of this thriller's charm, and Ranjit Lal seems to have his finger firmly on his readers' pulse. I would be less than honest if I don't say this: the book does not aspire to any literary greatness. It does, however, entertain, keep the reader engrossed (grown-up readers too); a well-crafted story that children will thoroughly enjoy. My daughter A finished it in one sitting, reading late into the night, loath to put it down for the next day.

The one grouse we both had with the book is: the delicious, mouthwatering food that is described, and the recipes discussed and savoured (yummy) are supposed to be found at a website that is given at the end of the book. Sadly, this site is a fictitious one, (we both checked, separately, unbeknownst to each other, and found out only while comparing notes) part of the narrative. A request to the author, and the publishers, if they read this - please do create such a site. That would be the tadka on this recipe.

Crossposted at Saffrontree.

About idlis, dosas, commoners and kings

History as it is taught in Indian schools borders on the boring, and most people turn to the sciences at the end of their schooling in a desperate attempt to get rid of the subject. History, though, can be the most interesting of subjects if it is approached as a narrative of events, a story with all the elements of wonder and drama that it undoubtedly holds. Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to activate our brains, just like a smell or music that are both powerful triggers for memory. Sometimes even reminding one of things long gone, that we may have not been conscious of remembering.

To focus on this, Saffrontree held a fest of fiction and non-fiction based on Indian History in the first week of Decenber. It has a wonderful bunch of books that deal with Indian history in a fun way. Do go to the posts and read all about these books.

Here are my contributions. Both of these are books A has thoroughly enjoyed. They have been extensively used for school projects this year, she has been recommending them to her friends AND her history teacher, and we've already gifted many copies of the first to a few close friends.

pic courtesy flipkart

Let’s Go Time Travelling: Life in India through the ages
Written by Subhadra Sen Gupta
Published by Penguin Books India
Age 9-12 years

In her interview in The Hindu at the publishing of her book Let’s Go Time Travelling Subhadra Sen Gupta says, "My target readers are the kids in classes 6 to 8, who begin studying Indian history. The book aims at making history less intimidating for them and also talk about things that kids are curious about. The stuff that textbooks leave out, like food and clothes, transport and school."

Very true. History textbooks have a way of putting the child off the subject, unless there is an exceptional teacher in the offing. This book fills in exactly that void. For my daughter in the 6th grade, this was THE book to read, much in the mould of the irreverent Horrible Histories series.

A period of close to 5000 years has been divided into 4 parts- Early India from 2600 - 500 BCE, Ancient India from 300 BCE – 1100 CE, Medieval India from 1200 – 1850 CE and British India from 1800 – 1940 CE. I give the dates here not to overwhelm the reader of this review with dates: something that always put me off from an academic study of history, but to demonstrate the scope of this slim and wonderfully crafted book.

Subhadra Sen Gupta ( interviewed here on Saffrontree) deconstructs the weight of all that history and distills it into bite-sized parts. She keeps her finger firmly on the pulse of the middle school child who is lured into wanting to find out more after reading the short story at the beginning of each chapter, comprising ordinary people from that particular period. The story tells a lot about their thoughts, ideas, customs and beliefs. She focuses on the ‘storytelling aspect’ of history, giving a holistic yet richly detailed view of each era.

Along the way, we get a peek into how historians decode the data they have at hand from archaeological findings, written records, period literature, and any other relics of a period to recreate the how and why of all that has happened. For example, we can know what food people of a period ate and why. In the chapter on the Pallava and Chola dynasties, we learn that people ate many varieties of the dosa, but the idli was not invented yet. How? From the references in the literature of the period. Odes to dosas, but no idlis. Also that spices used in sambar were pepper and tamarind. Chillies and tomatoes were a colonial import, brought by the Portuguese from the Americas in the 1700s.

An enjoyable book, and a valuable addition to the study of Indian history, along with Anu Kumar's 'In the Country of the Gold-digging Ants' and Roshan Dalal's twin volumes by Puffin.

pic courtesy flipkart

Victory Song
Written by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Published by Penguin Books India
Age 9-12

Neela is a spunky 12 year old girl living in the British India of the 1930s. It is a few years before the Quit India movement. Freedom fighters are everywhere, in the guise of ordinary people. Neela befriends a young freedom fighter, Samar, during her elder sister’s wedding. Neela's father has to go away to Calcutta on some patriotic work soon after the wedding.

Samar is seriously injured during a raid on a British facility. He takes refuge in Neela’s home, where he is kept in hiding until he is well, as the British soldiers are looking for him. Soon, Neela’s father goes missing in Calcutta. The feisty little girl dresses up as a boy, a wandering minstrel, and takes Samar’s help to go to Calcutta to find her father.

What happens to Samar and Neela in Calcutta? How do they find her father? The rest of this riveting tale on the backdrop of the freedom movement against British rule has to be read to find this out.

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni brings us a book for pre-teens that takes us into the everyday world of a girl of the period, complete with people’s attitudes about 'girls should be seen and not heard', and how it is this feisty girl’s courage and resourcefulness that saves the day.

Crossposted at Saffrontree.

Standing up...kid style

There has been a lot of standing up for oneself and setting of boundaries that I have been reading about at Starry's blog. Made me think a lot about my own behaviour in the matter.

I had been quite a militant feminist in my teen years. Somewhere along the way, I have morphed into a closet feminist. Somehow got stuck in a rut of my comfort zone. Have been taking baby steps towards getting out of it, but not sure how long I shall take to get even close to getting there. I owe it to my child.

So the child is growing older and needing help dealing with peer interaction. As always, we turn to books- our best friends.

Last year, the tooth fairy (oh, yes, we still believe in those, and Santa, a la The Polar Express) got A a book that she has thoroughly enjoyed. It has been her constant companion over the past year, given that peer interaction is becoming more and more important. Thanks to her petite built and a possibly outdated interest in books and such, she is often the target of those who think they know better. As parents, we keep talking to her about it whenever an 'incident' happens, even stressing on the fact that every person is special in their own way, and that a lot of what those girls say doesn't become true even if it feels like that. That she has so many wonderful gifts that a lot of those girls do not have. That she just needs to ignore most of that behaviour. And at times, stand up for herself and what she thinks is right.

So when she came across this book on amightygirl.com, the tooth fairy thought it would be good thing to get her.

pic courtesy amightygirl.com

Stand Up For Yourself  & Your Friends
Written by Patti Kelley Criswell
Illustrated by Angela Martini
Published by American Girl Publishing
Ages 8+

We begin by defining bullying. It can be many things, but it is mostly about power. And not all bullies are the stereotypical big, tall, loud, intimidating person. Think Miss Agatha Trunchbull from Matilda. Oh, no, they come in different packages, and at one time or another, any one of us could bully someone else.

The book then goes on to deconstruct the politics of bullying as it occurs, and the strategies to handle it. It is peppered with real incidents reported by real girls, the way they handled it, and a lot of expert-speak on each incident. There are short, snappy, two-page chapters on each topic, with full colour illustrations.

There are also many quizzes the reader can take, like 'Is this bullying?' on identifying which behaviours would qualify as bullying, 'What's your speak-up style?' on how you would deal with a given situation and 'What do you stand for?' on your beliefs about friendship. The very practical and easy to apply tips by experts and kids themselves make for a much appreciated 'cool' factor. Or at least I have been informed so by the kid, who dips into the book often for inspiration.

There is also plenty for the bewildered adult who might be the bystander, the authority figure who may have to tackle a potentially explosive situation, or the parent who has to deal with either end of the bullying episode- the bully or the victim. Much that can be used by the adult in their own interaction with power struggles among their peers too.

A book that can be applied at all levels, with sound strategies that can be extrapolated to situations even beyond the scope of the book. And even though I place it at 8+, younger children can benefit from it too- as more and more, these things happen at a younger age in today's world.

The book has an accompanying journal that I'm sure the tooth fairy is currently considering. A journal full of quizzes, checklists and charts that I'm sure the child will enjoy working on with her own experiences.

Crossposted at Saffrontree.

******************************************

And while on the topic of standing up - here is my review on Women's Web of Warrior in a Pink Sari- an autobiographical account of Sampat Pal and her Gulabi Gang.

Of rising above a parent's life-choices

How many parents think about how their life choices affect their children? I am not speaking of parenting choices here. I am speaking of choices that we make for our self, or those that are made for us by significant others in our life. How much will my not working, despite a professional degree affect my daughter's life? Would that bare fact mold her thinking, or will the reasons behind that make a difference? Will she be able to see things from my POV?

Speaking for myself as a daughter, I began to really understand my mother only after I became a parent, and a lot more as I am growing older. I can now look beyond the strict parent whose strictures I so resented to the woman behind the facade. She is an intelligent, strong, principled woman, unfortunately married into a family that could never understand her - yes, my father's side was, and still is strongly patriarchal, and has managed to stifle my mother. I have very recently begun to appreciate the fact that her choices were often not real choices, and a lot of what I remember was a function of the times she lived in. Of late, I have been having conversations with my father about how he could have done differently by her. He, too, I realise now, was a victim of the system, and actually thinks that things were fine. He listens to me, fortunately, me being the favourite daughter.

Children like to make up stories. Watch a bunch of kids play-acting and one is amazed at the imagination and creativity they come up with together. What if there is the possibility that the story might be real? What if the story turns your view of the world upside down?

Here's a book that made me introspect: what do my actions convey to my daughter? Do my unfortunate choices taint her life? Do the good ones uplift her? How much is it possible for a child to lift themselves above the effects of their parents' choices?

pic courtesy flipkart

Hitler's Daughter
Written by Jackie French
Published by HarperCollins Children's Books
Ages 8-12

Mark, Anna, Tracey and Ben play a story game as they wait for their school bus every day. They have stories of fairies, of ball games and of horses. Until one day Anna decides to tell a story. It is an amazing story set on the fringes of a great war. It is the story of a child growing up tucked away from all the action, a privileged child who is kept safe despite not being the blue-eyed, blond, tall Aryan ideal, a child hungry for family and love, holding on to memories of the few-and-far between visits of her father. A father who obviously is somebody important. Important enough that people around her who have always taken care of her are in mortal fear of displeasing him. We are told early enough that the child, Heidi, is Hitler's daughter.

Anna's story focuses on the genocide from the outside in, raising many questions in Mark's mind. What if one's parent or child has done something really evil- how does one deal with such a parent/ child? Does one love them regardless? Do the sins of our parents taint us irrevocably, or is there redemption? Do the actions of someone dear reflect on us as individuals? How does society look upon those who stand in evil's shadow? Is a bad thing really a bad thing, or are we just victims of our convictions? Do we have a right to raise our hand against someone else's questionable behaviour if we, too, might be in the wrong in our own time?

These are very profound existential questions, and Jackie French, (whom ST has interviewed here), in her inimitable chatty style, raises them through Mark's thoughts, without thrusting them at us. There are also references to Australia's own genocide-  the colonial actions against their Aborigine population.

It has been so realistically told that we are left wondering if Hitler indeed, did have a daughter that no-one knows about. Also, it is an unusual look at the Holocaust; a great book to introduce them to it, along with Number the Stars and When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit. There are no grisly portrayals of the deaths, as the point of view is of a privileged, though unfortunate girl.

This page-turner of a book was devoured by A in an afternoon. She has been, since, recommending it to many of her friends.

Cross-posted at Saffrontree.

Trips, books, friends, anniversaries and much else

I haven't posted for a long time now: my previous two posts had been scheduled. I had been busy with a lot of things that needed my attention. Just a quick re-cap.

A went on an 8-day school trip in early October. This is the first time that we had stayed away from each other for so long. In a way it was harder on me than it was on her. Children look forward- their life is just beginning, and everything that happens is just a new and interesting thing that is welcomed with open arms. As the Lebonese poet-philosopher Khalil Gibran has said, "...their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams." It is so much tougher on us mothers- so difficult to let go. I coped by making a trip to Mumbai, to my parents' place.

There, I met the wonderful R's Mom. This was a long awaited meeting. I've been reading her work for many months now, bumping into her at many friends' blogs, but had connected with her as one book-loving-mommy-blogger to another quite recently. She was all that I had imagined and much more. We met at a mall near my parents' place, she being so sweet as to make the longer journey from her home. What began as a couple of hours' meeting in the morning stretched far beyond the afternoon as we yakked away, until our rumbling stomachs got us to go get some lunch. There was of course a bit of book-shopping thrown in.

**********************************************************

CROCUS 2012 has just ended, and has thrown up a wonderful mix of Math and Eco-Science books that are now added to my wish-list. It has been six wonderful years of Saffron Tree, of which I have been a contributor for the last two-and-a-half years. During CROCUS, we had sent out a call for book donations for a cause- for an NGO KRANTI that works for a marginalised section of society, children of sex-workers.

Speaking of anniversaries, PaperTigers has a wonderful10th anniversary giveaway: a drool-worthy set of books. Do visit them and check out how you can win these books for yourself / your library. The giveaway is open for entry until midnight PST of Saturday, 10th November.

************************************************************

A few of my articles were published on Women's Web. An article on Handling Parenting Peer Pressure that speaks of the pressure parents feel when faced with anther's parenting style that somehow feels better or cooler. An article about 5 family rituals for diwali that could be fun times with the kids. And this review of a book that deals with a women's issue that is not unknown to urban women. Quoting:

"We are often led to believe in the myth of innocence and simplicity in rural life. Our movies and popular literature often perpetuate this myth; but P. Sivakami debunks it in The Taming Of Women.

A gritty, hard-hitting and relentlessly abrasive novel, the book is a very realistic portrayal of life in a village on the way to developing into a town. The violence is just below the surface, boiling over at times, and overwhelming the reader.

The book offers a striking insight into the minds of the women – who are often pitted against each other in their battle for supremacy, yet co-operate at the unlikeliest of places to stand up against the man who leaves no stone unturned to subdue them."

***************************************************************

One last thing before I conclude- November is celebrated internationally as Picture Book Month. You may want to check out the wonderful posts over at Zoe's blog Playing by the Book all through this month.

Do check out these lovely picture book giveaways there, too.

Even though our reading here has moved beyond picture books, there are a few classics that we keep revisiting. As also some newer ones that are still relevant. Do check out the stuff in your own book-shelves that is worth re-reading!

Math Adventures at CROCUS

Here is my second post at CROCUS 2012.

Math can be fun. Puzzles, games and stories are some ways in which it can be made. Stories, especially work very well with children. And more so if they are stories of a mathematical cat!

A mathematical cat? What's that? Penrose is a mathematically gifted cat, who belongs to Theoni Pappas, the author of the stories.

The Adventures of Penrose
the mathematical cat        

The Further Adventures of Penrose
the mathematical cat

Fractals, Googols and other
mathematical tales
                         
Written by Theoni Pappas
Published by World Wide Publishing/Tetra
Ages: 8+

At the beginning of 'The Adventures...', she tells us the story of how she realised that the cat was interested in math. So she wrote down all of Penrose's stories for children- these stories tackle one concept at a time, and can be read as stand-alone stories, too.

The stories point out the association of math with the things we encounter in the real world: in nature and in man-made things.  Pappas is that rare mathematician, who breaks down the overwhelmingly complex into easily digestible bites, makes them palatable to all- children and adults alike. The books take into consideration the youngest possible reader, and the harried parent, who would much appreciate these handy stories to delve into the breathtakingly beautiful, yet sometimes alarming world of math.

pic courtesy domusweb.it

One day, Penrose finds his mistress playing with soap bubbles. He runs to play with them, and is amazed with the perfect sphere shapes, that magically change shapes as they coalesce. He discovers, (as did my daughter A, while playing with soap one day instead of washing her hands quickly and coming for dinner) that soap bubbles are always perfect spheres when discrete, as the sphere is the most stable form occurring in nature with the maximum volume for the smallest surface area - No matter what the shape of the bubble blower? Or that when they coalesce to form a cluster, they tessallate to form regular shapes once they stabilise? That if you draw a plane through this cluster, they will look like a cut-section of a honeycomb?

What is tessallation? Figures that fit together perfectly without any space in between. They could be the same figure or different figures. Nature creates many beautiful designs using this concept. Designs that are often copied by man in the arts.Quilts, tile designs, even the hexagons on a football are examples of tessallation.

pic courtesy scienceray.com

One day, Penrose comes across a snail in its shell. He is mesmerised by the shell- it is such a beautiful pattern. In conversation with the snail, Penrose discovers the secret of the golden rectangle- a very common concept that occurs in nature, creating breathtakingly beautiful designs. The ratio of length to breadth always tends to 1.618.

Start with a 1 by 1 square. Then, add another square of the same size. Subsequently, add squares whose sides are equal to the longest side of the existing rectangle. This can go on infinitely in both directions- increasing as well as decreasing. The rectangle that is formed every time is the golden rectangle. The numbers also form an interesting pattern-

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, ...

These can be written as each consecutive number being the sum of the two numbers preceding it.

1, 0+1, 1+1, 1+2, 2+3, 3+5, 5+8, 8+13, 13+21, 21+34,...

This sequence is also called the Fibonacci sequence. How does this tie up with a snails shell? If you draw a curve inside each square in the figure, and join all the curves, they form what is called the golden spiral, that can extend infinitely inwards as well as outwards.

pic courtesy mathworld.wolfram.com
  

pic courtesy google images

More examples occurring in nature? Whorls of a flower, arrangement of seeds in spirals in flowers like the sunflower, branching of a tree, ...you may check this out at howstuffworks.

Art copying nature? Check this out. A very modern use of the golden rectangle- the credit card..

More of what occurs in nature? Fractals. What are those, and where do they come in daily life? Penrose was amazed when he found out how ubiquitous they were, as we are, too when we dig a little deeper. The definition says- duplication of a form inwards or outwards. So his, by definition, will incorporate and go beyond the golden spiral or Fibonacci numbers.

fractals from basic shapes
pic courtesy mathworld.wolfram.com

Ever seen a snowflake grow? The original nidus decides what design it will form- so that no two snowflakes are the same. Or just any crystals grow? Think clouds, galaxies, fern fronds, diffusion and movements of fluids, music, population explosion...the list could go on.

pic courtesy google images

Does Penrose encounter only these slightly unusual math concepts? Not at all. He comes across the very basics that our children might encounter on a daily basis too- numbers, the magic of prime numbers, number line, conventions in math, number processes, pi, irrational and rational numbers, graphs, estimates, probability, two-and-three-dimentional figures, x - the unknown in algebra, the concept of zero...and much more.

Each short story, illustrated with pictures of Penrose and simple figures for the math concept, ends with a puzzle which we are left to solve along with the cat. Pappas, of course, gives a very helpful solutions and explanations section at the end of each book that completely de-mystifies the concept at hand.    

Math Games and Activities from around the World

Here is my first post over at Saffron Tree for CROCUS 2012.

Saffron Tree prides itself on its multicultural identity. CROCUS is our acronym for Celebrating Reading of Culturally Unique Stories. All through CROCUS 2012 we shall have our contributors speak about various aspects about our theme for this year. How about focusing on Math across various cultures and through all of history in this post? Math Fun across time and geographies.

pic courtesy flipkart

Math Games and Activities
from around the World
Written by Claudia Zaslavsky
Published by Chicago Review Press
Ages 9+

Math games that originated in one part of the world went far and wide with travellers and traders, just as much as things like art & craft, language, scientific discoveries and inventions, and much else.

Do you know the story of the wise man from India who used the chessboard and some cool calculation to get rich when the king asked him to choose anything as a prize? He just placed one grain of rice on the first square of the chessboard, and asked the king to double the amount for each consecutive square, and total all the grains on all the squares to give him. Think how much that would be. This story, which can be found with many variations all over Asia and the Middle East, uses the math of exponential sequences, or 'raising a number to the power n' as it can be simply put, can be used as a puzzle.

There are similar stories about computing with numbers all over the world, dating back to ancient times. The story of the merchant's will dividing 7 camels between his 3 sons in the ratio of 1/2 : 1/4 : 1/8?

ancient 15x15 square

Magic Squares? Do you know that playing with numbers on a Magic Square was being done as far back as 4000 years ago. The Chinese knew it then as Lo Shu. From there, it spread to other places like India, Japan, the Middle East, Africa, and then to Europe, Americas and Australia. Today we know it as a great mind-bender game.

More games with numbers? Want to try secret codes using numbers for alphabets? Or the trick about 1089 that never ceases to amaze? I could go on...Of course, there is the number crunching involved in games involving any kind of gamble.

Now lets look at shapes. Can you draw a 5-point star without lifting your hand from the paper? Easy, isn't it? Now can you do that for a 7-point star? Think- it can be done with the help of a simple geometrical shape. Now, try this- can you draw a 6-point star like the Star of David without lifting your hand from the paper? No. Why?

pic courtesy google images

Patterns using stars? These are found all over the world- Indian rangoli and the rich tribal art. Native American art and craft. Quilting and embroidery, both from Europe and all the places colonised by them over history. These also use another geometrical concept- tessalation- repetitive figures fitting together snugly, that is also found in nature. Which can again be found in the art and craft of places as widely far-flung as Nigeria, Japan and Islamic nations.

Dots arranged in a certain manner? Add permutation-combinations, probability, and the possibilities for games are endless. 9 Men's Morris, Tic Tac Toe, Magic Squares, Su-do-ku...these are the ones that are widely known. They were played as far back as 3,300 years ago as found carved on the rooftops excavated in Egypt. Sounds interesting? Look up Shisima from Kenya, Tapatan from the Phillipines, Tsoro Yematatu from Zimbabwe, Picaria of the Native Americas, Nerenchi from Sri Lanka...they are found all over the world, and played with local variations.

pic courtesy indusladies.com

What about other kinds of fun using dot grids? We know rangolis and kolams, but there are similar uses elsewhere in he world. People from Angola, Africa, use the dot grid to draw and tell stories.

The book tells us about these and much more math fun, complete with historical and cultural tid-bits that add to the allure. Each chapter ends with a thought provoking section that has puzzles the reader can think on. The author has written many more Math Fun books, including a sequel- More Math Games and Activities from around the World.

There are so many more Math Fun books and activities out there, to suit each pocket. Do try them.

On occasion of the International Day for the Girl Child - The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

The world has very few women scientists, although the first and only person ever to have received the Nobel  in two different branches of science, was Marie Curie, a woman. It is an unfortunate, though proven fact that there is a decided gender bias against women in the STEM fields of education and careers.

The damage starts early. Gender studies have proved that girls are considered not good enough in math and the sciences. This bias is often carried by female math and science teachers too, unfortunately sending the subliminal message to girls in their formative years, that they cannot do well at these subjects. It becomes a chicken-and-egg situation, leading to fewer girls taking up the STEM faculties at higher levels.

Today, on the International Day of the Girl Child, here is a book that looks at a historically significant period in science- a time when the world was poised on the brink of the new, technologically rich world- with a scientifically inclined 12-year old girl as the protagonist.

pic courtesy flipkart

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
Written by Jacqueline Kelly
Published by Square Fish, an imprint of MacMillan
Ages 8+

It is the summer of 1899. The only girl in a family of seven siblings, Calpurnia Virginia Tate (Callie Vee, as she is called) is expected to apply herself to the task of crafting a lady out of herself. Her mother's sole dream for her only daughter is that she be tutored in the arts befitting a lady- music, drawing, dance, embroidery, cooking- so that she would make a stunning debut on their social circuit and land the most eligible bachelor before she becomes 'an old maid of twenty.'

There is a slight hitch in the plan, though. Callie Vee has not the slightest inclination towards these achievements, and is encouraged by her naturalist grandfather in her scientific forages. The only grandchild that matches his interests.

"The laws governing inheritance are quite unknown; no one can say why...the child often reverts in certain characters to its grandfather..." 

The Origin of Species plays a large part in the book. Each chapter begins with a fitting epigraph quoted from Darwin's book. Callie Vee knows of the book, but it is a banned book, and she has no chance absolutely of laying her hands on it. Until her formidable, cantankerous grandfather discovers her interest in, and keen observations of the strange case of large yellow and small green grasshoppers- that she dutifully notes down in her 'observations notebook.'

"He stared at me for a moment with an odd expression on his face- perhaps surprise, perhaps consternation- as if I were a species he'd never seen before...He extracted a book covered in rich green morocco leather handsomely tipped with gold. Ceremoniously, he bowed and offered it to me. I looked at it. The Origin of Species. Here, in my own house. I received it in both my hands. He smiled. Thus began my relationship with Granddaddy."

It was a beginning of a wondrous journey of scientific discovery. The beginning of a dream that showed her the path out of a possible life of drudgery like countless other girls like her. A life that she could not visualise herself enjoying, no matter what her parents and society at large expected of her. The beginning of an old man's dream of at least one among his heirs carrying the light of his discoveries into the future.

This refreshing debut book by the author, Jacqueline Kelly, was devoured and thoroughly enjoyed by the resident 11 year old, who has to often be-labour under expectations from her peers, and sometimes from elders, to conform to stereotyping by her gender. Be that in clothes, interests, behaviour, dreams or priviledge. She applauded with Granddaddy, when Callie Vee ensured that she is paid for her work during the harvest season, not just the boys, and when she stressed on her right to make a choice about her life.

A has loved the book, and has been recommending it to all her friends. It makes a lot of sense to her since she has been doing evolution and taxonomy at school this year. She also identifies with Callie Vee on a more basic level - she has often been the butt of jokes among her peers for being different - more science and literature minded than the average 11 year old girl, not so interested in what is considered 'cool behaviour.'

Here is some talk with the author, Jacqueline Kelly. I did a google-search for contact information, and Ms Kelly responded promptly and graciously to my questions, despite a busy schedule on account of the forthcoming release of a new book.

pic courtesy bookpeople.com

Me: You have a medical background. How and why did this book happen?
Jacqueline Kelly: I prefer not to talk about my medical past, but I can say that I have wanted to be a writer my whole life.

Me: Did the idea of using quotes from 'The Origin of Species' occur to you after the book was drafted, or was it one of the things that inspired the book?
Jacqueline Kelly: The quotes came after I had finished the book. I then read Darwin's entire work looking for appropriate quotes that would best fit each chapter. Some of them fit amazingly well, and some of them didn't. By the way, Darwin wrote the book for a general audience, and not for scientists, so it is an amazingly accessible read. I recommend it.

Me: Why was the story placed in Texas?
Jacqueline Kelly: The story was placed in Texas because it was inspired by a 150-year-old farmhouse I bought years ago in Fentress. The house in the book was my house. Sadly, it was struck by lightning and burned to the ground three years ago. I still miss it badly. I wrote large parts of the book sitting on the front porch as Callie did, waiting for something to hop or scurry or fly by and give me something to write about.

Me: I was deeply moved as I finished the book and put it down. Somehow I was not convinced that Callie's parents had taken her scientific temperament very seriously, and might renege on any support when Granddaddy is no longer around. Have you left Callie Vee's fate hanging like that on purpose? Is there a sequel in the offing that might put girls' minds at rest regarding that concern? (This is something that has been bothering my 11 year old daughter!)
Jacqueline Kelly: I didn't mean to be quite as vague as I apparently was about Callie's future. But fear not, there is a sequel in the works that will make everything clear! I have only recently started it, so I don't yet know when it will be published.

Me: That is certainly we would be looking out for. Speaking of sequels, could you tell us a little bit about your next book, Return to the Willows, that we are waiting eagerly for? I believe it is being released on October 23rd 2012.
Jacqueline Kelly: Return to the Willows was inspired by my life-long love of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, a book I have loved since reading it in bed with the flu' at age eight.
I have loved his book for so long, and his characters have lived in my head for so long, that I thought I would write a sequel as a tribute to him, my way of saying thank-you for creating Rat and Mole and Toad and Badger. (Well, maybe not Toad.)

That makes it three new books that we have on our reading wish-list. The Origin of Species, the full text of which is available here online, Return to the Willows and the forthcoming sequel that will tell us more about what happened to Callie Vee.

Cross-posted at Saffrontree.

It's CROCUS time at Saffrontree

Once upon a time, my daughter was scared of Math. It was not that she could not comprehend it. It was just a matter of being overwhelmed. She has always been a words person, content with immersing herself in language and literature- not surprising since we've always been passionate about reading.

Until I decided to take things in hand. For, in my mind, the sheer symmetry and perfection of anything in nature, as well as the conscious or subconscious use of math in the arts- paintings, sculptures, music...had much to do with math. Arts here would include language and literature too- they are inextricably interwoven with math. Look at the beauty of poetry- the rhythm, metre, cadence, patterns- they all have to do with math. If the problem is couched in words, one reads the words, translates them into mathematical terms, does the math, and expresses the answer again in terms of words.

Sciences are close cousins to math. They all require the input of data, the use of logic to work through that data, and come up with a solution. These processes, and the conundrums they present, have been there since the beginning of time. Humans have been aware of them and trying to make sense of them, ever since evolution bestowed on them the power of reasoning. The pre-historic uses of available material for cutting and hunting, for protection as clothing or shelter; the procuring and cultivation of food, the use of fire for cooking, are all uses of math and science for survival.

The human body itself is an amazing feat of engineering- the perfect machine. Unlike in lesser animals, the superior intellect of humans is capable of analysing, reasoning and planning. This is the main defence, as well as offence humans have against the stronger forces of nature. Use of science and math enabled humans to provide for their survival, as well as have the time, energy and resources left over to put down cultural roots. All of culture, in its myriad and endless variety, is thus an offspring of the early use of math and science by humans. The fruits of leisure, after the basic necessities have been met.

Our earliest stories, folktales and mythologies, too, have been an effort on the part of mankind to make sense of the amazing phenomena of nature. Sometimes the explanations thought of are in the realm of the fantastic; occasionally, they have come closer to what modern science has attempted to and managed to prove. For what are the stories of the Dashavatar anything other than an amazing attempt at explaining evolution as we now know of?

Subsequent advances in math and the sciences, especially those in the past 2-3 centuries, have done much to ease the lot of humankind, and improved our quality of life. In the process, though, we have been guilty of killing the goose that lays the golden egg. Indiscriminate exploitation of our natural resources have led to an untenable situation in terms of our ecology, If we are to bequeath a live-able world to future generations, we need to do something proactive about protecting the reserves that are still left. As well as work out eco-friendly methods of doing things that will sustain through many more centuries.

Children, and consequently parents, are often frightened of math and the sciences. To them, it is like an alien language. All one needs to do, however, 'is start at the very beginning', as Maria says in The Sound of Music- 'a very good place to start.' For musical notes too follow the logic of math, and that is what makes them so beautiful. Remember Irene from Enid Blyton's Malory Towers series- the music and math genius? That was a well-crafted character.

As for my daughter- as I said earlier, I decided to take things in hand. Clearly, there was something lacking in her mathematical and scientific experience up until then. The Montessori methods used in her early education had instilled a decided proficiency at the subject, yet she was faltering. As I have said, she was being overwhelmed by the enormity of it. Fortunately, math and science have a logic that is like building blocks of a building. Take hold of the basics, and work upwards, one step at a time. All I needed to do, was demonstrate to her that math and science could be fun, sit and work together with the logic and concepts, and viola...math and science are ogres no longer!   

So this is the theme for CROCUS 2012- MATH & ECO-SCIENCE.

And now, *DRUMROLL* unveiling our fabulous flyer- created by Saffrontree's very own in-house artist, Lavanya Karthik.

  
Come and join us in this celebration. And for all our readers - please share the news of CROCUS - blog about it, or share on Facebook, Twitter, or any other means you can think of. Participate, and have fun.

Cross-posted at Saffrontree .

Of Whipple-Scrumpets and Vexatious Teachers

Today is Roald Dahl's birthday, and I couldn't let the day go without a tribute. He was born on 13th September, 1916.

**********************************************

pic courtesy flipkart

Spotty Powder and other Splendiferous Secrets
Compiled and illustrated by Quentin Blake
Publisher: Puffin (Pocket Money Puffin series)

The book begins with a quote from his book The Minpins: “Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most likely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” This should be the guiding light for all who associate themselves with children’s books. Or any books at all. Or anything that raises one above the mundane. As Dahl’s books certainly do. He was a keen observer of his surroundings, human or otherwise, and each of the twelve chapters begins with his essay on the month or season.

Do you know…

…that there were as many as ten naughty children to feature in his most famous book Charlie and the Chocolate factory? These were to have names like Bertie Upside and Herpes Trout. Or that the Oompa-Loompas were to be called Whipple-Scrumpets?

…that the Roald Dahl-Quentin Blake partnership began in 1976, quite late in Dahl’s career, and that initially Blake was nervous about illustrating for such a famous writer?

…that Dahl kept two notebooks in which he pinned down any stray idea that entered his head, and that almost all his books came from these years later?

…that strange though it may seem to his readers, his English teacher at boarding school had written him off? “This boy is an indolent and illiterate member of the class.” “Vocabulary negligible, sentences malconstructed. Ideas limited.”

…that in the churchyard at Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, big friendly giant footprints lead to Roald Dahl’s grave?

pic courtesy flipkart

D is for Dahl

A gloriumptious A-Z guide to the world of Roald Dahl

Compiled by Wendy Cooling

Illustrations Quentin Blake

Publisher: Puffin books

It begins with a smudged copy of the Dahl family tree on page 1. The next 149 pages are cram-filled with alphabetically arranged snippets that will warm the heart of even the most reluctant of readers. All things Dahl : personal life, his books, quirks, his literary associates, his working style, his opinions about everything he came across- it is all there, in bite-sizes, and embellished with the zany illustrations of his friend and long-time illustrator, Quentin Blake.

Some our favourites are the Random Roald Facts in boxes:

He wrote his first ever story at the age of 10, titled “Kumbak II” about a machine that could tune in to conversations from the past.

From an essay written by him at school, describing his teacher: “He’s a short man with a face like a fried elderberry, and a moustache which closely resembles the African jungle.” On his teacher's cane: “It wasn’t simply an instrument for beating you. It was a weapon for wounding.” Do you see Miss Agatha Trunchbull from Matilda?

No wonder his teachers were vexed with him!

Here is a review of a proper biography, Fantastic Mr Dahl, written by Michael Rosen, on Guardian Children's Books.

Cross-posted at Saffrontree.

************************************************

Happy Birthday, Roald Dahl! You have given us - A and myself - some giggleworthy moments of childhood.

Malavika Shetty- the writer of The Sweetest Mango

She is a linguist with impressive credentials. The bio at the place she currently works reads:

Malavika Shetty is currently a Marion L. Brittain Postdoctoral Fellow at Georgia Tech, where she uses her background in linguistics to teach courses in multimodal communication. Her courses encourage students to think critically about the role of language in the media and in their daily lives.
Malavika received her PhD in Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin. Her areas of interest are linguistic anthropology, sociolinguistics, and narrative. Her dissertation, Television and the Construction of Tulu Identity in South India, looks at how television can be used by a community as an effective medium for language revitalization and maintenance.

Let me add here, that her particular field of work is one which has often fascinated me- linguistic anthropology- the development and propogation of language. There are a few books at hand on the subject that I would like to share here sometimes. Not really technical books, but easy reads for lay persons like you and me

She is also the author of a lovely children's book, The Sweetest Mango, published by Tulika books. A mouth-watering addition to their wonderful books for children.

As one of the winners of their mango blogathon, Tulika books sent me a copy of the book, and asked me if I would like to interview the author. Would I like to? Of course, YES! They introduced us to each other by mail. Malavika was very approachable and sweet. Even waiting a week or so that it took me to actually get down to sending her a list of questions, which she promptly replied to. Thanks, Malavika.

So here she is, Malavika Shetty, in her own words.

How did you conceive of the story idea?
I have always wanted to write a story about friendship and the close bonds formed during childhood. Also, I love mangoes, so I thought about writing a story about friendship, but also a story that was set during the mango season.

Tell us a bit about your childhood and background.
I grew up in the suburb of Bandra in Bombay in an idyllic neighbourhood where I played all day with lots of children. We went cycling, plucked and ate mulberries from bushes, played cricket and hide and seek…. My childhood was a never-ending summer. I am still in touch with the friends I grew up with and, when we meet, we speak about how much fun we had growing up together.
My family is from a village near Udipi (the village I describe in the book is my village), and almost every summer, my family and I make the trip to the village where there are lots of mango and coconut trees. My summer holidays, growing up, were spent doing exactly what Suma and Jyothi do in the book (except the walking to school bit!). I plucked mangoes from the trees surrounding the house. I ate lots of mango curry.

Did you have an experience similar to that of Suma or Jyothi, as a child?
While the setting of the story is similar to my experience of childhood in my village near Udipi, I do not recollect a similar incident of saving a mango for myself and finally sharing it.

How did you approach Tulika books with your story, and how did the journey of making the book go?
I have always loved reading Tulika books and enjoy reading them with my children very much. I also make up my own stories and tell them to my children, so the thought of writing a children’s book was always in my mind.  I was in Chennai one summer, so I walked into the Tulika office and asked about how I could go about writing and submitting a story to them. I was, very kindly, given an email address to which I could submit a story.  I got back to Atlanta, wrote the story, and sent it to Tulika. I was thrilled when they actually accepted the story for publication.

Ajanta Guhathakurta, the illustrator, is an established name. As I said in my review, "A drool-worthy book, with warm, summery illustrations by Ajanta Guhathakurtha matching the yumminess of the text."  How did you collaborate with her on this book? Check out this interview of Ajanta Guhathakurta by R's Mom.
Ajanta read the story and came up with the fabulous illustrations all by herself.

Your bio says:  "Her areas of interest are linguistic anthropology, sociolinguistics, and narrative."  Could you elaborate on that? How do you associate that with creative writing?
My research broadly looks at the relationship between language and culture. I look at how language is a crucial component that binds communities together and how it is an essential part of a community’s identity. My training and background is in linguistics, but I use tools from anthropology to look how language is used by a community.
My dissertation looked at how a Tulu-language television station in Karnataka could change the way Tulu is regarded. Having a call-in Tulu TV show gave community members an opportunity to voice their opinions and present different versions of narratives like folk tales and folk songs that have been part of the community’s oral culture for centuries.
Listening to folk tales and folk songs while I was doing my research has been an amazing experience. There are so many stories and wonderful descriptions contained in our oral cultures. These narratives are a source of inspiration for my own creative writing

Tell us some more about the 'mundappa mango' that the story mentions.
The Mundappa is a variety of mango found in the region of Karnataka that I describe in the story. It is one of biggest and fleshiest mango varieties, and, if eaten, when it is at its optimum moment of ripeness, is in my opinion, the sweetest mango in the world. The Mundappa has a distinct round shape and grows to be as large as a coconut. I used to see the Mundappa in trees far more often when I was growing up than I do now. It seems as though the Mundappa mango trees are giving way to other varieties, so laying ones hands on a perfect Mundappa is really a treat.

It is said that it is more difficult to write for children than for adults. What do you say to that as seen from the perspective of your profession, and as a children's writer?
I don’t think it is a question of ‘difficulty’. For me, it is more of a question of what I want to work on at a given moment. Sometimes I find that I want to write something that adults would read. At other times, I want to write something that children might enjoy. While I enjoy my work as a linguistic anthropologist and like writing about aspects of my work for an academic audience, I have discovered that I also enjoy writing for children very much.

Great, that means that we shall be reading more by you. Are there more books in the pipeline?
Yes! I loved writing The Sweetest Mango, and working with the editors and staff at Tulika has been a wonderful experience. I will certainly write more children’s books.

Crossposted at Saffrontree.

A delicious prize!

So I've won! And the prize is delicious. It is The Sweetest Mango.

Yes, yes, I know it is currently the mango season and all that, but this one, though closely related to those mangoes, is a bit different. I recently participated in a blogathon held by Tulika books on mangoes and my post was declared one of the winning entries. My prize :  A copy of this book.

Pic courtesy tulikabooks.com

The Sweetest Mango
Written by Malavika Shetty
Illustrated by Ajanta Guhathakurta
Published by Tulika books
Ages 5+

Do you remember that when you were a child, you probably had a very close buddy (a friend or a sibling) who you hung out with, with whom you shared every little secret, and who was your partner-in-crime for all the mischief that you got into? With whom you shared absolutely everything?

But sometimes you had something really tasty. You hoarded it, hid it from everybody, even your closest buddy and ate it bit by bit, all by yourself? Didn't want to share it with ANYONE?

I would do that. My mother would give me some guL-shengdaNe (jaggery and peanuts - a really yummy combination that I loved. You split open the peanut, and stuffed some jaggery between the halves, and then popped it into your mouth. Yum!) and I would be loath to share it with anyone. I would keep it in a box in a secret place, and eat it surreptiously throughout the day, making it really last. I was reminded of that as I read this book.

Suma is a little girl who loves mangoes in any form. There was, of course, the delicious, juicy fruit, but there were also the pickles and curries made at home that she relished.

Now, Suma has a bosom buddy, Jyothi. The two girls were neighbours in a village near Udupi, a coastal town on the mango belt near the western coast of India. The village had many mango and coconut trees, and there were some around their houses. Summer meant a surfeit of mangoes, and of course, they had to be got by climbing the trees, and eaten freshly picked from the branches.

There was a particular mango tree, the mundappa mango, that grew behind Suma's house. It grew huge, round and sweet mangoes. One day, Suma spots a really big specimen, bigger than a coconut.

'But it was still raw, and it would be a few days before it ripened to sweetness. 
Suma couldn't wait to eat it. "I won't tell Jyothi," she thought. "I'll eat it all by myself."

So what happens next? How does she get through the few days of waiting? Does she get to eat it? All by herself? What about Jyothi?

A book about the joys of friendship, and the carefree innocence of childhood. A drool-worthy book, with warm, summery illustrations by Ajantha Guhathakurtha matching the yumminess of the text.

A read the book within ten minutes of its arrival at home, and was smiling as she finished it. I suppose she, too, was thinking of the way she is often loath to share some of the goodies she gets from her grandparents' place when we visit. And how we sometimes enjoy them better when shared!

Crossposted at Saffrontree.

****************************************************

A word about the mundappa mango. It is a variety that I have not heard of. I did a google-search for it, and came across this article from the Metro Plus section of the Mangalore edition. Quoting from it:
"The Mundappa has a distinctive taste and develops sweetness in its very early growing stage. Even when ripe, its colour will still be green, but a reddish tinge on the top indicates that the fruit is ready for consumption. If allowed to grow to its full size (some growers do) each Mundappa can weigh as much as 450-500 grams. Though they are a local variety, the fully-grown Mundappas arrive in the market only during mid-season."

Another article, this time a blog post from a farming blog, SundayFarmer, laments the gradual disappearance of local and wild varieties of the fruit due to a demand for the 'more marketable' varieties like the alphonso, totapuri, dasheri, etc. Quoting:
"‘Mundappa’ is another local variety that many people in Dakshina Kannada district would readily recall. Ayurveda specialist Dr K.S. Kamath, from Manchi village, says this variety originally came from the compound of a house on Dongarakery-New Chitra Theatre Road in Mangalore.
A red variant of this mango used to grow on three trees in the heart  Mangalore city until a few years ago. None of them can be found today as a posh shopping mall stands on that land. Ironically, the hypermarkets at that mall stock a range of hybrid mangoes, but the local red mundappa can no longer be had for love or money."

A mango locally grown and known in the western coastal mango belt around the Mangalore area, this, along with the many others which are just as or sometimes even more delicious than the commercially known variants, needs to be preserved and propogated for future generations.

A sad state of matters, indeed. Like the 'goti mango' that I remember from my childhood. A very small, very sweet variety that is not to be seen anywhere these days.

.

Maurice Sendak and Leo Dillon : a tribute

Two notable illustrators, both Caldecott award winners, passed away this month. One is also a writer, and almost a household name for those who know their picture books. Maurice Sendak, who passed away on 8th May 2012 at the age of 83 and Leo Dillon who passed away yesterday, 30th May 2012 at the age of 79..

Do a google-search for Maurice Sendak, and the first few links thrown up (other than the recent obits) will be for his Caldecott winner book Where the Wild Things Are (1963) This book, along with In the Night Kitchen (1970) and Outside Over There (1981), formed a sort of trilogy. I say a 'sort of trilogy' because they do not comprise parts of a contiguous story. Authored and illustrated by him.

All of these can be read aloud to children as young as 3 years old, and older. The kind of classics that can be read over and over again, well into adulthood and beyond, and we can gain at every reading. They deal with the dark side of little children, the side that is real, but which we, as a society, are often in denial about. Or if we do recognise it, we can only deal it by doling out punishment. When all it takes is a little bit of validation from a parent, and treating it as the grey area that it is. After all, all human beings have some good along with some bad. Grown-ups are just that much more able to keep it in check.

Published by HarperTrophy 

 Max is your regular, mischievous little boy, with an active imagination, and a penchant for getting into trouble. Sent one day to his room without any supper. A room that magically transformed into a forest- where the wild things were! Giving Max a chance to work off his angry feelings. A chance to send these wild things off to bed without there supper. Letting him come back to the reality of the safety of his room and a hot supper; the parent too has had a chance to cool off!

Sounds familiar? The book has been made into a lovely movie, that reads between the lines of the very spare text, and gives us the back story on Max. Watched it recently on DVD, and is worth every rupee spent on it!

Published by Red Fox books
Random House

I was reminded of the chapter in 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' as I read this one. The way, we are told, of handling the boggart that frightens you, is to laugh at it, to recognise the ridiculous in it - which changes it to something we can have control over.

Children are characteristically afraid of the dark, and of things that go 'bump' in the night. In this story, we see Mickey coming face-to-face with his fears - of the dark, and of being mixed into the batter for tomorrow's cake and baked - and his gaining of an upper hand. Happens a lot of time, doesn't it? Maybe a story that the child has read/ has been read to, or something that it has seen or heard, gets into the dark recesses of the subconscious, only to surface in a dream. Happens to us adults too!

Published by Red Fox books
Random House 

Which first-born child hasn't wished the next-born away? There is no doubting the bond between siblings, but there is always sibling rivalry. Ask any parent of more than one child.

Ida has been asked to keep an eye on her little sister while her mother is a little busy. Something that she does because she has to do.

"Ida played her wonder horn to rock the baby still - but never watched."

The goblins come in and snatch the baby away. So now Ida goes to the rescue. She goes all the way outside over there, where the goblins have taken her baby sister away, tricks the goblins, and gets the baby back home.

Here is a review of another notable book by him at Saffrontree.

******************************************************

Our other Caldecott winner is Leo Dillon, who is one half of a team with his illustrator wife, Diane Dillon. Their illustrations are larger than life, with a lot of detail, rooted in African culture. The couple is the only recipient of the award two years in a row.

The first was awarded in 1976 for Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears,  reviewed here on Saffrontree by Tharini. (Do click on the link to read). We loved this tale from West African folklore, which goes on and on from one animal to another, in the fashion of a neverending tale, coming full circle finally to the mosquito.

Their book that won the Caldecott the following year, 1977, is
Ashanti to Zulu : African Traditions.
Written by Margaret Musgrove
Published by Puffin Pied Piper
Ages: 8+

An alphabet book with a difference - for older children who already know their alphabet. The book takes one African tribe for each alphabet, and gives us a peek into their culture, traditions, lifestyle and history. With vibrant, richly detailed illustrations.

As we read through the book, we realise how varied life is for people fairly close in geography, and yet human beings are so much the same all over the world.

Two more books illustrated by the couple have been reviewed on Saffrontree here and here. Do hop over and read.

Pics courtesy flipkart. Crossposted at Saffrontree.