House of Stories - A Book Club for Children

The Friends by  Rosa Guy The saying, ‘A friend in need is a friend indeed’, goes right about Edith, the only friend of Phyllisia, the lead character in the story The Friends by Rosa Guy. Phyllisia with her snobbish behaviour instead befriended Edith only if she needed her. Edith stood by her when students in the class booed and bullied her. Since then Phyllisia knew, though she hated to be seen with ragamuffin like Edith, she needed her the most. After all Edith is the only friend she has in Harlem. Her bond with Calvin her father is diminishing. She did things to spite him like bunking classes, staying out late with strangers. After her father chased out Edith of the house, Phyllisia did not bother about checking on her even when she heard Edith’s brother Randy had died.  Amidst all chaos she lost her mother, her only solace. Instead of being with her Phyllisia indulged in the diversions of youth, desperately avoiding her guilt feelings for not being there for Edith.

The House on Hummingbird Island      by  Sam Angus Snatched it at the first sight. I pleaded my kid to choose this book instead of Geronimo Stilton from the public library (too much of Stilton in her blood…by reading them of course).The name ‘ The House on Hummingbird Island ’ itself was soothing like chimes in the wind. The book opens to a magical world of Idie Grace, a twelve year old heiress who was transported to Caribbean Islands from the grey old England. You can imagine her surprise at living in a sun-kissed land full of vibrant colours. What waited for her was mysteries in the majestic halls and closed rooms of her inherited mansion, the once home to her parents she never knew. In the land where everybody spoke in whispers and in riddles she did not understand, Austin befriended her and gave her all sorts of exotic pets a lonely child of her age longed for. The adventures and frolic in Idie’s childhood gave way to the complexities of youth. As you read on the stor

Merle Hodge Merle Hodge Born in Trinidad in 1944, Merle Hodge along with her 3 sisters were taken care of by her grandmother. Raised up by the tough lady, she became bold and   independent. Merle Hodge was one among a very few who attended secondary school. She later won a scholarship to join for Undergraduate Degree and later for Masters in Philosophy. Merle Hodge is the first African Caribbean to publish a novel, Crick Crack, Monkey in 1970. It was followed by another book, For the Life of Laetitia for young adults. Her writings, reflects the colonial education, culture and lifestyle of the colonized. Her books throw light into the racism, gender discrimination and social divisions during post colonial period. In addition to the novels, Merle Hodge has also written short stories, essays and articles on her observation on the Caribbean families and society. Books Written by the Author: Crick Crack, Monkey For the Life of Laetitia The Knots in English: A Manual

For the Life of Laetitia  by Merle Hodge For the Life of Laetitia - Front Cover For the Life of Laetitia I am glad I bought this book. For the Life of Laetitia is a must-have in our children’s collection.  I u sually do not go for those books that has a smaller font size and a very little spacing between the lines like in this book or suggest it for children either, but this is an exceptional book and I recommend it for your children. Once in a while let our kids drop those fantasy books and read some realistic stuff like these. The language is simple and vocabulary is easy to understand even for the young readers. In short, I got hooked to it as soon as I started reading. For the Life of Laetitia- Back Cover In For the Life of Laetitia , Merle Hodge has beautifully captured the dreams and life of Laetitia, a young Caribbean girl, who became the first one ever in her family to attend secondary school. In spite of poverty and racism she strives to achieve wh

Tale of Beatrix Potter – Know the Author The celebrated children’author Helen Beatrix Potter was born on 28 July 1866 to Rupert and Helen Potter in Kensington, London. Both her parents were from an artistic background and they encouraged both their kids to draw. Beatrix had a habit of writing journal in codes. She is known for her simple tales for children. What made her stories unique is that the beautiful drawings of nature and animals that complimented the stories were drawn by herself. Beatrix Potter in Her Childhood Most of her animal characters were taken from her life. Beatrix Potter kept a lot of pets like rabbits, mice, frogs, snakes, lizard and even a bat. It was her rabbit, Benjamin that became an inspiration to write Peter Rabbit. The second rabbit she owned was named Peter Piper. Every year she and her family traveled  to Scotland to spend the summer, which was her favourite time of the year when she explored the countryside. No wonder her stories have the fl

The Tale of Benjamin Bunny Benjamin Bunny - Beatrix Potter The Tale of Benjamin Bunny is in fact the continuation of  The Tale of Peter Rabbit . Benjamin Bunny, Peter’s cousin brought Peter a good news. McGregor has gone out with his wife and they could get Peter’s blue coat and little shoes back. Peter looked rather funny wrapped up in a red pocket- handkerchief. So sad his plight that he could fetch sympathy from you. The Tale of Benjamin Bunny Water Colour This time it was Benjamin who was walking around with confidence, bragging about how he and his father visit the garden every Sunday and get lettuces for the dinner. But poor Peter is still recovering from the previous day’s incident. Like the cat in an adage, he was on alert, half expecting for something bad to happen. Beatrix Potter - Water Colour Round the corner, they saw the farmer's cat and hid under the basket. Things turned out to be worse. Cat on the top of the basket and Benjamin’s father

The Tale of Peter Rabbit In today’s post I would like to show you the book I found in a Second Hand local exhibition. TADAA … The Tale of Peter Rabbit . Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit - Beatrix Potter-House of Stories Yes, it was pure luck! I found it lying amidst second sale books, neat and fresh with a powder blue hardcover, bigger and different   than the rest of my book series. You do not need much of an introduction about Peter Rabbit as he is an important   and a well-known  character by Beatrix Potter.  The bunny in a blue jacket is the naughtiest among the brood and with quite an appetite for adventures. I tell you, it is not his fault that some of his adventures turn into disasters. Ahem. Beatrix Potter has to come out with some cute and interesting stories for children, right?   Peter’s Mother’s story about how his father was made into a pie by McGregor was enough for a normal rabbit to stay away from the farmer. Peter Rabbit and hi

The Tale of Tom Kitten Tom Kitten - Beatrix Potter The Tale of Tom Kitten by Beatrix Potter is about how Mrs. Tabitha Twitchit, a Mother Cat who bathed and dressed up her kittens - Moppet, Mittens and Tom in the fine outfits for an evening tea to which her friends were invited. Being in a hurry to finish her chores, she let her kittens out to play. What happened next does not need much guessing. Tom’s struggle to stay inside his clothes proved to be in vain. Jemima Puddle Duck also comes in the story. However, the kittens had to stay back in their room, while the guests came in. A few illustrations from the book: Water Colour- Beatrix Potter Beatrix Potter - Water Colour The Tale of Tom Kitten by Beatrix Potter beautifully portrays the mundane and sometimes exasperating life of mothers. The naughty brood and their adventures will definitely invoke laughter in kids. The monotonous routine like Mrs. Tabitha Twitchit go through can be easily related to the st