Subhadra Sengupta was an Indian writer based in Delhi. She was born in June 1959 and had a master’s degree in history. She was the winner of Sahitya’s Akademi’s 2015 Bal Sahitya Puraskar. Of the many books, she wrote, I have read only a few. And have thoroughly enjoyed them. One of her books, Mystery of the House of Pigeons, was adapted into a television series for Doordarshan as Khoj Khazana Khojer. Most of her books are genres of historical fiction and non-fiction. But she also wrote travelogues, comic strips and detective stories. She lost her battle against Covid19 in the year 2021.

A few books I have read are Let’s Go Time Travelling, Let’s Go Time Travelling Again, Kings and Queens, A Flag, A Song and A Pinch of Salt and Mostly Ghostly Stories.

Let’s go Time Travelling

The book Let’s go Time Travelling describes the lifestyle of people from the Harappan Civilization to the British era. Its sequel, Let’s Go Time Travelling Again, gives us a broad picture of the various occupations of ancient India. I loved these two books as they had a lot of information about ancient civilizations depicted humorously.

To buy the Let’s Go Time Travelling, Click. And to buy Let’s Go Time Travelling Again, Click here

Kings and Queens

Kings and Queens is a book about famous and mighty emperors and empresses, like Chandragupta Maurya, the ruler of Magadha, was the founder of the Mauryan Dynasty. And Razia Sultan was an empress of the Slave Dynasty. Although she was a woman, that didn’t stop her from becoming a great ruler. Krishnadeva Raya of the Tuluva Dynasty was a powerful king of Vijayanagar. He was a fierce fighter, a book lover and even wrote poetry. Noor Jahan was the youngest of all the wives of Jahangir. But with sheer willpower, personality, courage & political skill, she gradually became the centre of power.

To buy Kings and Queens by lesser-known Children’s Writer – Subhadra Sengupta, Click here

A Flag, A Song and A Pinch

A Flag, A Song and A Pinch of Salt tell us about the lives and achievements of famous freedom fighters like Ambedkar, Abul Kalam Azad, Annie Besant, Sarojini Naidu and many more. I learnt a lot about many freedom fighters I didn’t know previously.    

Buy the book online     

Mostly Ghostly Stories

However, Mostly Ghostly Stories is a very different book. It contains spooky and mysterious stories and elements of suspense, fun and courage.

Buy Mostly Ghostly Stories online

To read about Edaan’s Safari expereince, follow the link : MY FIRST JUNGLE SAFARI EXPERIENCE

I would like to read more books written by Subhadra Sengupta in future. If she had been alive, I would have interacted with her and thanked her for the good reads about historical events and other subjects.

Edaan Ghosh

Edaan Ghosh, a class IV student of Bhavan’s Gangabaux Kanoria Vidyamandir, Kolkata, is a passionate reader and loves to prod into the history of India. He has an extensive interest in the people, culture, religion and occupation of ancient India and also the world. While searching for books on the history of India for young readers, he and his mother stumbled upon the books by Subhadra Sengupta. Thus, a small tribute to his beloved writer on her Birth as well as Death Anniversary.

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The digital world and progressions in technology have altered the way of life. Undoubtedly, it has made students’ life more competitive and full of anxiety and restlessness. To calm the mind, children’s imagination needs to be aroused. It should be channelised towards more comforting and simple things like the chatter of a stream, chirping of birds, various scents coming out of house kitchens and bazaars. Children need to know how to respect nature as well as relationships with fellow humans. Lockdown due to the pandemic has enhanced the stress of school children who are going through a virtual school life, where they keep on studying without physically meeting their friends during recess and after school. That warmth is undoubtedly missing in the current scenario. On the other hand, this is the right time to get back to reading and re-living that warmth that is genuinely missing in today’s world. 

Reading is a habit – how to encourage your child to read?

Eight Ruskin Bond Books for children

One author who is widely read and widely loved all across the nation is Ruskin Bond. So, here are eight books by India’s favourite oldest child Ruskin Bond, that can help school children to tranquilise their mind for a while and befriend some crazy, roguish and imaginative children.

Getting Granny’s Glasses

There are some feel-good stuff, places and moments in everyone’s life. This book lets you live this feeling. The children can experience different colours of nature and learn to observe simple things around them that usually go unnoticed. Aren’t kids and old-aged persons alike? The joy of savouring the magnificence of nature has been best portrayed by Mr. Bond through Granny’s eyes. The book offers visual descriptions of life in hills and shows the simplicity and caring nature of humble hill folks amidst the harsh conditions in the hills.

The Eyes of the Eagle

How responsible and strong hill people are! They have to adapt themselves according to harsh climatic and high-altitude conditions. Their never-give-up attitude is the backdrop of this story. This book is set in the Tung valley, where Shiva resides in his highest abode, Tunganath temple.  It narrates the story of a boy Jai, his dog Motu, a few of his people, and their intrepid endeavors to save their herd of sheep from the evil claws of a golden eagle and its mate.

Angry River  

In this story, there’s one river, an island, a girl, her grandparents, a boy and a tree. That’s all. Fighting for the necessities and against all the odds of nature is the essence of this book. So, the thing that keeps the readers hooked to the book is the aloofness of the setting, away from the crowd, noise and modernisation. The story reveals how impertinent nature can be. But what may come, the spirit of these people never let them give up.

Though the story is about the flooding of the island and its nearby villages, it profoundly tells the struggle of people residing in these kinds of areas where bare necessities of life are hard to earn and present challenges in keeping life on a move. The book is about the courage that these people exhibit in hard times and always start afresh after any kind of natural distress.

The Road to the Bazaar 

This book is packed with lively scenes of a small hill town in Northern India. It lets the children experience the simple but exuberant life of a hill town. Some joyous children indulge in such mischievous and inventive activities that make life pleasant. You’re going to experience an unusual zoo made in the backyard of a house; watch the race of some atypical animals (ahem! insects); some gossip full of laughter; music of the flute; a day spent on an old tree; and many more.

This book is everything that a child can imagine. So, are you, fed up with the humdrum of city life? Have no time to perceive the primitiveness of life? Go grab this book.

The Blue Umbrella  

It is a delightful and fascinating story that teaches the virtues of benevolence, sacrifice, and letting go. It is tough to let go of what you love with passion, but keeping human relations above material fancies is what matters most. This is what Binya, the pretty and brave girl discovers at the end of the story. Her life was full of adventures after she gets her most dear possession, the blue umbrella. The way the beauty of the blue umbrella and everyone’s longing for it is described shows the exceptional art of storytelling of Mr. Bond.

A Long Walk for Bina

Through the story, Ruskin Bond has introduced the children to the flora and fauna of Garhwal hills and the changing landscape through human intervention. The controversial issue of the Tehri Dam is dealt with thoughtfully. So, children will be compelled to think about the effects of such kinds of interventions in the natural landscape.

Is development more important or the conservation of nature in its original form? This book highlights the effects of such kinds of invasions on not only wild animals but also on the residents of that particular area. This story with beautiful visual vocabulary is certain to make you happy and considerate of your surroundings.

Friends in Wild Places 

The book celebrates Mr. Bond’s unusual friendships. Befriending everyone he meets is an exceptional quality of Ruskin Bond. But the unusual point is that he befriends not only human beings but also plants, animals, birds and insects. This is the reason that his stories always have something related to wildlife.

This book commemorates Mr. Bond’s unique friendships and encounters with some unusual wild creatures. This book is the best way to let children know about wildlife through some captivating stories.

When I Was A Boy

Living in the magic of the world, conceived by Ruskin Bond, while reading the timeless tales penned down by him, sometimes there’s an urge to know about the life incidents that turned him into a marvelous storyteller. Here is the book with a comprehensive account of his childhood days and a concise description of his living in a room on the roof before moving to England. This astonishing book is attractively embellished.

You get to see the chubby little Ruskin tucking in cookies in his mouth. The little boy Ruskin looking through the windows of many colours while strolling through the ruins of a Jamnagar palace. And a growing young Ruskin doing his first dance at a ball in Dehra.

To Conclude

I can write so much more about the beauty of the literature under the name of Mr. Bond, but I think these books are good enough to start with. These books will give comfort, warmth, and pleasure to our young readers. It will help them to nurture that imagination which is very important in every stage of life. So, pick up any of the above books, go to a comfortable place, and dive into the world of Mr. Ruskin Bond.

About Ekta Kubba

Ekta is a Science teacher in a Punjab-based government school, but her heart ponders for literature. She is an avid reader and an ardent fan of Ruskin Bond, she is administering a fan group on Facebook, entitled ‘Ruskin, the Radiant Bond’. Staying at home during the 2020 lockdown enabled her to realize her long-cherished dream to pen down her thoughts. Her writings can be read on her Facebook page ‘The Writing Nerd’.

The group, Ruskin, the Radiant Bond can be reached here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/925991211175469/

Her page, The Writing Nerd, can be reached here: https://www.facebook.com/The-Writing-Nerd-111755207220177/

Disclaimer:
*The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of www.kolkatafusion.com. Any omissions or errors are the author’s and KolkataFusion does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.
** We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a small commission if you purchase products via our website. Your purchases support us in bringing you informative and fun-filled articles.

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All illustrations in the story are done by the author himself.

Once upon a time, there was a town named Contigo. That place had a huge museum and a monstrous bank. One night, a gang came to the town. They looted those two places. After they had finished, a bell rang— TRI……IINGGGGG!!!! The police were all around. The gang- leader told the others,” We should hide in our secret base!”

They had a secret base in a nearby city. They secretly went to their base and hid themselves and the items they stole.

There was a police officer with six friends in Contigo. They were searching for the gang and the items they stole. They saw a man who saw the truck that belonged to the gang. The investigators asked him the number plate of the vehicle. The man replied,” The truck’s number was- HEM42MC1439. It was a red number plate with white letters on it.”  One of the six friends told the others,” There is a chance that this information may help.” So, they resumed the investigation.

While investigating, they found a numberplate broken into pieces. They matched the broken pieces and could identify the numberplate. They realized that this was the original numberplate of the gang’s truck. The officer said suspiciously,” They threw it may be because they didn’t want their vehicle to be easily identified.”

Also read: Autobiography of Black Diamond Express

Eventually the 7 friends found a wee bit of information from the number plate. The information was sent to the news channels so that if people see the truck, they could easily identify it and alert he police. Finally, one day, someone called and reported about the thieves’ secret hide-out.

The police officer and his six friends got ready to catch them. They followed the caller’s directions and reached the secret lair. They entered carefully. The room was dark inside and they heard low grunts. They kept looking for the sound source. They found a door. When opened, they saw a few hanging clothes. They moved those aside and discovered a secret tunnel. As they stepped in, SWOOOOOOSH!!!…they were teleported to a secret arena.

In front of them was the gang they were searching for and a huge Gollum stood beside them. They also discovered another Gollum standing right behind them. Their Gollum stepped in front of them and started fighting.

The good Gollum almost got defeated. Just then, the friends distracted the evil Gollum. The good Gollum healed itself and defeated the evil one. Hen the gang leader busted the good Gollum with his Bazooka!

The seven friends started fighting. The gang leader tried to escape but got hit by a stone thrown by one of the friends. He fell!

 Everyone was arrested and put behind bars. The treasure stolen was finally put back to where it was. The police officer and his friends were praised a lot.

About Sourish Majumdar

Sourish is an 8-year-old multi talented kid living in Bangalore. He is an avid reader and a die hard Transformers fan. He loves painting, elocution, music and writing stories.

The post Seven Friends To The Rescue appeared first on KolkataFusion.

বাবা, মা আর বোনের সাথে আমি ২০১৯ সালের ডিসেম্বর মাসে কাজিরাঙ্গা ন্যাশনাল পার্ক ঘুরতে গিয়েছিলাম। আমার বন্ধু রংমন গৌহাটি তে থাকে। আমরা ওদের সঙ্গে গিয়েছিলাম।

প্রথম দিন আমরা জিপে করে জন্তু দেখতে গেলাম। সেখানে আমরা অনেক বাঁদর, এক খড়্গের গন্ডার, হাতি, বুনো মোষ, হরিণ, জেব্রা আর অনেক সুন্দর পাখি দেখলাম। সেদিন খুব মজা হয়েছিল। একটা কালো বুনো মোষ আমাদের জিপের সামনে দৌড়ে রাস্তা পেরোলো। ‌ আমরা সবাই খুব ভয় পেয়ে গেলাম। পরের দিন সক্কাল বেলা আমরা এলিফ্যান্ট সাফারিতে গেলাম। আমি এমন সাফারি প্রথমবার করলাম – তাই খুব মজা লাগল। হাতির পিঠে করে আমরা জঙ্গলের ভিতরে গেলাম।

ওখানে একটা গন্ডার ছিল- সাথে ছিলো ওর ছোট বাচ্চা। আমি মাকে বললাম বাচ্চা গন্ডারটাকে ট্রলিতে ভরে বাড়ি নিয়ে যেতে। আমরা একটা মা হরিণকে দেখলাম শুয়ে থাকতে, মনে হলো ওর বাচ্চা হবে। অনেক কচ্ছপ দেখলাম নদীর ধারে রোদ পোয়াচ্ছে। আমি ওখানে একটা সবুজ বড় কুমিরও ছিল। শীতকাল বলে আমরা অনেক পরিযায়ী পাখি দেখতে পেলাম। একটা কাঠঠোকরা ছিল। একটা বড় রঙিন ধনেশ পাখি গাছের ফল খাচ্ছিল। আমরা ওটার অনেক ছবি তুলেছি।

For more stories by kids in both English and Bangla, click here.

কাজিরাঙ্গা থেকে ফেরার আগে আমরা হাতি, গন্ডার, কচ্ছপ ইত্যাদির পুতুল কিনে এনেছি। কাজিরাঙ্গার কথা আমি কখনো ভুলবনা।

কোথাই থাকবেন আর কি করবেন জানার জন্য: Kaziranga National Park, Assam.

Archisha Bhattacharya

অর্চিষা ভট্টাচার্য্য আইআইটি কানপুরের প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়, ক্যাম্পাস স্কুলের চতুর্থ শ্রেণীর ছাত্রী। অবশর সময়ে, আঁকতে এবং বই পরতে প্রচণ্ড ভালবাসে। অর্চিষা নাচ ও শেখে – অবশ্য সেটা আপাতত বন্ধ আছে COVID-19 এর জন্য ।

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By introducing your kids to the hobby of reading, you will be opening a new vista about the world around them. The habit of reading can nurture them into better persons. They may not be world leaders, but they’ll undoubtedly bring positive changes in the lives of the people they’ll meet in their lifetimes.

Our friends and family members keep asking us about which books to buy for their children, which books to read aloud, or how to introduce books to them. So, in this article, we will be recommending a few books with which your kids can start their reading journeys. Some of them had been our favourites, too, when we were children!

Recommended English Story Books

Age Group 3 to 6 years

Bedtime Stories by Little Pearl Books

Each book has a short story written in bold alphabets and expressive illustrations, making it easier for early readers. Stories like The Hare and The Tortoise, The Horse and The Lion, The hen that laid the golden eggs have been read by us when we were kids and they still grab the interests of the little one.

Buy the books

Read it yourself with Ladybird

The Read It Yourself books are divided into different levels. You can pick the level depending on your child’s ability to read. The series includes traditional tales like The Goldilocks and the Three Bears, popular characters like Peppa Pig, modern stories like Jon’s Football Team, and non-fiction stories like Astronauts. The beautifully illustrated books and written by language learning experts, keeping in mind the structured language progression to help children develop their cognitive skills.

Buy Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 books.

Pepper Series Set 1 (Set of 6 Books)

Written in simple language with boldfaced letters and expressive illustrations, these books are good to introduce your child to some good manners. Like Pepper, the chubby bubbly puppy solves his daily challenges, your child also sees the world around him/her in these books.

But the book online.

Board Books by Paragon Books

With these books, you can open a new world of imagination to your new readers and develop their reading interest. The sturdy pages of the story for kids in English make it a perfect introductory segment for your little ones who can handle them as they want. And their expressive illustrations can grab their attention from the moment they set their eyes on the books. 

See their collection and pick the books of your choice.

The Giant of Jum by Elli Woollard

The Giant Jum by Elli Woollard and award-winning illustrator Benji Davies is an incredibly rhymed text with a clever twist. His images add loads of fun and children enjoy hunting for the not-so-hidden animals in them. The book with the kids as the multiracial crew also comes with a strong message.

Buy the book.

A Treasury to Read with Mummy

With this book in your hand, neither you nor your kid will ever run short of stories. This explicitly illustrated treasure of 80 stories is perfect for reading together. It contains stories that have been passed through generations and still have the power to seize the kids’ attention.

Buy A Treasury to Read with Mummy or A Treasury to Read with Grandma and fill your little one’s childhood with beautiful stories.

Wondering how to develop the habit of reading in your child, read Let’s encourage our kids to read

Age Group 6 to 10 years

Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales

Fairy Tales take us to the world of fantasy and what would be better if the same fairy tales talk about humanity and harmony? Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales talk about the common human beings with their virtues and vices. The stories are so beautifully written that they would go a long way in inculcating good values in your children.

Buy the book.

Suggested read: The book about the world of wild animals.

Matilda by Roald Dahl

In his unique storytelling style, Roald Dahl conveys to the elder kids the possibility this world holds for them – they just need to try. It’s a delightful story about a little girl, Matilda, who learns to read, all by herself and by the time she’s in school, she finishes off all the kids’ books. But, alas! None recognises her talent until she meets her class teacher. Kids above six years old start developing their opinions and they can perfectly relate to this school-going child.

Buy the book online.

The Magic Drum and other favourite stories by Sudha Murthy

Sudha Murthy is one of the best Indian writer who writes simple story for kids in English. The sparkling collection of stories by her breathes lives into the characters. And even a seven-year-old can sense the humour in them. With a subtle, hidden message and easy-to-understand language, this book can conveniently fit into your child’s library.

Buy the book.

Great Stories For Children by Ruskin Bond

Iconic children’s author and classic novelist Ruskin Bond write about the petite beauties of life. His stories instill faith in humanity and are very soothing in the fast-paced world. Introduce your kids to his stories from childhood and encourage them to find joy in things they see around them. His intricate writing will transcend you to the mountains and build your kids’ initial connection with nature.

Buy the book online.

The Puffin Keeper by Michael Morpurgo

An ideal book to introduce to the school-goers to introduce them to the power of friendship. Through Benji’s top-notch illustrations and Michael Morpurgo’s words’ kids will learn life-long lessons and understand the meaning of consequences. It’s a book that’ll enchant readers of all ages.

Buy the book. 

As we have already mentioned, the world of books is vast and it opens a new horizon for the kids, we hope you and your child enjoy reading the above-mentioned books.

We have stated some of the best stories for kids in English and in our next article, we’ll share the story for kids in Bengali.

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