I am The Black Diamond Express. I am a superfast weekly express from Howrah station Kolkata in West Bengal to Dhanbad. My inaugural run was on 1^st July 2013. I am Coalfield express’s sibling as we both have the same loco WAP 7 of Howrah electric loco shed. We both travel from Howrah to Dhanbad. Being a daily train, I am busy as I have to take the passengers back to their homes and on their journeys every day. I love children a lot – and they love me so much.

Enters Coronavirus

One day I heard the driver was talking to a person about a lockdown. Some virus named Coronavirus had come from China. People were dying, so lockdown was started. I was shed with all my friends like Coalfield, Jan Shatabdi, Poorva, Shatabdi, Duronto and Rajdhani. The driver patted me and said that we need to be safe or else we will fall sick, so all trains were closed. I felt very sad and was crying. I was missing the driver, all the children and also the passengers. I was also missing the outside view of Nature like green trees, crops, the rivers flowing under the bridge. Seeing me so sad Coalfield said ‘Knedona knedona…sob kichu thik hobe…amar babula’. (Don’t cry, everything will be fine).

I was in the shed for a long time, missing all the good golden memories I had while I travelled. I remembered women carrying babies in their laps, the first journey of children. And I also often thought of a small child named Roopo, who really loved me and used to travel from Asansol to Howrah. Roopo always said hello to me, waving his hand, and shared his stories and songs with me.

While we were in the shed, Shatabdi was called for his special duty. So, I called cousin WAP 5 to take Shatabdi and make children happy and help the passengers. I felt gloomy and thought, ‘When will my turn come?’ Before leaving, Shatabdi gave me a peck on the cheek. Some trains were released.

Finally….

One day, on 12^th February, my ‘annaprasan’ started. I got new coaches. I was thrilled and on the 13^th, I was released to do my special duty. All the children were happy. I was the Howrah Dhanbad Special train who wanted to give happy memories. When I went out on the tracks, I felt so glad as I finally got the fresh air of Nature. I looked around and saw trees dancing with happiness, rivers clapping, clouds were crying with joy and all the plants were hugging. The passengers again started travelling. They were all wearing masks. They were happy to see me. All the kids were proud to see me because I was back. All the compartments were back. The AC compartments made me chilly while the sweet breezes from the Non-AC Compartments uplifted my mood.

Click to Read More Stories By Our Young Writers.

I am looking forward to seeing Roopo travel in my coaches again. I love that child Roopo and he too loves me. The Boy Roopo Visited Me & spoke to the engine driver and I felt happy. I want to continue my journey and make everyone happy again.

By and lots of love,

Black Diamond Express

About Diptanu Chakraborty

Diptanu Chakraborty, currently studying at standard 7 at The Cambridge School, has started his storytelling journey when he was only 4.5 yrs. His mum was the sole listener to his 4 line stories. He is fascinated with dragons, dinosaurs, volcanoes, trains and interprets the world in his own creative way with vivid descriptions. Seeing the usual stuffs in an unusual way~  may be the most important virtue of any writer and Diptanu is blessed with it. He also tends to bring in elements he is scared of like lightning, cockroach, airplanes and deals with them in a fun manner in his stories. And, if you have ever known that High Functioning Autistic children have communication problems then his stories will make you rethink!
So, let’s explore Diptanu’s world of imagination!

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.

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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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The post Recommended storybooks for kids in English (3- 10 years) appeared first on KolkataFusion.

Priyanka Mukherjee is one of those rare Indian authors who have the qualities that we had mentioned above. She being a teacher as well as a mother, understands child psychology pretty well. And that understanding has inspired her to write short stories for children. The book ‘Jungle Stories With Tim The Tortoise’ is her debut book of stories for kids in English penned with passion and warmth.

In this review, we’ll discuss the book’s features we really liked and a few aspects we are concerned about. But, before we discuss those, do you know fantasy books boost children’s imagination? In this digital world, when everything is right in front of their eyes, reading fantasy books and getting introduced to a world that doesn’t exist encourages kids to see things differently.

A brief idea about the book

Tim, a grand old tortoise, is the favourite storyteller of the jungle kids like a baby elephant, a fawn, birdies, young squirrels, etc. He narrates stories on ice cream, penguins, ships packed with fantasy and emotions that would move every child.

The interesting features of Jungle Stories With Tim The Tortoise:

• Colourful illustrations that please our eyes and generate interest in our children.
• The choice of the theme, i.e., jungle, serves as the perfect theme of short bedtime stories for kids.
• The grand old tortoise, Tim’s narrations, has the warmth that our grandparents’ fantasy tales used to have.
• The plots around which the stories are woven are unique and would keep them hooked to the book until they finish reading it.
• The children who love animals and enjoy fantasy stories would cherish this book.

The features which could have been worked upon:

• The book’s illustration is ideal for 5-6 years kids too, but sadly, they’ll have difficulty with the sentences’ average lengths. So, parental guidance will be required.
• More simple sentences could have been used.
• Too many characters in the stories might distract young kids and confuse them.

Overall, the book is beautiful. We highly recommend the book for the kids of age group 7 – 10 years who love reading and listening to fantasy stories. The catchy illustrations make it a good buy for parents of 5-6 year kids, too.

So, order the book today for your little one and spend some time in the fantasy world of Tim the Tortoise by visiting this link – https://www.authorpriyankamukherjee.com/blank-page-1

The post Jungle Stories With Tim The Tortoise – Book Review appeared first on KolkataFusion.