New Picture and Chapter Books for October!
We received some truly magical books this month! Two books talk about spirituality but with such genuine and beautifully narrated stories. One chapter book is a remastered classic. Two books are about nature and the environment in their own special ways. Find out what's in store this month!
This delightful picture book published by Kalpavriksh is such a great story. Young Zara sits alone all evening in a dump yard on Sunderbaag Street. One day, she meets Miss Gappi, her old craft teacher from school, who loves to talk a lot.
At first, Zara is irritated but feels compelled to listen. Miss Gappi slowly and cleverly stirs Zara's interest in her surroundings. She brings grain and seeds to feed the birds in the dump yard. She plucks a bottle from the garbage heap and turns it into a bird feeder. She finds smart ways to get Zara to clean up and to find something to look forward to in her otherwise humdrum life. Zara had lost her mother and her father was too caught up in his work to pay much attention, so her newfound motivation is much needed in her life. Zara mobilizes her community to clean up Sunderbaag Street and in the end, there is a surprise twist!
The story by Nandita da Cunha is inspired by a community project that revived a forgotten park in Bandra's D'Monte Park garden. The project resulted in much more than just a revival of the park -- to this day, every Sunday, an enthusiastic group of volunteers across all age-groups meet at the space, which they call 'Dream Grove' to preserve this park.
We love how this book doesn't just teach about cleaning up, recycling, and keeping the environment clean but is also such a wonderful and heart-warming story. Priya Kuriyan's mixed-media illustrations are magical!
Cover photo courtesy: Anita Satyajit