Parks and Recreation!!!

Yesterday I was talking to a friend back in the US where we’d lived for three years, and as every Indian in the US would do, she asked me if we miss living in the US. I had no hesitation in saying that I actually didn’t and in fact, it now seems as if we’ve never lived there at all! But after our brief chat, I began to think….is there something I really miss about the US? Of course, driving on the US roads is a pleasure whereas driving here is a pain! But one thing I really miss about the US in general and Portland in particular are it’s open spaces and parks that have a little something for everyone one in the family - a children’s park, a jogging track, open lawns with stone benches to settle into with a book in hand or picnic tables for families to enjoy their evenings snacking on their picnic meals while their kids play!  In Bangalore’s defense, however I must say that the Garden city does boast of some good old parks, like the Cubbon Park, the Lal Bag, the Coles Park and other local parks in the inner suburbs and it all depends on us to make the best use of the available resources. After all, the grass is only greener on the other side!:-)

For today’s reading prompt of garden for the 30 books in 30 days challenge, we first read “The Green Ship” by Quentin Blake.

 

Two children explore the neighbouring garden, come across a giant bush neatly pruned to form the shape of a ship. As they climb on the green ship, they befriend their neighbours, an aging couple who engage the children in a pretend play of all kinds of sea adventures, including steering the ship through a heavy storm (which is a real storm)… that almost destroys the ship!  This book subtly touches upon various facets of life and growing up viz. neighbours, friendship, aging, imagination, nostalgia, complemented by quintessentially Quentin Blake illustrations …… a must read for all kids aged five and above!

Speaking of parks and playgrounds, we also read “Ruby Nettleship and the Ice Lolly Adventure” by Thomas and Helen Docherty and illustrated by Thomas Docherty.

 

Ruby loves climbing, sliding, running and jumping in the playground. In the park near Ruby’s house, all the playground equipments are in a rundown condition, except for the swing. But one day, even the swing comes crashing down, much to the disappointment of all kids. Just as all the children leave the park dejected, Ruby stays on to find a ice cream van approach the park. As the lady in the ice cream van offers Ruby her last ice lolly, Ruby polishes it off clean to find the words “plant me” written on the ice stick. Ruby plants the ice lolly stick and a multicoloured shoot pushes its way up through the soil and sprouts new branches that in turn twist into a beautiful swing. As Ruby launches herself on the swing, the branches sprouted more ladders and poles that in turn blossomed into swings and slides.

The magnificent playground then grows and takes over the rest of the city, taking along other children with it. Soon the adults join in too stalling the traffic and all other routine activities in the city. Ruby is then gently nudged into the mayor’s office by the playground branches. As she entered the mayor’s office, she sees a familiar figure seated at the mayor’s desk. Does the mayor understand Ruby’s concern for a place for everyone to play without having to wait for swings or slides? Read on about the magical adventure of a little girl that brings a rundown playground back to life!!! I love way the author mixes fantasy with real world issues and tries to inculcate a sense of responsibility towards one’s community. Not to forget the detailed illustrations that wonderfully represent a city downtown while at the same retaining the colour and vibrancy of the suburban green landscape. So here’s hoping for another ice lolly kind of an adventure like that of Ruby’s in Namma Bengaluru!!!!

A Mo Willems memory!

 

I read somewhere that old books are like old family albums….they bring back memories! I couldn’t agree more! I have always found it nostalgic to browse some of the books that I had read as a young girl – all those Nancy Drew or Hardy boys adventures or the Malory Tower series by Enid Blytons or the Jane Austen classics or the Blandings and Jeeves Series by P G Wodehouse or some of the Jeffery Archer fiction or the legal thrillers by John Grisham …..Ah! How I wish I could turn back time and relive those books once again! The old books also spark memories of the  days that were, for instance, Nancy Drew adventures has me thinking of my middle school days or John Grisham’s books take me back to my college days when I aspired to become a lawyer (though I stopped reading them once I became a lawyer!) or “A Suitable Boy” by Vikram Seth brings back fond memories of a time immediately after my marriage when I had read it. It’s the same with some picture books that you might have read to your little one! Recently I stumbled upon one such gem at the British library that transported me back to our good old  Hillsboro library of Portland, US. I couldn’t help but pick it up to relive those memories with Abhay…..after all memories are all we have of the time gone by!  

Surprisingly Abhay had no recollection of that book, considering that he remembers many of the Mo Willems books that I used to read to him regularly. This one is titled “"Naked Mole Rat gets dressed"” by one of our all time favorite authors, Mo Willems of the Knuffle Bunnyfame.  Unfortunately not many of his books are available in India and I have them picked up through a friend or a relative visiting from the US. If somebody from Hyperion Books is reading this, please include India in your distribution network.  So today I had Abhay read another book by Mo Willems titled “Should I share my ice cream?” an Elephant and Piggie Adventure that Abhay so loves. Elephant loves ice-creams and jumps to buy one ice-cream cone for himself. Just as he is about savour his "awesome, super, sweet, tasty and yummy ice-cream", he wonders if he should share the ice cream with his best friend Piggie, who loves ice cream too. To share or not to share – that is the question that bothers Elephant to no respite! The Elephant at first tries to rationalize why it would be wrong to share an ice cream with Piggie which is of a flavor not to Piggie's liking until he gives in to his conscience and admits that the flavor of his ice cream is indeed of Piggie’s liking! Elephant then lets his devious side in as he finds no reason to share when Piggie is not around and she needn’t know at all! But being the loyal friend he is, Elephant decides to share his ice cream with his friend after all…but alas! it’s too late as the ice cream melts down and falls to the ground!  Elephant is inconsolable when Piggie walks in and cheers him up with an ice cream in hand!  And they eat happily ever after! J I have had Abhay read this book a number of times and loves the way Abhay nods to Elephant’s reasoning for not wanting to share the ice cream…..a hilarious book that helps children understand the value of sharing without being too preachy. Read “Should I share my ice cream?” to your little one over an ice cream of course!

The place we call 'Home'!

I can’t believe it’s already one year since we returned to India after our brief stint in the US. Though our stay in the US was only for over three years, it was long enough to change our lifestyle, our perspective towards life, our outlook towards parenting and our understanding of what’s important in life! In short, our stay in the US changed our lives and I am thankful for it! At the same time, it also made us realize that our ultimate destination was in fact India and no matter how long we stayed in the US, this realization would continue to haunt us! We also realized that the longer we stayed, the harder it would be for us to leave! So we took a call and moved back to a place that was once our home,  not sure of whether we would be able to make it our home once again, after having spent three years in a land that changes one for good! At the risk of sounding like a US returned snob, I must say that initially, we felt disoriented doing everyday things like crossing the main road, with all kinds of vehicles headed in all kinds of directions! We missed having oatmeal for breakfast (Quaker’s oatmeal just doesn’t taste the same here!) and continue to miss Netfix and Starbucks! We kept comparing Americans with Indians and complained about how Indians lacked etiquette or basic civic sense! We found ourselves constantly converting Rupees to Dollars to see if we would’ve embarked on the same expenditure had it been the US! On a personal note, I had also forgotten how to function in a joint family set up, having spent the last three years not being answerable to any in-law! J One year's up and our life in Portland seems so distant and removed from our current set-up that it almost feels like another life….or at best a dream fading away from memory! In one year, all of three of us have not only managed to comfortably settle down in our new “old home” but tried to blend in some aspects of our American life with our life in “namma Bengaluru”! So I can safely say that, in one year…it feels like we never left! J

I guess Abhay has been the happiest with our move. Except some intermittent references to his Portland friends and Portland’s freeways (which even I miss), Abhay is home! So today, celebrating one year anniversary of our change of address, I read “Sameer’s House”  by Deepa Balsavar and Deepa Hari and illustrated by Nina Sabnani. This book can also serve as an introductory lesson on geography for your little one. This is about Sameer who lives with his family in his house located on a narrow crowded street called Saraswathi street, in a busy city called Mumbai which in turn is the capital city of the State of Maharashtra that is a part of a populous country called India. India is one of the countries in the largest continent of Asia on a planet called the Earth that rotates around the sun in the solar system that is a part of the universe. The  last page carries a few names with their addresses detailed just as Sameer’s. As for Abhay, he may not realise it now, but Abhay has come a long way from Abhay Karanth, NW Overlook Drive, Hillsboro, Oregon, USA, North America, Earth, Solar System, Universe, to Abhay Karanth, Silver Oak Street, Bangalore, Karnataka, India, Asia, Solar System, Universe!  

Going home in rain!

After a couple of false alarms, the monsoon is finally here! For me, rain and clouds are a throwback to our Portland days where it was and still is perpetually raining! But after having ‘suffered’ through Portland’s rainy weather (Sorry, if I appeared to have turned Brutus on Portland’s weather, I admit  there were times when I truly enjoyed it!) , I thought I was prepared for the Indian rainy season this time ….but how wrong I was! Though the 2012 Monsoon is a “watered down” version of the previous monsoons, one heavy downpour in a city like Bangalore disrupts everything, resulting in water logged roads, or slushy puddles on half paved roads, traffic jams, power cuts, private hires like autos refusing to take in customers, etc. God help you if you have walk on the roads soon after a heavy shower...or if you think you are better off in your vehicle ....think again. Some roads get so inundated that you car might need an oar instead of a wheel!  I’m not sure if it was no different before or it has turned from bad to worse now or maybe that I have been out of touch with getting around on a rainy day in a quintessential Indian metropolis lately, but rain is certainly no fun in Bangalore, particularly, when you are stuck outdoors! At the same time, there is nothing like watching the rain from your upper floor balcony, or cuddling up with a book when it’s pouring hard outside or coming home to the smell of freshly fried pakoras on a rainy day!

Anyway, last night I read a book titled “Going Home in the Rain” by Nancy Strickland and illustrated by Jigma Lodey which might as well as have been my story everyday as I return home from work on a rainy evening, as Abhay always rides home comfortably in a school bus. This is a story of an eight year old girl named Tshering Yangzom who lives in the mountainous region of Bhutan and has to cross three rivers to get to her school every day, which they enjoy on except when it rains, when the water level rises. Tshering crosses the river along with her three close friends, Pema, Sonam and Tashi. One day it began raining heavily and Tshering was worried that rivers may swell making it impossible for Tshering and her friends to cross them. She confides in her teacher who lets the entire gang leave early and not only that, she asks the school cook Maymay to help them cross the river. What follows is a wild white water adventure across three rivers with Maymay carrying the girls across the first, all of them riding a horse across the second and building a makeshift bridge to cross the third river and not to forget Tshering quick thinking that finally gets them home safely. The next day is a clear day and as Tshering reaches school, the whole school is abuzz with her act of bravery that had save the “rainy” day! Here’s hoping your experience of going home in the rain will not be as “extreme” as Tshering’s ….enjoy the monsoon everyone!

A memorable Story....and Story time!

Though it will be almost a year since we got back from the US, there are some things we still miss. I’m not sure of Abhay, but I certainly miss driving him to the Hillsboro library every Tuesdays between 6.30 PM and 7.00 PM for family story time. There were times when the weather was awful, or we’ve been horribly late (that used to happen almost every time!) but I made sure we went for at least two of the four story hours every month. In fact, I had made friends with many Indian moms attending the story time the same time. Abhay especially used to enjoy attending the story time if he had the company of his good friends Gauri and Keshav. Anyway, if you’ve ever been to a family story time in the US, you’ll know that children of all ages - from infants, toddlers, preschoolers alike attend the story time. But whether they pay full attention to the story being narrated is a different question altogether! The story time usually began with reading of picture books with simple plots and then graduated to slightly complicated themes. Usually the story teller/children’s librarian will structure a few finger-plays or sing- alongs in between stories so as to hold the children’s attention lest they get restless. Even parents were encouraged to join in the singing and movement activities so as to get their shy kids to participate. So guess who was a more active participant – Abhay or his mom? J

Of course a few children’s libraries like Just book branches and the Hippo campus in Bangalore do hold story times on weekends, but they are either inconveniently located or have only limited seats available that always get filled up by the time we get there (a story of most free events in India!) So when Hippo Campus announced a reading of a Tulika children’s book  by the author herself, I had to make it to this one! Sure enough, we managed to get to Hippocampus just in time …..and even made to Tulika's May Newsletter that featured the very same story time with Abhay’s photo published along with the author and the other kids!!! Wow…Abhay attends one story time in Bangalore and he is famous!!!! J Anyway, today I picked up the same book that was read at Hippo campus story time, “Miaow!” a Bilingual picture book from Tulika publications by Alankrita Jain and translated by Sandhya Rao. I must say that we loved her rich and colorful illustrations especially of the cats, the rain and the moon in the night sky.  This is a story of a moon- loving black cat which turns white after slipping into a pail of white paint. Pleased at the turn of events, he lay on the roof smiling and identifying himself with the white moon. But just then it begins to rain and the white paint is washed off and the black cat reverts to being black again. He meows his disappointment and hears another cat meow back. He then sees a white cat with shining yellow eyes looking at him. The white cat complements him on his lovely green eyes and the black cat in turn likes the yellow eyes of the white cat and “Meow” they say in unison…with the moon appearing in the background. A charming little tale about how we don’t realize our own worth until someone else points out the same to us! A message not just for kids…right?

Memories.....from the sea!

Last weekend was a nostalgic one, spent reminiscing about our days in Portland while relaxing on a beach resort at Karwar with close friends from Portland. When you live abroad for some time, your friends are your family and when you meet them here in India, it indeed feels like a family reunion! Just like there is no awkwardness when catching up with our extended family after a while, we were at ease picking up where we left off……even after over eight months! We met them in Kumta, a small town in North Kanara from where we drove to Devbagh Beach Resort in Karwar. Well….what can I say…it was truly one of the most memorable weekends in recent years! Thank you Shwetha and Srini for making the time to meet us during your hectic two week visit to India! Cheers…..to good times with friends!

Abhay has always been fond of Shwetha aunty and Srinimas uncle who always had a pack of cookies up their sleeves, wherever he met them, be at home or outside. Abhay was thrilled to meet them in Kumta and had a whale of a time playing in the Karwar beach. Since we just returned from a trip to the beach, last night I read “A gift from the Beach” a bilingual book from Tulika publications by Melanie Kunz and illustrations by Srivi. Rani is heading to the city next week and she excited to learn that the city situated by the sea as she can play in sand the whole day (Just like Abhay!). Rani plans to pick out a gift for her grandmother who is not able to join her on her jaunt. On the beach she first spots a feather and wonders which bird is it from? She then sights a green slipper and wonders where the other slipper is and if it belongs to a boy or a girl! Throughout the beach, she finds odd little things - strings of flowers, coconuts, dried star fish, a cloth bag and a smooth bottle all of which intrigues her but none of them seem good enough to be a gift for her grandma. Finally, she stumbles upon a large conch shaped shell as the waves retreat, and she knows what do to do. She picks up the bottle and fills it with sea water and fills the cloth bag with sand and drops the shell into it. When she returns home, her grandma opens the bag to feel grains of sand, wets her lips with sea water stored in the bottle and holds her ears close to the sea shell to listen to sound of the sea waves ….she experiences the sea like no one does as Rani’s grandma is blind! As touching as the story is for adults, it was not an ending I expected Abhay to comprehend fully and he was bursting with more questions on the grandma’s condition, rather than Rani’s experience on the beach. But besides a beautiful montage of photographs of the seashore, this book carries an important message – even the most common things in nature can be special, provided you have a mindset to enjoy it! Having enjoyed the pristine shores of Devbagh with the company of great friends, we take back our gift from the sea – memories forever with friends forever!!

  

Our very own Elephant and Piggie!

After a hectic day at work and jostling through peak hour traffic, there is nothing better than cuddling with your little one with a bedtime story….and what can be better than a book by Mo Willems….that is guaranteed to make you laugh!:-) All thanks to our friends from Portland whom we met today, our bedtime story proved to be a laugh riot with Mo Willem’s famous friends Elephant and Piggie.  In fact, Abhay happened to meet his best friend Suhas from Portland today and it may as well have been our very own Elephant and Piggie reunion across seven seas!

“We are in a Book” by Mo Willems needs no introduction and is a part of the famous Early Reader series that revolves around two friends – Elephant and Piggie. Unfortunately, this series is not readily available in India as it is in the West and so I had to have this one specially brought in from the US. So if you are travelling to the US, dont forget to pick up one of these gems that have been awarded the Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor.  Abhay loved it and managed to read this particular title much better than he read the previous book a couple of months ago. One day, Elephant suspects that there is someone looking at them. On a close examination, Piggie agrees with Elephant's  observation that there is indeed someone looking at them! As your little one guesses who might that be, the Elephant makes a wild guess as to whether that someone is a monster! But Piggie makes an informed guess – she concludes that it is a “Reader” who is reading them! That’s when the two friends realize that they are, after all in a book!  When Elephant can’t seem to contain his excitement that they are being read, Piggie seems to take it a step forward – he wants to make it an interactive book with reader being asked to read aloud! Piggie spells out the word ‘Banana’ and as your little one is coaxed into reading it aloud, the two friends cannot stop laughing! As your little one says “Banana” again, you turn the page to find both Elephant and Piggie rolling with laughter! As Piggie asks if the Elephant wants to take turns before the book ends, the Elephant looks flabbergasted at the prospect of the book coming to an end. Then Piggie comes up with an excellent idea to get the readers to keep on reading their book, all because they are in the book! So our very own Elephant and Piggie friends can proudly say “if not a book…we are in a blog’! :-)

Wont you smile....!

 

Once you’ve lived abroad, especially the US, you get accustomed to nodding or smiling at strangers; Wishing “Good morning” to a fellow jogger on your morning walk, or waving at a fellow driver who yields to you at an intersection or simply smiling at someone you’ve never met simply because you share a seat on the subway! It is not uncommon to  even strike a conversation with someone while waiting for the doctor, or waiting on your kids at the park or a swimming class, or waiting in line at a grocery store. Well, it’s a different matter that the conversation may last only for a couple of minutes or that it may be about something as inane as the weather or the kids in general. But it does leave you with a pleasant feeling, at the end of your short encounter. In fact, I hadn’t realized the power of a smile or a simple ‘hello” until we moved back to India – the land of grumpy faces! Leave alone smiling at strangers, folks here don’t even say a hello, even if you bump into them every day!!! Your eyes may meet every day as you drop off your respective kids to same bus stop or the same music class, or you live in the same community, or you visit the same grocery store – but its still a crime to smile until you've been formally introduced! :-)

Anyway, off late, I have noticed that Abhay is equally guilty of not warming up to other kids he meets. As soon as he sees someone his age in the park, his instinct is to cross his fingers meaning “two” ( You’ll know what I am talking about, if you have studied in Indian schools! For those of you who haven’t had the good fortune to go to an Indian school – it means he no longer wants to be friends!) So as soon as I learned about a book titled “Siri’s smile” by Amarendran R and illustrated by Bhakti Phatak, I immediately placed a request for it and was delighted to discover that it has become one of Abhay’s favorite books. Set in a rhyming prose, this is a charming little story with vibrant illustrations sure to everyone to ..well  smile…..from three year olds to thirty year olds alike. Siri, a curious little princess of Chennaipuri, is always asked to smile. One day, when no one is watching, she slips out of her palace and wanders into the garden. When she looks up and finds the sun shining in the sky, she asks "Smile Sun...wont you smile?"  But the sun replies that he can shine and burn but smile he cannot as he is hot! Disappointed, Siri then moves from monkeys to peacock, from the  moon to the fish…..asking all of them to smile but no one obliges. As she sits by the pond, she sees a little girl’s face in water and asks her to smile. To her delight, the little girl smiles back and as she Siri waves back, the girl in water waves back too and Siri is happy! From that day, nobody asks her to smile as Siri always has a smile on her face! So….smile Bangalore….Wont you smile?

Wheels on Bangalore's roads!

It’s been six months since we moved from the US and I still find the traffic in “Namma Bengaluru” mind boggling! In fact, Bangalore has been my Alma Mater when it comes to driving and I sincerely thought if I could drive in Bangalore, I could drive anywhere…..and this was true until I went to the US!  Driving on US roads is an experience by itself! It is all about observing rules, following lane discipline, stopping and yielding at intersections which meant I had to unlearn whatever I had learned on Bangalore’s roads. But once I started driving in the US, driving became much more than a necessity ….I started to enjoy it – the predictability of the roads, the rules and the drivers obeying the rules! But little did I know that at the same time, driving in the US would also disable my reflexes to drive on Indian roads! So its “dejavu” for me as I try to unlearn whatever I had learned in the US! So in place of lane discipline, you’ve got to find your own lane; Instead of yielding to pedestrians, they yield to you; Waiting for the traffic to clear while merging on to the main road is unheard of and frankly impractical, so the trick is to conquer the road inch by inch until the oncoming traffic has no choice but to grant you the right of way! At intersections, it’s not who stops first (as in a stop signs in the US)…it is who blinks first!  Finally, the ground rule if you plan to drive in Bangalore - “Just go with the flow!”J

Speaking of roads and traffic, today we revisited our old favorite Richard Scarry’s “Cars and Trucks and Things that go”. A wonderful book that features all kinds of vehicles one finds on roads and the detailed illustrations mirror the chaos on Bangalore’s roads. I guess this one is a classic that has been around for a long time and has even adults nostaligcally flip through its pages. This book is not only teeming with accurate representations of both commonly known and lesser known vehicles but also has toothbrush and toothpaste cars, ladybug size cars and alligator shaped convertibles sure to make your little one laugh! A must have for any car crazy boy who is fascinated by all what he sees on roads!

This month’s theme in Abhay school being transport,  both Abhay and me have been concenred with the different wheels that ply on our roads - but only one of us seems happy about it. Needless to say, its Abhay!  So another book that I had Abhay read is “Wheels” a Step 1 Ready to Read book by Annie Cobb and illustrated by Davy Jones. This book is all about wheels – train wheels, plane wheels, wheels in the rain, wheels at night (Fire Engine), wheels on the side (side wheel river boat), wheels you can ride (Ferris wheel), wheels you can steer, wheels in the store(cart wheels), band wheels and grand wheels ( a vintage carriage), low wheels (roller skates) and tow wheels – wheels, wheels and more wheels! So let us hope that I steer my car wheels through other cars’ wheels, bike wheels, bus wheels, truck wheels, autorickshaw wheels, cycle wheels …..and wheels, wheels and more wheels!

Peppa Pig's adventures!

It’s almost been six months since our move  back to India and of the three of us, Abhay is the one who least remembers Portland. Frankly, I don’t blame him as I guess he’s got the best deal of all three! :-) Being surrounded and cosseted by his doting paternal and maternal grandparents ……what more could a five year old want? Anyway, the only time he fondly recalls his Portland days is when he turns on the Television and can no longer watch his favorite shows on Nick Jr. or PBS kids! In fact, when we turned on the Television that we shipped from Portland for the first time, Abhay honestly expected to see “Wow Wow Wubbzy” and “Super Why” and instead had to make do with “Chota Bheem”! My apologies to Chota Bheem aficionados, but I find the storyline repetitive and devoid of any educative value. I’m not sure if many would agree but I feel that we lack good quality children’s programs that spark their imagination and promote social and thinking skills. I wish we had more programs that young kids can relate to, as opposed to the super hero stories that hardly seem relevant to their everyday lives.  So its not only Abhay, but Abhay’s mom too who misses Superwhy and Wow Wow Wubbzy! :-)

While in Portland, Abhay loved to watch the “Peppa Pig” series created by Neville Astley and Mark Baker about Peppa, a female pig who faces routine issues like sibling rivalry, reluctance to  share,   peer pressure and adjustment to school that any young girl or a boy may face in their day to day lives.  Since Peppa Pig is a British animated series,  I managed to find some of her stories in the British Council library in Bangalore and needless to say Abhay loves them. Today I read “Daddy Pig’s old chair”, a story revolving around Daddy Pig’s hoarding habit. Peppa’s school is holding a garage sale to raise funds for a new roof wherein everybody has to bring something to sell. Peppa and her family gather some of their old stuff to put up for sale. When mummy pig offers to put up Daddy Pig’s old squeaky chair for sale, Daddy pig is unsure and wants to retain the old junk. But when the school truck arrives, naughty mummy pig gives away the old chair and assures Peppa that Daddy will never notice. At the school jumble sale, when everyone is busy looking at each other’s donations, Daddy Pig is excited to show his family what he’s bought. No prizes for guessing what that might be – his old chair which he believes to be a perfect match to his chair at home! As always, it’s Daddy Pig’s silly little ways that bring a smile on your little one’s face…..and no wonder Abhay likes him so much….reminds him of his daddy who always makes him laugh! :-)

Merry Christmas

It’s that time of the year again that has us nostalgic of our stay in the US. At the risk of sounding repetitive, I wish we could disapparate ( in Harry Potter language)  to Portland just to experience the holiday frenzy that would have enveloped the entire US!  It may sound like I’m exaggerating, but one must see it to believe it – Christmas spirit is so infectious that it rubs off a little on even the most impervious ones. In fact, we had even got our own little Christmas tree and hung all the embellishments that traditionally go with the Christmas centerpiece. So when we see Giant Christmas trees at malls and shops in Bangalore, we miss our little tree that we left behind in the US. So much so that even Abhay lamented over the lack of some of the customary decorations on a Christmas tree we saw at a shop…”Amma they don’t have ginger bread cookie or a snow flake on the tree” were his exact words! Anyway, Christmas tree or no Christmas Tree, we still had our in-house Santa come in with gifts! J

So yesterday on Christmas day, I read “Merry Christmas Mom and Dad” a book from the Little Critter series by Mercer Mayer. Little Critter is all set to make it a special Christmas for his mom and dad. He first attempts to put together a Christmas wreath but it falls apart as soon as it is hung on the door. He tries his hand at decorating the ginger bread cookies that his mom bakes but cant resist from tasting them. He goes to the toy shop to look for a present for his parents but gets confused as there are too many toys to choose from. So he leaves it to Santa to pick a present for his parents. He picks out a Christmas tree that is too big to take home; He plans on putting up the star on top of the tree all by himself but ended up seeking the help of his dad, after all. On Christmas eve, he tries hard to go to bed early but is just too excited to fall asleep. Finally, on the morning of Christmas day, he stirs out of bed at the crack of dawn and instead of waiting for his parents to wake up; he goes downstairs to find his presents lay at foot the Christmas tree! He then goes up to wake up his sleeping parents with a card that reads “Merry Krismas Mom and Dad”!! Merry Christmas to everyone!

The Noisy Book!

Abhay has always been sound sensitive from the beginning. Even as an infant, it was clear that he was irked by screeching sounds like that of a simple whistle or the whistle of a pressure cooker, though he made his displeasure known with a  high pitched screech himself! Soon we moved to the US and living in a quiet environment like Portland, he was insulated from all that noise typical to an Indian city. So when we moved back to Bangalore…..he had a problem with all those noises that most kids brought up in Bangalore tend to ignore or for that matter don’t seem to notice at all! For instance, it is only Abhay who notices that our neighbor has turned off her pressure cooker after four whistles, or that the next door maid is washing clothes on the wash stone or wonders why our neighbor hasn’t picked up the ringing telephone yet or covers his ears at a birthday party when the big balloon pops out glitters and candies or gets angry at vehicles with screeching horns or seems puzzled by the Namaz call at a nearby mosque or waits until the water pump has been turned off to go to bed! Well….as my husband says …. and it is only Abhay’s mom who makes a big deal out of it …by blogging about it!!!:-)

Anyway, sticking to my tradition of making each of his “issues” worthy of  a book to read aloud and write about, today I read “The Noisy Book” by Margret Wise Brown and pictures by Leonard Wiesgard. A little dog named Muffin gets a cinder in his eye and is taken to a doctor. The doctor puts a bandage over his eyes which he had to have it on the whole day. Suddenly as Muffin couldn’t see anything, he could hear everything – the tick tock sound of the clock, siss siss sound of the radiator, the snip snap sound of the scissors, ting ling sound of the telephone and not only that, he suddenly became conscious of the sound of his stomach growling, the buzz of the little fly, kerchoo of the sneeze of the doctor’s dog! As he walked back home blindfolded, he heard all the street noises – construction noises, car horns and the biggest noise of the street- the siren of the fire truck. Besides the obvious noises, Muffin managed to hear the sun rise, or the sound of snow, and other little noises one tends to ignore! Then he tried to figure out a mysterious noise that sounded like a garbage can, a big fierce lion, or the engine of a train, or a big boat or an airplane and that actually turned out to be a baby doll –a gift for Muffin from his well-wishers! Abhay quite liked the “Noisy book” and Im pretty sure that it has all to do with the way the story ends! J

Memories of Portland!

It’s been four months since we left the US and frankly we don’t miss Portland as much as we had expected, except for the little things. Like its green landscape, or the rain (I never thought I would say this!) or it’s walking trails or some of its gourmet restaurants! Similarly, it’s the little things that transport us back to our previous life in the US – like on hearing the same songs that used to play on our car stereo or the familiar scent of our hand sanitizer that we brought from Portland or the taste of strawberries, seasonal here and available all year round in Portland. Last but certainly not the least, remembering all our friends from Portland always takes us back to the good times we’ve had together while at PDX! Missing all of you guys!

The reason for my nostalgia being that yesterday, I happen to meet my long- time friend Rama who came down to visit Bangalore from Portland last week with her sixteen month daughter Eera. Rama has always brought wonderful books for Abhay and this time too she gifted a gem! Thank you Rama for giving Abhay something to remember Portland by!! “Spenser loves Portland” by Melanie Brooks and illustrations by Amie Jacobsen, an Early reader series based on America’s favorite travel dog named Spenser. Abhay loved reading the entire book and was also intrigued by Spenser’s interesting questions on each page. Spenser loves to travel to different cities in the US with his mom and they decide to visit Portland in the State of Oregon. Well prepared for Portland’s rainy weather, Spenser goes sight-seeing around Portland. He discovers that Portland is famous for its tall mountains, breathtaking waterfalls, its beautiful waterfront and colorful rose gardens. That’s not all, Portland is also home to a famous bookstore  and has some great ice cream too! Besides, Portland is known to be a green city with its environment friendly policies and practices. Finally Spenser concludes that he loves Portland and hopes that you too get to visit Portland one day! We couldn’t agree more!!!  A must read for all kids in Portland and kids who have been to Portland and kids who plan to visit Portland! J

Parks and Peak hour traffic!

It has now been three months since we moved back to Bangalore and though we’ve been doing pretty well on the transition front, there are still some issues that we seem to have an issue with! Patience is indeed a virtue and you definitely need lots and of lots of it, when living in Bangalore. Though we’ve been doing our best in trying to tolerate the otherwise intolerable, yet there are times we just can’t help sounding like “US returned” – something we’ve been consciously trying to avoid! For instance, our internet was down for the whole of last week (which is the reason for my absence on onestoryaday) and there was nothing we could do but wait; Traffic on the streets has been my sole problem ever since we’ve moved to Bangalore and l continues to be so even after three months! Walking on the non existant sidewalk is a nightmare and walking with a fiercely independent five-year old totally oblivious to the dangers lurking on the streets is a catastrophe waiting to happen! Anyway, though the weather has been ideal for outdoor play, I haven’t been able to take Abhay to the park very often as I probably should, partly, because the parks don’t even seem half as inviting as the ones in Portland and partly because jostling through the evening traffic is the last thing we want to do when heading to play! Though it is a too little early to say, in just three months of summer in Portland, we’ve gone to the park more number of times than we probably will in one whole year in Bangalore!!!

So as if to motivate myself, I got the book “Pam had a Map” by Francie Alexander and illustrated by Ken Spengler, a Scholastic Early Reader. Highly recommended for the preschoolers working on their short “a” sounds and blends, this is about Sam, his sister Pam and his dad. Sam has a map that has directions to the park. SO he sets out with Pam and his dad wearing a cap. But Pam who has a jar of jam, grabs the map and the map now has jam! So now they are faced with the prospect of trying to locate the park with the help of a jam smeared map and when they do, Sam and Dad have fun playing ball at the park and Pam has her fun too – she naps happily in the park! Not much of a story, but was glad that it helped my early reader nap while I tried to map the parks in the vicinity!

We're Home!

 

Our shipment from the US arrived yesterday and with that we’ve closed the final chapter of our move across seven seas! Well…what can I say….after over three months of wait, it was an emotional reunion with all our belongings that were a part of our day to day lives for three years – the french press we used for coffee every morning; our flatscreen TV, the value of which we realised after we got back to watching a standard definition TV, our travel souvenirs that were a common sight displayed in our living room, Abhay’s red bike and its accompanying music that we gladly missed and of course his wooden train tracks that resulted in his room being in a state of perpetual clutter …they are all back!:-) I must admit that in the last three months, there were times we wondered if it was worth shipping our belongings at all, considering that we had grown quite comfortable with the existing stuff in our Bangalore home and out of sight was truly out of mind! Added to that was the space constraint we faced as we already had a fully furnished set-up in Bangalore and weren’t sure if we could accommodate those eighteen boxes that just three months ago, we felt we couldn’t do without. But all our doubts vanished as we began unpacking one by one, all the items we had associated with what used to be our home and to be using them again in a new setting, truly makes it our home sweet home!!

Anyway, we shipped our belongings from the US through Universal Relocations and I must say that we had all our boxes, including our used electronic goods safely delivered to our door step. Abhay was really glad to be reunited with all his toys  and for the first time in three months, he didn’t leave his room the entire day today!:-)Today I read “Where is Gola’s home?”  by Chitra Soundar and illustrated by Priya Kuriyan. Gola, the yak is upset that yaks don’t have a home like everyone else. So his friend Muri, the eagle shows him around different regions in search of his supposed home. Muri first takes him to the the sea where Gola finds the water too salty and then to the river where the mud sticks to his feet and then the desert which he finds too hot and finally to the forest where he gets bitten by insects. Fed up with his fasctidiouness, Muri gives up when Gola discovers a road leading to the Himalayas. Muri stares at him in disbelief as he climbs up the path to the snow capped ranges. As the air gets cold, his thick fur keeps him warm, and he even finds food and water amidst the snow when he soon realises that he has finally found his home! Similarly, I can see that amidst all his old toys, my little Gola feels he is finally home!:-)

The Question of questions!

Questions questions and more questions, Abhay is full of them just like any average five year old. But Abhay’s repository of questions has increased multifold after we’ve moved back to India. Questions on everyday things we take for granted – “why are the roads so bumpy? Why do drivers honk all the time? Or Why is the Indian police dressed in brown?”; Questions that are hard to answer even for adults – Why are there so many mosquitoes when there were none in Portland? Questions leading to further questions – Why do I have to ride the school bus? Why can’t you drop me to school like you used to? Questions that make you squirm – Why don’t I have a sister? Finally questions that would delight my mother in law – Why don’t you wear a bindi like ajji? 

Anyway, in response to a friend’s request to dig up some local stuff, today I read “The Why Why girl” by  Mahasweta Devi. Narrated by the famous writer herself, this is a true story of a ten year old Tribal girl named Moyna. While working with the tribal group named Shabars, the author saw a girl chasing a snake and when stopped, she asks “But why shouldn’t I?” Fascinated by the curious little girl, the author encourages her to question even more! Moyna then boldly raises questions about everything from nature to science to society to lack of basic amenities in the tribal world to exploitation by the landlords and there is no stopping her! One day, she decides to go to school but finds the school timings unsuitable for cowherds and goatherds like her. With the power of her questions, she becomes the first girl admitted to her village primary school! Moyna grows up to be a teacher in the same school and now it’s not only Moyna but her students too  aren’t afraid to ask “why”! Though an educative story, it failed sustain Abhay’s interest till the end as he couldn’t quite relate to the harsh realities of a tribal’s life.  I feel its a  book more for parents than kids so that the next time your child asks “Why” …you can pause and answer him “Why not”!

Abhay's new bike!

Though we had lived in Portland for only three years, it was in Portland that my five year old spent most of his time till now. So as expected, it was in Portland he learnt to ride the bicycle…well …almost as he still requires training wheels!  Though we managed to ship most of his toys when we moved back to Bangalore, he only remembers the ones we left behind and his red bicycle is one of them! No ordinary bicycle, Abhay’s pride and joy was a Disney Cars bicycle. Of course, we found a worthy successor to the Disney bike – his friend Keshav, another Cars Aficionado!  

So for his birthday this year, when Abhay’s grandpa decided to gift him a bicycle, Abhay didn’t mince any words. He made it amply clear that he wanted no other than a Disney Cars bike and my father had to pay a pretty penny for it! Beware …brand loyalty starts very early!!:-) 

So with his new bike around, I read a book on the most famous monkey on wheels, Curious George.  “Curious George rides a bike” by H.A Rey. To celebrate their third year anniversary, George’s friend, the man with a yellow hat, buys him a bicycle. Riding the bike near his house leads him to most amusing  adventures from delivering newspapers to floating paper boats down a river because of which he trips over a rock that damages his cycle. While trying to make do with one wheel, he meets the director of an animal show who straightens his wheel and allows to participate in the show. As usual, he squanders this opportunity due to his unrelenting mischief only to later redeem himself by helping the rescue of a lost bear with the help of his bike!! So…if you have a curious little monkey monkeying around with his bike …this book is for you and your monkey!

Abhay goes to the library!

When we left the US last month, if not anything else, one thing I felt most certain I would miss was the American public library system. I almost got emotional on my last visit to the Hillsboro public library as I looked at the two storied structure one last time wondering if I will ever find such an extensive collection of books, CDs and other resources both for me and for my five year old. Well, I'm glad to announce that I’ve almost found not one but plenty of such options in Bangalore ! In the past one month, I discovered many places exclusively catering to my favorite category – children’s books! One such library we enrolled Abhay into is the Hippo Campus located in Koramangala, a wonderful place for kids to read, reflect, listen to stories and participate in events. Another chain of libraries with branches across Bangalore and many other cities in India is Just Books, a facility that houses just books for the whole family. Of course, they are not free like the public libraries in the US …but like they say - there’s no such a thing like a free lunch...especially true in India.:-) 

Since we have resumed our weekly visits to the library, I read “Maisy goes to the Library” by Lucy Cousins. Maisy loves going to the library to read a nice little book in a quiet little place! So one day when she visits the library, she is in the mood for a book about a fish. She looks all around but cannot find what she wants. She decides to do others things one can do in the library – use the computer, listen to music, make copies of her favorite picture and gaze at the fish in the aquarium  and that’s exactly where she finds a book about fish! Just as she settles in a quiet corner to read the book, she meets her friends who Tallulah and Cyril who have come for story time! Maisy too decides to attend the story time conducted by the Ostrich. All of them  listen to the amusing story of an old lady who swallowed a fly …. and cant stop laughing even as they check out books and leave the library and so ends Maisy's fun filled day at the library! Thanks to the new age libraries of Bangalore - one reason less to miss Portland! Cheers to Namma Bengaluru!