"Oh, The Places You'll Go!", by Dr. Seuss

Dr Seuss (along with Roald Dahl perhaps) doesn't need introduction and this one's a little obvious entry on our blog but it's the most indispensable one. "Oh, The Places You'll Go!" , is a timeless speech/book/advice/essay made ever so special by exquisite illustrations. Dr. Seuss, for many kids and adults, is a major part of their childhood literary scenes- and quite deservedly so.

The things that Dr. Seuss discusses in this book are mundanely simple, blatantly banal but perfectly relevant across ages. Seussville is a place of dreams and there's hope for everyone in Seussville.Whenever you or your little ones are about to end one phase of life and enter a new one (think kindergarten, first grade to second, high school, graduation, jobs, marriages and parenthood), this book can be all the advice you will ever need. Perfectly rollicking rhythm to his words was a gift that Dr Seuss enjoyed. He will warn you that life is a great leveler, 'a balancing act', but there's a lot of fun to be had as well, if you know where to look for it. He has quietly sneaked in some reading motivation for kids as well.

Dr Seuss assures (and with 98.75% confidence!) not only your kids, but you as well, that you are going to fly high and fall deep, but fear not, life is indeed about ups and downs. Isn't that what every philosopher said?

This, by far, is our most favorite of Dr Seuss books. There are many other good ones as well, but none so relevant and wise for all age groups.

We look forward to hearing your comments and here's a special discount for you guys on Amazon.

Title of the Book: Oh, The Places You'll Go!

Author: Dr. Seuss

Age Group: 3-6 (but really, it's good for everyone)

"The Book with No Pictures" by B.J. Novak

The title gave it away, didn't it? You will surely never come across books like The Book with No Pictures too often. The author, Mr Novak, is an award winning humorist and acclaimed actor. But this endeavor from him has now largely become his claim to fame.

Writing a good book is difficult, as admitted by the best in the business. Most influential of writers are often little prolific (think Joyce or Woolf). Now, think one step ahead. Writing a good book for children must then be EXTREMELY difficult. As Dostoevsky famously said, children can be the harshest of the critics. So, when thousands of kids across the country absolutely adore a book, you can be sure that the book is worth your attention.

The Book with No Pictures has no fuss about it. There are no pictures in it, as you would guess (duh!). Kids often get glued to this one once they open the first page. The book affectionately calls upon its fledgling 'readers' to say whatever the book says. What happens once kids start 'read+saying' this book can only be described as a laughter riot. The words like BLUURFF and GLIBBITY GLOBBITY are just the beginning. With very clever arrangement of text size, fonts and colors, the effect achieved is really pleasant and creative. This book is a perfect choice for a little get-together for kids. You would think that it would be an uphill task for a book without pictures to grab the attention of the kids. But all you have to do is take a look at how good this book looks with just text.

So, our advice is, for once, let the kids read this one to you. This book without pictures, yes absolutely no pictures is charmingly silly and hugely entertaining.

Here's a little video of kids and the author trying to have some fun with a book that doesn't like pictures at all!

A hardcover copy is available on Amazon at discounted price here. 

Title of the book: The Book with No Pictures

Author: B.J. Novak

Age Group: 6-8

"The Day the Crayons Quit" by Drew Daywalt: A deserving bestseller

                                   

There's a reason why many students at any given school in America would point to this one as their favorite book today. Children's books, as a trend, have tended to be limited in approach. However, this one is a tad different. Apart from being a bestseller, The Day the Crayons Quit is a very well put together parable as well.

As many would know, children don't like monotony. Kids' stories strive hard to drive monotony away. Why should their crayons get stuck in monotonous roles all the time then? That's a fairly legit question and that's what Drew seems to be asking us. One day, out of the blue (forgive the pun), all the crayons just decide to quit. They have apparently had it and now is their time to lodge some protest. Black crayon doesn't want to do the menial job of bordering and green is sick of being used as grass. Blue seems to be bored with sky and ocean while yellow wants to be used for something more than the sun. 

It's really interesting how children can imagine their own stories with this plot. After going through The Day the Crayons Quit, every single time they color a page, they will definitely try to think out of the box and utilize their creative powers to use the colors differently. Isn't that what management schools call 'creative resource management'? Well done, Mr Daywalt!

                                          

Speaking about the illustrations, there's very little room left by Oliver Jeffers (who himself is an acclaimed author of Once upon an Alphabet ) for complaints. The pages are smooth, well bound and extremely easy to go through. 

So, to conclude this review, all that can be said is that this is a very well finished work of art and parents will definitely enjoy it as much as children, if not more. Good books (and good books for children are no exception) are the ones that are worth your time and this book stands to that test quite well.

You can buy the hardcover copy at a discounted rate from here.

Title of the book: The Day the Crayons Quit

Author: Drew Daywalt

Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers

Age Group: 3-7

"Corduroy" by Don Freeman : Just about a perfect book for kids

Corduroy, the hero of the book, is not an everyday hero. He's just a little teddy bear -that universally loved and adored species- who gets stuck at night in a department store. But, his story is definitely one of the best loved kids' stories and that makes "Corduroy" an automatic selection to kick start this new blog that deals with quality children's books. Good books for kids are hard to come by in this day and age of Internet and we hope this effort helps parents find some perfect selections for their kids.

There are many books with toys coming alive, but Corduroy being there in almost every American home for close to 50 years, now enjoys a league of his own. The story of Corduroy, put in perfect little steps makes for a great nighttime tale. Lisa, another character in the story, is just as likable and not many kids would find it difficult to put themselves in her shoes. The desperation that Corduroy feels when he gets secluded in the store, the joy he experiences when little Lisa buys him 'a home' and the picture perfect happy ending would definitely leave the kids - and even the parents- satisfied in a way that only a good book can leave them.

                             

Children's books often fizzle out in intensity and leave a lot to be desired. Corduroy, on the other hand, doesn't flatter to deceive and is without a doubt an enchanting experience. It's a bit like reliving your childhood while telling the story to your kids- a classic sign of a good kids book!

You can buy a solid hardcover with impressive illustrations here. For better experience, an unabridged Audible recording of this book is also available here.

Please share your and your kids' experiences with Corduroy in the comments section. If you have a great recommendation for fellow parents, do let us know through comments or emails. And of course, if you little one wants to pen a review, we will be more than happy to publish those.
Happy reading :)

Title of the book: Corduroy

Author: Don Freeman
Age group: 3-7

Type: Illustrated book with large font (double check with your edition)