Review: Miss Rumphius

Via Saffron Tree

Miss Rumphius
by Barbara Cooney

Ages 4-8

Publisher: Puffin

Once upon a time, little Miss Alice Rumphius lived in a city by the sea, with her grandfather who came to America many years ago. She shares a special bond with her grandfather, listening to his stories of faraway places and assisting him with his paintings. On her grandfather's knee, she declares that when she grows up she too will travel the world, and she too will live by the sea, very much like her grandfather.

But, the grandfather says, "That is all very well, Alice. But, there is a third thing you must do."

And what is that? "You must do something to make the world more beautiful".

And that is exactly what Miss Alice Rumphius sets out to do. She travels the world, meets many people and makes many friends. And finally, after injuring herself while climbing down from a camel's back, she finds a place by the sea for a quiet life.

But there is still one more thing I have to do, she tells herself. The world is nice as it is. What can I do to make it more beautiful? she wonders...

Little Alice then tells us the story of what her great-aunt Miss Alice Rumphius did to make the world more beautiful, and earn the nickname The Lupine Lady: she scattered lupine seeds everywhere, and let the blue, purple and rose-colored lupines make the place more beautiful.

Read the entire review here.

The book is available on Flipkart for Rs. 330. We did not find anything cheaper through our quick search. Do you know a better source?

Children's Film Festival, Mumbai

Via Pratham Books: Children's Film Festival, Mumbai

Venue: American Center Auditorium

Entry: Free of Charge, first-come, first-served

Children under age 14 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian

Saturday, April 24 -- 11 a.m. -- FernGully –The Last Rainforest – 76 mins
Age: 6+
Director: Bill Kroyer © 2001
Genre: Animation | Adventure | Family | Fantasy

FernGully - The Last Rainforest
The fairy people of FernGully have never seen humans before, but when Christa sees one, Zak, she accidentally shrinks him down to her size. But there is trouble in FernGully, for Zak is part of a logging team who is there to cut down the forest.

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Friday, April 30 -- 2 p.m. -- Born Free – 95 mins
Age: 6+
Director: James Hill © 2003
Genre: Family | Drama | Adventure

Born Free
Joy Adamson and her husband, Kenya game warden George Adamson, raise Elsa, a lion cub. When Elsa approaches maturity, Joy determines she must re-educate Elsa to living in the wild so that the lioness can return to a free life.

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Saturday, May 8 -- 11 a.m. -- Dumbo – 64 mins
Age: 6+
Director: Ben Sharpsteen
Genre: Animation | Family | Music

Dumbo
The stork delivers a baby elephant to Mrs Jumbo, veteran of the circus, but the newborn is ridiculed because of his truly enormous ears and dubbed "Dumbo". Dumbo is relegated to the circus' clown acts; it is up to his only friend, a mouse, to assist Dumbo to achieve his full potential.

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Saturday, May 15 -- 11 a.m. -- The Aristocats – 78 min
Age: 6+
Director: Wolfgang Reitherman © 2008
Genre: Animation | Adventure | Family | Music

The Aristocats
The beloved, pampered housecat of a retired opera star in 1910 Paris finds herself stranded in the countryside with her three children, the victims of a plot by their owner's butler to cheat them out of a huge inheritance. They must find their way back to their home and owner, with the help of an independent-minded tomcat and other animal accomplices, while evading the butler and foiling his plan.

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Saturday, May 22 -- 11 a.m. -- The Wizard of Oz – 101 mins
Age: 6+
Director: Victor Fleming (Motion picture: 1925) © 2001
Genre: Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Musical

Wizard of Oz
In this charming film based on the popular L. Frank Baum stories, Dorothy and her dog Toto are caught in a tornado's path and somehow end up in the land of Oz. Here she meets some memorable friends and foes in her journey to meet the Wizard of Oz who everyone says can help her return home and possibly grant her new friends their goals of a brain, heart and courage.

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Saturday, May 29 -- 11 a.m. -- ET -The Extra-Terrestrial – 115 mins
Age: 6+
Director: Steven Spielberg © 1982
Genre: Adventure | Drama | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

E.T., The Extra-Terrestrial
Elliot is your normal boy, until one day, when he meets a little lost alien. Elliot decides to keep the alien, in which he gives the name E.T. Elliot works with E.T. in trying to find him a way to get back home. Elliot must make the difficult sacrifice. Whether to help his new friend or to lose him? Whatever the decision is, Elliot must keep him hidden, as someone else is out to look for him.

Once Upon a Time in India

Dhani longs to join Gandhiji on the Dandi march, but his father says he is too young to walk the distance. Can the adamant young boy convince Gandhiji to let him go along?

This is 'Marching to Freedom', one of the books in the series published by Pratham Books, written by Subhadra Sen Gupta and illustrated by Tapas Gupta.

There are four books, and each tells a story that stands alone -- interesting, exciting, original, always with a little twist at the end. They are set in different periods of Indian history, and bring detail alive -- clothing, architecture, culture are all woven effortlessly into the story.

'Raza Meets the King' is set in the Mughal period -- during King Akbar's time.

'A Royal Procession' is set in Pataliputra in the time of Emperor Ashoka.

'Sailing Home' is a story about the children of a sailor during the Pallava period in Tamil Nadu.

All four books deserve a place in any collection of books for children!

Each book costs Rs. 25. Visit Pratham Books for more details.

Beverly Clearly Turns 94

From the School Library Journal

An excerpt from the interview...

What are some of the highlights of your career?

Oh, my goodness! (laughs) The lovely letters that I’ve received from children, parents, and teachers. My original readers have grown up. In the last few years, to my surprise, I have received letters from men saying they were grateful to me for writing books that they wanted to read when they were boys—and that’s why I started writing in the first place! I wrote Henry Huggins (HarperCollins, 1950) because when I was a children’s librarian, there was almost nothing contemporary for boys. A little boy changed my life when he said, “Where are the books about kids like us?” All my books are still in print. The awards I’ve won are the frosting on the cake. I’ve had an exceptionally happy career. It’s been happy all the way and it has lasted a long, long time.

Read the entire article

The Top 100 Children's Novels Poll

From the School Library Journal Blog

This is a wonderful project -- a poll that culminated in a list of the top 100 children's novels of all time. Each book links to insightful and useful comments by readers. The entire project and hence the list of books is, of course, US-based.

Have a look at the list! It is exciting to know that Story Revolution does come across most of the books! The others, marked in grey, are either books we have not yet come across but hope to soon, or which we do not plan to keep in our collection.

Read the entire article here.

#1 Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

#2 A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

#3 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter is so popular that we feel no need to keep the books :) )

#4 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

#5 From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg

#6 Holes by Louis Sachar

#7 The Giver by Lois Lowry

#8 The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

#9 Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

#10 The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

#11 The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

#12 The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

#13 Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

#14 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

#15 Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

#16 Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

#17 Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

#18 Matilda by Roald Dahl

#19 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

#20 Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

#21 Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riodan

#22 The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo (we have been dying to find this book!)

#23 Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

#24 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

#25 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

#26 Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

#27 A Little Princess by Francis Hodgson Burnett

#28 Winnie-the Pooh by A.A. Milne

#29 Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland /Alice Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

#30 The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper

#31 Half Magic by Edward Eager

#32 Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien

#33 James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

#34 Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

#35 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire JK Rowling

#36 Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume (We have reservations about many of Blume's books, because they seem to feed on as well as solidify 'teenage emotion'. We feel there are other writers who bring these emotions up in far more sensitive ways)

#37 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor

#38 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

#39 When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

#40 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

#41 The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

#42 Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

#43 Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary

#44 Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

#45 The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

#46 Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

#47 Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

#48 The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall

#49 Frindle by Andrew Clements

#50 Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

#51 The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright

#52 The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

#53 Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

#54 The BFG by Roald Dahl

#55 The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson

#56 Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

#57 Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary

#58 The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken

#59 Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

#60 The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

#61 Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

#62 The Secret of the Old Clock (The Nancy Drew mysteries) by Caroline Keene

#63 Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright

#64 A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck

#65 Ballet Shoes by Noah Streatfeild

#66 Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary

#67 Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville

#68 Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

#69 The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

#70 Betsy Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace

#71 A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

#72 My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett

#73 My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

#74 The Borrowers by Mary Norton

#75 Love That Dog by Sharon Creech (another book we are dying to find!)

#76 Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

#77 City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

#78 Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes

#79 All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor

#80 The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

#81 Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

#82 The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

#83 The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

#84 Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge

#85 On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder

#86 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

#87 The View from Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg

#88 The High King by Lloyd Alexander

#89 Ramona and her Father by Beverly Cleary

#90 Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (surprised to find this book so low on the list!)

#91 Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar (we have felt some of these stories can be insensitive)

#92 Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

#93 Caddie Woodlawn by C. R. Brink

#94 Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome

#95 Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

#96 The Witches by Roald Dahl

#97: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo (another long-desired book!)

#98 Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston

#99 The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks

#100 The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

Books from Daily Dump

Thanks, Chintan, for sharing this article by Vinita on Citizen Matters

Disgustingly Cool Books for Kids. Hearing the title, I was certainly curious to know more. I decided to meet Poonam Bir Kasturi (founder of Daily Dump, which offers home composting solutions in Bengaluru through a range of services and products), the person responsible for these publications.

The sleek set of five booklets, published by Daily Dump, introduces concepts of environment-friendliness, waste, sustainability, consumerism et cetera to children in an interesting and engaging manner.

.....

This set of five books (together priced at Rs.100) encourages young children to question some of the choices in their daily lives, discover the connections between these choices and issues of ecology and sustainability. For instance,

Where do you think the cleanest water comes from?
What is yucky?
Why do pizzas seem cooler than rotis?
What if I don’t say enough?
What are the not-so-cool stories behind every product we buy?

Read the whole article

We are trying to include these books in the Story Revolution collection. Meanwhile, you can buy the books straight from Daily Dump - the article gives contact information.

New Books!

The Story Revolution bookshelf is overflowing with new books! Here are some glimpses of our riches...

For the first time, we found the 1966 Newbery winner 'I, Juan de Pareja', a novel in autobiographical form, telling the story of Juan de Pareja who was born a slave of the artist Diego Velazquez. Being a slave, he was legally prohibited from painting, but was inspired to secretly study Velzquez as he worked and paint his own pieces . The story is based in 17th Century Spain and will be enjoyed by middle and older readers.

"In all respects, I, Juan de Pareja is sharply chiseled and exquisitely proportioned." -Los Angeles Times

We were excited to find two copies of one of our old favourites, 'Pippi Longstocking', in beautiful condition! Written by Swedish author, Astrid Lindgren, this is a book about a fascinatingly independent and resourceful little girl who lives in a house with just her pet monkey and her horse. Pippi has a unique perspective on most things and a life full of excitement!

Our Beverly Cleary collection has been restocked. We have a few copies of a book of hers we especially like, 'Ramona and her Father', which is also a Newbery Honor book. Ramona's father has lost his job, and the Quimby household is impatient and irritable. All Ramona wants is for everyone to be happy again. We see her trying to make a million dollars, trying to help her father quit smoking, and finally trying to be happy herself in these difficult times.

We found a lovely hardbound edition of Karen Hesse's 'Witness'. Karen Hesse is a brilliant writer, winner of many awards, including the Newbery Medal for 'Out of the Dust'. 'Witness' takes place in 1924, as the Ku Klux Klan begins to move into a quiet town. The subject of this book is racism, its permeation into small town life, and the quiet way different people choose to stand up to it. Written in free verse poetry and told from the point of view of many different characters, this book may be confusing for some readers, especially those not very comfortable reading. Other readers will love it, though, for its fascinating subject and diverse characters.

We have picture books this time too -- Dr. Suess, Eric Carle, several copies of another of our favourites, 'Guess How Much I Love You', and many other books with delightful stories and illustrations.

Have a look at our catalogue (excel file) on the Story Revolution website.

The Man Who Planted Trees

This is a touching story, by Jean Giono, about a solitary shepherd who plants a hundred seeds every day for decades, oblivious to the two World Wars that come and go, creating a marvelous forest on once barren land!

In all our book hunts, we have only ever found one copy of this book, which, of course, went to Shibumi. I do hope we will chance upon more copies to be able to distribute. In the meanwhile, here are some wonderful resources I have come across on the internet:

A pdf of the original book with woodcuts from Arvind Gupta

Just the original text

And videos on Youtube of the beautifully animated film based on the book:

Part 1 of 3

Part 2 of 3

Part 3 of 3

100 Cool Teachers in Children's Literature

From A Year of Reading:

On July 23, 2006, the idea to try to list 100 Cool Teachers in Children's Literature was born. Franki wrote,

"We're looking for thoughtful teachers who understand kids and learning and are active, intelligent people who love their work."

Some of the teachers on their list were,

Jo March in Little Men, Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott
Professor Bhaer in Little Men, by Louisa May Alcott
John Brooke in Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Ida Bidson in The Secret School by Avi
Ms. Isabel Hussey in Chasing Vermeer and The Wright Threeby Blue Balliett

Miss Parker in Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink

Miss Temple in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Mr. Ratburn in the Arthur books by Marc Brown

Miss Binney in Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary

Mrs. Granger in Frindle by Andrew Clements

Miss Stretchberry in Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
Mr. Birkway in Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

Miss Honey in Matilda by Roald Dahl

Madge Bettany in the Chalet School series (UK) by Elinor Brent Dyer
Miss Annersley in the Chalet School series (UK) by Elinor Brent Dyer

Mrs. Delphinium Twinkle in Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

Miss Agnes in The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill

Mrs. Olinski in The View From Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg

Ms. Minifred in Baby by Patricia MacLachlan

Miss Stacey in the Anne books by L.M. Montgomery

Anne Shirley in Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
Mr. Carpenter in the Emily books by L.M. Montgomery

Miss Edmunds in Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Miss Barbara Harris in The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson

Dumbledore in the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling
Professor Lupin in The Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling

Kit Tyler and Mercy Wood in The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

Stuart Little in Stuart Little by E.B. White

Laura Ingalls in the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Eliza Jane Wilder in the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Find the entire list on 'A Year of Reading'

or

Find some of these books on our catalogue

I was excited to see the Chalet School series on the list. I haven't thought of these books in a long time, but I loved them as a child, and used to invent all kinds of make-believe games based on the characters and stories. I wonder if I would still think them as wonderful now. I didn't realise they were so old and that there were so many books in the series - I just looked them up, and Wikipedia says there were 58 books published between 1925 and 1970!