Hey everyone, your friend Sara here! Welcome to my vibrant ‘Art with Sara’ section for kids.

Here I publish the works of young artists who share their beautiful work and their passion for artwork in form of a write-up!

15 year old Isha Suman, a Bookosmian from Jamshedpur loves making Madhubani art and shares her beautiful work with us. I love knowing more about vibrant Indian art. Do you enjoy it too?

Isha is a student of S D S M School for Excellence, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.

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Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here!

Sara: In the 120 years of Nobel prizes in medicine, physics and chemistry, prizes were awarded 601 times to men and 23 times to women.* What do you make of this glaring gap?

Mala: The gap shows that we have a lot of work to do to make sure that anyone who wants to be a scientist can become one! 

Science is human-created, so WE are in charge of making it what it is.  The tools and models we use in science reflect the perspectives and experiences of the scientists who develop it.  In other words, if we bring more people into science – each with their unique perspectives and ways of thinking , we will make science better through more diverse ways of understanding the world around us. 

We need to do a better job to help budding young scientists like you see that science is not something you just  ‘learn about’ but rather it’s something you DO and CREATE.  It therefore requires creativity, working together, exploration, and perseverance, and everyone can bring something valuable to its progress.   

Much of the problem is who we “see” around us as scientists.  If I ask you to draw a picture of a scientist you will most likely draw a man.  It is hard for young women to see themselves as scientists because so many of the scientists they see around them in the media and in history books are men. This is because of how history happened, but that does not mean this is how it OUGHT to be.  Change is difficult because this history gets reinforced through our experiences.  But now,  we are in a moment of change and we need to take advantage of it.   By making sure that women scientists have a prominent voice and that young children can see consistent images and read numerous stories about women scientists, we can make the concept of a female scientist more central and soon, any young child will automatically know that she can be a scientist if she wants to! 

A few months ago, my daughter wrote a story about how her “Mommy” was a scientist and now she says she wants to be one too (she’s 6 so that might change!). It made me realize how important it can be to see examples of other people like you who are doing something you wish to do.

Sara: Your qualifications read A.B., Harvard University and Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology and you are  Associate Professor of Chemistry at Wellesley College. How achievable is it for a young girl in India to follow your path? Would you have any advice for her?

Mala: If you love science or really anything (arts, music, writing, history, sports),  share your love with others who are younger or older! Inspire others and have fun doing it too through organizing a club for youth, or creating videos or other resources you can share with others.  Become a mentor or pen pal for someone younger so she can see an example of the benefits of pursuing one’s passions. 

There are many organizations that provide opportunities to people interested in helping others be a ‘big sibling’ or serve as a role model, either in a specific capacity (like science or writing) or just in general.  Some of these opportunities involve more formal teaching roles or are parts of highly structured non-profit organizations.  But others can be as simple as volunteering to go visit a mentee once a week and doing some simple science experiments with her. 

No positive effect is too small. Very small differences can add up over time, and what might seem like a small task for you might mean a lot to someone who sees you as a role model. Passion for some discipline + an interest in helping humanity + creativity + perseverance = positive change in the world!

Sara: Your book ‘Thinking, Periodically: Poetic Life Notions in Brownian Motion’ has been widely covered for its refreshing approach in combining everyday humour with chemistry. How do you think science can be made fun for the average 12- 18 year old student?

Mala: People understand and enjoy learning new things better if they can connect to it personally.  By relating scientific concepts to themes we all encounter in everyday life, like friendship, family, or overcoming obstacles, you can fit new concepts into your current ways of  understanding the world.  In other words, the concepts aren’t so ‘new’, but are rather familiar and comfortable. 

Also, science can be made fun by not only exposing students to creative and funny presentations of it but also by having THEM creatively express and communicate it . By writing poems about science, you can come to understand it in new ways while having fun at the same time.  Finally, science is most fun when you are doing it in a hands-on way- exploring nature, gathering your own data from doing your own experiments or simulations. Even if it is a simple one that doesn’t require any fancy equipment. 

The key is to ‘do’ science – to create your own models, visuals, or ways of communicating ideas, to explore and come up with your own hypotheses and gather your own data, and build upon your own understanding of the world.  Also, what’s more fun than doing science with your friends?  Science is a group effort and you can make friends along the way too!

Hey, Sara here with my new friend, Madhav.

Madhav is on the autism spectrum. He does certain things differently that get me thinking, but I realize that we are ‘not that different’ after all!

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Have you checked out ‘Not That Different’ – India’s first comic strip about neurodiversity? See it here :

Who is the new boy?

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About the author-

Akshita Yadav, 14, Nagpur

Hey everyone! Your friend, Sara here.

9 year old Ishani Ghosh, a Bookosmian from Kolkata tells us what a celebration for the Bengali New Year is like and it sounds so awesome! Did you also celebrate the new year in your state? Tell us!

People go to temples and offer prayers. People wear new clothes and seek blessings from the elders of their family. The people exchange and eat sweets. Certain shops also offer pujas to mark the beginning of a new year.

I too, celebrate this day with my family and friends. I wear a saree and offer puja with the rest of my family members. I distribute clothes and sweets to the needy.

I visit my friends, sing, dance and watch special television programmes on this day. The day flies by in a good sprit.

Last year I celebrated this special day very differently. Everyone met on a virtual platform due to Covid-19 pandemic. Technology had bought us together even though we were in our own houses.

This year we will all celebrate it once again and pray together so that Almighty helps us to overcome this pandemic situation and bless everybody with good health, safety and happiness.

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About the author-

Ishani Ghosh, 9, Kolkata

Hey everyone! Your friend, Sara here.

A very happy Bengali new year! 12 year old Pratithi Das, a Bookosmian from Kolkata writes a lovely essay on the significance of the day and the grand manner in which Bengalis celebrate festivals.

Pratithi goes to Sushila Birla Girls’ High School and is a student of Word Munchers.

Bengalis and Durga Pujo have become quite synonymous but then Poila Boishakh or Bengali New Year is a festival which is no less than Durga Pujo. Bengalis are all smiles during this time. It’s the season of joy, laughter, happiness and most importantly togetherness in Bengal.

During this time, all Bengalis return to their hometown irrespective of the place they are settled in. They do all of it just to start the year with their near and dear ones around.

Bengalis are born foodies and thus, every festival of Bengalis have a connection with food.

Lakshmi and Ganesh are considered as gods of wealth and luck. Due to this reason, they are worshipped by the Bengalis during the beginning of the new year.

Poila Boishakh or 1st Boisakh marks the beginning of the economic year for all Bengali business men and women. Thus, on this priests perform a Lakshmi and Ganesh puja and then a ‘swastik’ sign is drawn using vermillion by the priests on a new notebook. An impression of a one rupee coin is also made on the notebook. This tradition is called ‘Hal Khata’. The one rupee coin is considered to be lucky and prosperous for the business community for the year ahead.

The new year is also often welcomed by singing Bengali songs such as ‘Esho Hey Boisakh’ in many institutions and gatherings.

All Bengalis greet each other by saying Shubho Naboborsho and everyone wears new attires during this happy time. It will be the 1428th Bengali year this Poila Boisakh . May the new year bring prosperity, happiness and good luck to everyone’s household.

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About the author-

Pratithi Das, 12, Kolkata

Bonjour everyone, your best friend Sara here! Welcome to my ‘Places with Sara‘ section 

I can’t wait to pack my bags and head out. Until then let’s read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Let’s keep our wish lists ready!

Bonjour means hello in French. To know more about French and France, do read this lovely travelogue by 12 year old Radhika Nathany, a Bookosmian from Kolkata. Bravo!

Radhika is a student of Word Munchers and goes to Modern High School for Girls.

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I started jumping with joy when my mother told me that we were going to France. France has always been on my bucket list.My parents, younger sister, maternal uncle and I were going on this trip. We went during the Puja vacations in 2017.

We took a flight to Paris and stayed at Hotel 4etoiles Royal Garden, near Champs-Elysees.

The best thing about France is its vibrant art and architecture.

The Louvre, a famous art museum in Paris houses amazing artworks, some of them are also inspired by the Egyptian and Middle Eastern culture. French museums and art galleries have always attracted hoards of people.

Mona Lisa and Liberty Leading the People are a few of the paintings which have made France the center of the art world. Young, talented people can be seen on the streets doing a variety of art works to earn a living.

Gothic-architecture can be seen all around France. French architecture is known for its great shape, detailing and characteristic designs of the roof.

Arc de Triomphe is an example of Roman architecture. It has a variety of famous sculptures carved on it.

The distinctive features of French architecture on houses are that the tall second story windows are often arched at the top with steep hipped roofs and they look stately and formal.

This trip was enjoyable yet enlightening. I learned the various art forms practiced in France and the amazing style of architecture.

It also made me aware of French vocabulary like tableau means painting and toile means canvas. The word‘crayon’ is actually a French word. I am eagerly looking forward for the pandemic to end so that I could visit France again.

Hey everyone, your friend Sara here! Welcome to my vibrant ‘Art with Sara’ section for kids.

Here I publish the works of young artists who share their beautiful work and their passion for artwork in form of a write-up!

Prepare to be stunned by this stippled (art made by small dots) art work that comes with an equally powerful write-up on never giving up by 14 year old Keya Malhotra, a Bookosmian from Delhi. Must-read!

Keya is a student of The Heritage School, Rohini.

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One of the only things we can unambiguously say about life is that it is constantly changing.

Sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down.
Sometimes you flourish and sometimes you crumble
Sometimes you’re efficacious and other times you’re debilitated.

But it’s when you’re exhausted… despondent… too enervated to carry on, that you grow and thrive.

Everybody can be fulfilled and happy when life goes their way… the real challenge of growth comes when life knocks you down.

The lessons you take from your mistakes and obstacles are often fundamental to later success.

So when you’re backed against the wall, don’t cripple yourself and hide away… push back harder!

It may seem pointless at first, but you can never connect the dots looking into the future, you can only make sense of life looking back at the past. Later on in life, you will be grateful that you didn’t give up! That you stood back up no matter how many times you fell! True life is hard… but compared to what?

Just because you’re exhausted right now, doesn’t mean this is the end… its life giving you a chance to grow…

Hey everyone, your friend Sara here! Welcome to my vibrant ‘Art with Sara’ section for kids.

Here I publish the works of young artists who share their beautiful work and their passion for artwork in form of a write-up!

12 year old Hardik Agrawal, a Bookosmian from Evesham loves to make oil paintings. Have a look at his fabulous collection and his interesting ideas on the art process. Do you also paint? Write to us!

Hardik is a student of Marlton Middle School.

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Hey everyone! Your friend, Sara here.

Yesterday was Easter and a few of you wanted to know more about this festival. Here’s 8 year old Riddhima Mishra, a Bookosmian from Kalyan, Maharashtra giving us the answers to all the questions we had!

40 days prior to Easter, Christians follow lent, which is supposed to be 40 days of prayer, penance and fasting. The week before Easter is known as the holy week.

Jewish Christians were the first who celebrated Easter around the middle of the second century in Jerusalem. Churches are specially decorated on Easter day. On this day, prayers are done for the welfare of the whole world in the church. Along with this, candles are lit in the church and at the same time candles are lit in homes.

Chocolate-filled eggs or brightly painted eggs with sweets inside (Easter eggs) are common gifts exchanged on Easter. Churches and homes are decorated with white lilies also known as Easter lilies.

Hey everyone! Your friend, Sara here.

Rajveer is a student of Word Munchers and goes to  La Matinere for boys.

Eggs are also associated with Easter since they are a symbol of rebirth. Many children participate in Easter egg hunts. They search for hidden decorated eggs with tiny candies or toys.

Easter bunnies are another favorite among children, as they get rewarded for their good deeds and they get surprise gifts from easter bunnies!

Easter symbolizes the opening of heaven with the gift of eternal life to everyone.

In India Easter is celebrated with carnivals and dancing. Oh, and another yummy sweet that is eaten is jellybean!

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About the author-

Rajveer Chowdhary, 7, Kolkata

Hey, Sara here with my new friend, Madhav.

Madhav is on the autism spectrum. He does certain things differently that get me thinking, but I realize that we are ‘not that different’ after all!

Today, I am delighted to share the vibrant digital artwork by Shagnik who is on the autism spectrum.

10 year old Shagnik Sett is from Bangalore. He is a student of Perseverance School, Sahakara Nagar Branch, Bangalore.

Congrats to Shagnik and his mom Sujata for his wonderful art work and we may he go far with his love of coding.

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Shagnik’s mom, Sujata describes him as adorable, caring and cheerful and a music lover

Shagnik is a self learned digital painter who uses MS-paint, Tux Paint and Paint 3D to create art

Shagnik does only train paintings as he is fascinated by them and has tremendous knowledge of trains too.

Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here! Welcome to my ‘Places with Sara‘ section 

I can’t wait to pack my bags and head out. Until then lets read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Let’s keep our wish lists ready!

Wondering where to go for your vacations? 11 year old Yohaan Marda, a Bookosmian from Kohlapur, knows the perfect place for a nature lover – the wildlife safari at Kabini, Karnataka. Have you also been to a safari? Tell us!

Yohaan is a student of Tale Spin and goes to Doon School.

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On the day of Holi, we play with water and colours. We throw water balloons and put colour on each other. We also play with water guns. After playing, when we go for our bath instead of using soap on our body, we apply a body scrub to get rid of all the colors.

We eat sweets with our friends and family. This year it is going to be my 2nd holi with my little brother. Nowadays, some people make colours which have bad chemicals. These ruin our skin and cause infections and irritations. So that’s why people have started using natural and organic colours.

I celebrate Holi with my parents, little sibling, grand and great grandparents and cousins. This year because of the coronavirus, we will not be able to celebrate it properly. I am going to reuse my old water guns because it is not safe to buy new ones from outside. I wish you all a very happy and safe holi!

It’s Holi! And here I am, your best friend Sara, bringing to you festive stories from across the globe. 8 year old Swara Bhandari, a Bookosmian from Kolkata loves playing water and colours and has a few pranks up her sleeve too! Tell us about your celebrations!

Swara is a student of Word Munchers and goes to Modern High School for Girls.

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Holi is the festival of colors. Holi marks the end of the spring season and the beginning of summers.

I love playing Holi because I get to play with water and colors. A day before Holi, we go to a park and see lots of fire. My parents told me that this fire is lit, to celebrate the victory of good over evil.

Every year, I get new water guns from my parents and this year they brought me a swimming pool too. On the morning of Holi, we put colors on all our gods.

My sisters and I play pranks on each other. My cousins and friends too come to enjoy with us. My sisters and I fill small balloons with water one day before Holi.

We throw these water balloons at all our cousins and friends. Then we put colors on each other and play with water for the whole day.

Playing Holi is lots of fun. I love playing with water and colors. Holi is the best festival ever.

Hey everyone! Your friend, Sara here.

Happy Holi everyone! Hope you have a colourful day! 9 year old Navika Kharbanda, a Bookosmian from Noida tells us the story of Holi and why we celebrate it. How are you celebrating? Tell us!

Navika is a student of Chamatkaar and goes to Amity International School, Noida.

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Holi is a festival of joy and enthusiasm. It is celebrated to mark the victory of good over evil.

Holi is completely celebrated for two days. The first day is celebrated as Holika Dahan. On this day, Lord Hiranya Kashyap‘s sister Holika sat in the fire with his son Prahlaad as his father did not like his son’s devotion to Lord Vishnu.

Holika had taken a boon from god that she would not burn in fire. But, to their surprise Holika got burnt and Prahlaad was seen worshipping Lord Vishnu.

It is named Holika Dahan as; Holika is the name of Hiranya Kashyap’s sister and Dahan means ‘burning.’ So, that is how Holika Dahan came into existence.

On Holika Dahan people throw groundnuts, popcorn and tilkut into the fire. The next day morning people prepare thandai (dry fruit milk), gujia and the festival is incomplete without the delicious regional delicacy, Rasmalai.

On this day children fill balloons with coloured water in it. They also use pichkaris (water guns) to throw coloured water on adults. Our family always celebrates a chemical free Holi.

My plans for this year’s Holi is that I will make organic colours at home and help my mother prepare gujia and other Holi delicacies.

It is also known that Lord Krishna celebrated Holi with marigold flowers with the Gopis.

My most awaited festival has arrived. Happy Holi!

Hey friends, Sara here !
Young writers illustrating their own stories , how exciting is this idea!

I am so thrilled to bring you ‘Picture Stories by Young Writers’, a collection of stories both written and illustrated by talented under-10s. This free eBook was compiled as part of the much-loved ’Be an Illustrator – Junior’ workshop organized by Bookosmia.

All these young writers enjoyed their learning at the Be an Illustrator Workshop for young writers by Bookosmia.  Book your slot today for the next workshop.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

10 year old Seeyona Guha, a Bookosmian from Hyderabad loved the book ‘The Gopi Diaries – Coming Home’ by Sudha Murty. She recommends it for all animal lovers. Have you read it? Tell us!

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Since the lockdown began last year, reading has become a habit for me and I love reading books now.

Every few days, I find myself searching for a new book. One day, when I was looking to read a new story, I came across a book called “The Gopi Diaries” by Sudha Murty.

The cover of the book caught my attention instantly – a beautiful illustration of a lady in a blue saree cuddling a cute little puppy.

This book is called “Coming Home” which is the first part of this series – a story of a small puppy coming home to a lovely family.

How does it feel to a Labrador puppy to be adopted and welcomed into a new home full of humans?

From how he gets chosen to come home, meet Appa (Dad), Ajji (grandma), Tachi Ajji (grandma’s sister), Ajja (grandpa) and other family members, the story takes us through his funny but confusing journey of finding his attachment with them and the human world. Getting the name Gopi, knowing what it is to ‘burp’ after drinking milk, going to see the vet
for the first time … this is all a surprise to little Gopi.

Gopi is actually the name of Mrs Sudha Murty’s pet dog and this is kind of her life’s real story.

The book has really beautiful illustrations done by Sandhya Prabhat with lots of photos of the real Gopi at the end.

To find out more about his adventures in his own words, you should read the book.

I would especially recommend this book to those who own pet dogs or someone like me who wants to get a dog. It tells us how dogs feel after coming into a whole new world and their understanding of the human language.

The book is written in simple words for 7-10 years old kids. But I think even grown-ups will enjoy it equally.

I would not change anything in the book because I think it is lovely the way it is. In fact, I have read the book thrice already!

I give this book 5/5 stars for the story and +5 stars for the illustrations.

And now that the second part, “The Gopi Diaries – Finding Love” has been published as well and I am looking forward to reviewing that soon.

Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to my ‘Nature with Sara’ section, in which we find a beautiful way to enjoy nature.

10 year old Prachi Kothari, a Bookosmian from Mumbai can’t help gushing about the magnificent peacock in this lovely poem. What is your favourite bird? Tell us!

Prachi is a student of Children’s Academy Group of Schools(Malad).

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A blue glow,

That makes everyone say “Ooo”,

The peacock’s feathers when spread look like they give to the ground, blue light,

Which brings to the watchers, a charming smile.

When the wet rain with the ground together clap,

This scene is extraordinary, incredible, fab,

The peacock starts dancing exceptionally arresting,

We feel around us an ecstasy fencing,

Golden green rays emit from their feathers,

That we can’t stop to gather,

For perceiving this wondrous sight,

It would be more marvellous if it could take a sky-high flight,

When looking at it our eyes pounce out and magically stop,

The peacock is so magnificent from bottom to top.

If it comes dancing on the road,

Everything from cars to people would be on hold,

It spreads out its wings with valor,

In us, we need to imbibe that gleaming colour.

Learn that,

We shouldn’t just sit and perch on the tree,

Do something outstanding that makes everyone feel glee.

Animals should be given importance and cared,

Don’t let them become extinct and rare.

Increase the number of animals and birds,

Build national parks and sanctuaries where they can freely and happily run,

Store the peacock’s beautiful sights in your mind and heart,

So that these pleasant sights keep coming repeatedly and ever last.

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Hey, Sara here again. Did you enjoy Prachi’s poem on peacocks? How about some cool facts now?

Fun Fact 1: Peacocks can emit sounds humans can’t hear

When a peacock fans its ornamented train of feathers for the peahen during mating season, its feathers quiver, emitting a low-frequency sound inaudible to human ears. Depending on whether they want to attract females from far away or up close, they can change the sound by shaking different parts of their feathers. Peacocks make “infrasounds” at low frequencies (below 20 hertz) that are totally inaudible to us—but very pertinent to peafowl. Just think of it as bluetooth for birds, says Audubon article here.

Fun Fact 2: Peacocks, peahens, peafowls? getting the name right
Only the males are actually “peacocks.” The collective term for these birds is peafowl. The males are peacocks and the females are peahens. The babies are called peachicks. A family of peafowls is called a “bevy”. A group of the birds is also sometimes called an “ostentation,” a “muster,” or even a “party.”

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About the author-

Prachi Kothari, 10, Mumbai

Hey, Sara here with my new friend, Madhav.

Madhav is on the autism spectrum. He does certain things differently that get me thinking, but I realize that we are ‘not that different’ after all!

I am delighted to share the wonderful artwork and equally beautiful thoughts of my neurodiverse friends, in this section.

15 year old Aditi Sowmyanarayan is from Bangalore and is on the autism spectrum.

Aditi goes to Ishanya India Foundation.

Aditi says, “My head is full of thoughts and words that do not necessarily get expressed the way I wish it to. My world is very different and yet it is the same world we live in.

They say a picture says a thousand words. My art is the window to my mind and my world.”

Aditi’s mom Shwetha Srivathsan shares, “Aditi goes to a learning centre called Ishanya India Foundation in Bengaluru. The year 2020 was a very unique one which took away Aditi’s understanding of structure and replaced it with something new. She has been a part of online classes which have ensured continuity in learning. Attached artwork are from her online art class at Ishanya.”

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Watch out for soon-to-be-launched ‘Not That Different’ with Sara and Madhav, a children led movement towards a world more accepting of neurodiversity.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Potterheads will love this one! 8 year old Navoneer Bhattacharyya, a Bookosmian from Kolkata writes a detailed review on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. What was better, book or the movie? Do read to find out what he thinks.

Navoneer is a student of Birla High School (Junior).

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Title: Harry Potter and The Chamber Of Secrets

Author: JK Rowling

The cover page shows the Chamber of Secrets where Harry is holding the sword of Gryffindor and behind there is the Basilisk fighting with Fawkes the Phoenix. Behind that, there is a gigantic statue of Salazar Slytherin, under which lies the small figure of Ginny Weasley. This whole picture (especially the Basilisk) made my spine tingle!

I got this book from my mother for doing well in school.

Here is the gist of the story :

‘Harry Potter’s summer has included the worst birthday ever, warnings from a house-elf called Dobby, and rescue from the Dursleys by his friend Ron Weasley in a magic flying car! Back at Hogwarts for his second year, Harry hears strange whispers echo through the empty corridors – and then the attack starts. Students are found as though turned to stone… Dobby’s sinister predictions seem to be coming true.’

This gist at the back cover of this book makes the reader’s spine tingle. It is a kind of suspense.

The writing style of J.K Rowling is absolutely fantastic. So, I have nothing more to say about it. There were no illustrations, so I read and visualized all the scenes in front of me.

Everything was fine but some points were a bit disappointing. Like perhaps the part when Dumbeldore asked Harry ‘I must ask you, Harry, whether there is anything you’d like to tell me,’ Harry could have easily answered ‘I can speak Parseltongue’.I know there is a secrecy about the myth but lying does not make him any different from Tom Riddle who lied to his headmaster Armando Dippet. I know Ron told him Hearing voices in the wizard world aren’t a good sign. But Albus was his headmaster and the greatest wizard of the age. He surely would have warned Harry about the danger that awaits him because he was the Transfiguration teacher in Hogwarts last time the chamber was opened.

I loved the whole book a lot but there is a special part that I loved the most. Harry never hides anything from his best friends Ron and Hermione. In most books, I have seen that if something supernatural is happening the lead characters generally hides that from their friends.

I thought that there was a lot of darkness in this story like killing muggles, giant spiders etc. I would surely change it if I was given a chance.

There was a movie based on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and it was as good as the story. But they missed some parts like teachers wandering in pairs to find the Heir of Slytherin while Harry and Ron are going to visit Hagrid.

I think the age group for this book is 8 and up because only they would be able to feel the essence and the eeriness of the story.

So while rating the book I would give it 5 STARS and for the movie, I would give it 4.5 STARS because the book describes everything with the tiniest detail which the movie doesn’t.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Any robot fans here? You will love this review by 9 year old Shreeda Thakkar, a Bookosmian from Hannover, Germany of the book ‘Weird little robots’. Do read the review to know more about it!

Shreeda is a student of International School of Hannover region, Germany.

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Hey everyone, your friend Sara here! How’s your weekend art coming along? Welcome to my vibrant ‘Art with Sara’ section for kids.

Here I publish the works of young artists who share their beautiful work and their passion for artwork in form of a write-up!

There is a ‘spring’ in my step as spring has arrived! 9 year old Prisha Moitra, a Bookosmian from Kolkata feels it too as she puts down her happiness on canvas and sends us a beautiful write-up about art too!

Prisha is a student of Word to Word Consulting and goes to Indus Valley World School, Kolkata.

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Art and I go a long way back. As a toddler, I loved to scribble with varieties of colours on the walls, bedsheets, paper. I remember having used my hands and legs as an easel too and painting them with different hues. My favourite back then was hand painting, which we did at school.

When I was five years old, my parents decided that I needed a proper tutor to nurture this hobby that was close to my heart. I soon realised that I was someone who couldn’t draw following a set of rules. Like, my colours always seemed to disobey me; they always slipped out of the dotted border my tutor drew. One more thing that I found out was that all my paintings had to have a personal touch. I didn’t always draw the way my tutor taught me. If I did not connect with my art, I ended up not liking it.

Soon I was able to draw all sorts of animals, trees, houses, sceneries, fruits and veggies, birds and many more!!

I love to take inspiration from real-life things to draw as well. Like, I try to draw birds that come and sit on our balcony. And the stray dogs that roam the streets.

Whoever made birds had a good sense of colour. Birds, with their fluorescent and vibrant feathers and gregarious nature, have always fascinated me. And, I also believe that when they sing their sweet songs, it is a signal that Spring is arriving!

When I first thought of making these pictures and sat down to do so, I was immensely excited and a bit confused since I did not know where to start from.

Which colours to pick? Which birds to draw? These questions occupied my mind I even thought deeply about how to make the perfect picturesque spring.

Creating the art that fits the theme just right can be really difficult sometimes. I had to draw several rough sketches before I finally felt like these are the birds, I know will describe spring the best. I even found the right colours for my trees and flowers. When I had the final work in front of me, I felt satisfied and happy. In my mind, I had always pictured this happy place with a lot of foliage and all the colours of Spring. The hues that my birds had on their plumage was a perfect complement to the scenery I had drawn.

My favourite was the eagle that seemed to have popped out of an imaginary world where everything seemed young, fresh and radiant.

Hey everyone, your friend Sara here! How’s your weekend art coming along? Welcome to my vibrant ‘Art with Sara’ section for kids.

Here I publish the works of young artists who share their beautiful work and their passion for artwork in form of a write-up!

Beautiful spring has arrived and 11 year old Urjita Saha, a Bookosmian from Kolkata welcomes this wonderful season with an art work and a write-up. What do you think about the spring season? Tell us!

Urjita is a student of Ashok Hall Girl’s Higher Secondary School.

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Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here!

Exam season is around the corner but close on its toes will be the vacations and a perfect time to relax, read and write. Want to make use of this time to explore blogging? We have the perfect summer workshop for you here. But before that lets head over for writing tips and success mantra to award winning author and acclaimed blogger Tina Sequeira.

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Sara: Hey Tina. Congrats for your many awards and accolades! As a unique writing platform for young writers (under 16s), we at Bookosmia (smell of books) often hear talented young writers lament that they aren’t taken seriously, let alone be eligible for awards just because of their age. What is your advice to them? 

Tina: Thank you so much! I’m delighted to be sharing my thoughts with Bookosmia. I think it’s fantastic we have so many talented young people who enjoy reading and writing. That’s a good sign. The world needs more artists with imagination and empathy to lend beauty and hope to our world today—my advice to my young and bright writer friends to stay persistent. We live in a digital world, and I’m sure there are avenues and opportunities that you can keep a watch on, now or later. You have the advantage of age on your side. Please make the most of it! Read diverse books and write passionately on a subject you feel most connected with. Don’t bother about whether others take you seriously or not. You must have strong self-belief first, and then the rest will all fall into place at the right time. Stay persistent!

Sara: You won the Rashtriya Gaurav Award (2019) for Bhumi-an anthology of 21 short stories on female issues like infanticide, menstrual tabboo, gender discrimination etc. We have also published some powerful writing by young girls on these topics. What do you think is the right age for forming and voicing opinions on serious issues?

Tina: That’s an interesting question! There is no age bar.

I took to writing during my adolescence. It was therapeutic back then to help me tide over that very confusing phase of life. I had and still have vociferous feelings and opinions on gender equality. I call myself a born feminist because I was always one, much before I had heard of the term. I’d question the gender discrimination within the home and outside.

Today, I’m glad more young girls and women are voicing their opinions even though there is still a section in our society that’s medieval in its mindset.

One welcome change is the participation of boys in the gender equality movement. That’s a good sign and a step in the right direction. I don’t think it’s a man’s world, and that statement is exclusionary and reeks of entitlement.

Sara: ‘The Tina Edit’ is among the Top 100 Writing Blogs & Websites for Authors in 2020 in the world and Top 100 Indian Lifestyle Blogs by Feedspot. What do you think is driving this amazing achievement? Do share some tips on how young writers can maximize the audience for their stories. 

Tina: Passion coupled with consistency. It’s always been a childhood dream to become an author. Once you enjoy something or you’re good at something, and you pursue it with determination and perseverance, it opens up several doors of opportunities. Be on the lookout for various contests for young writers – city, state, national, and international level. Social media is a powerful medium to connect to your audience, but you have to use it to your advantage and strategically. Too much can be addictive. Too little can render you to become anonymous or unforgotten. Consistency matters!

Sara: If you could say something to your 16 year old self, what would it be?

Tina: To pursue your dreams! I didn’t do it back then! I am doing it now. Better late than never, as they say!

I wish you all the very best in your writing journey!

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Don’t miss finding out what blogging is like at our summer workshop in India at Sara@bookosmia.com.

Know  Tina better: Tina Sequeira is a marketer and moonlighting writer.

Winner of the Rashtriya Gaurav Award (2019) in association with the Government of Telangana for ‘Bhumi,’ the Orange Flower Award (2017) by Women’s Web, Literoma Nari Samman Award (2020), GrandQueens Leadership Award (2020) by Lions Clubs International, and Women Lit of the Year Award (2020) by I.N.S.P.I.R.E Beyond Motherhood Awards, Tina has published several short stories, poems, and essays in international anthologies and literary journals. Tina featured among the ‘Top 35 writers of 2017’ and ‘Top 20 Writers of 2020’ by Youth Ki Awaaz, India’s leading online platform for Social Justice. Tina is the founder of ‘Write Away.’ WOW Hyderabad magazine listed the ‘Write Away’ program in the Aug 2019 edition. Her blog ‘The Tina Edit’ is among the ‘Top 100 Writing Blogs & Websites for Authors in 2020’ in the world and ‘Top 100 Indian Lifestyle Blogs’ by Feedspot. Find her at thetinaedit.com and on most social media spaces @thetinaedit.

Hey everyone, your friend Sara here! How’s your weekend art coming along? Welcome to my vibrant ‘Art with Sara’ section for kids.

Here I publish the works of young artists who share their beautiful work and their passion for artwork in form of a write-up!

9 year old Nisarga Sandeep Rambhatla, a Bookosmian from Bangalore has an interesting story about how she started painting. Don’t forget to check out her lovely paintings.

Nisarga is a student of Winmore Academy, Jakkur, Bangalore.

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Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

8 year old K.S Rithik, a Bookosmian from Chennai sends us a review of ‘Berrynut, the little squirrel’, a part of the Enchanting animal tales series. He thinks it’s best for 6+ ages. Have you read it? Tell us!

Rithik is a student of NSN memorial senior secondary school, Chitlapakkam, Chennai.

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I knew when I saw the front page of the story that it would be interesting.

This is a fictional story. This is one of my favourite stories.

In this story, there lives a squirrel named Berrynut. He likes to eat berries and nuts. One day by mistake Berrynut tramples a snake and the snake starts to chase Berrynut.

Berrynut thinks that snakes cannot climb trees and so he climbs the nearby tree. But that snake was an expert in climbing trees so Berrynut jumped on the nearby tree. To know whether the snake managed to catch Berrynut or whether Betrrynut managed to escape, you will have to read the book.

My favourite part of this story is when Berrynut became an expert in jumping.

My favourite character in the story is Berrynut.

The main idea of the story is if we practice something more times we will become an expert in it. If I could change something in this story I would have made Berrynut into a bird because I love birds.

I recommend this story for the age group 6+.

I rate this story is 4.5 / 5.

Hey everyone, your friend Sara here! How’s your weekend art coming along? Welcome to my vibrant ‘Art with Sara’ section for kids.

Here I publish the works of young artists who share their beautiful work and their passion for artwork in form of a write-up!

We all love to dabble in art don’t we? 13 year old Yogitha S, a  Bookosmian from Chennai has recently started doing pencil shading. Do you also like to do them?

Yogitha is a student of Rosily Matriculation Higher Secondary School.

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Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here! Welcome to my ‘Places with Sara‘ section 

I can’t wait to pack my bags and head out. Until then lets read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Let’s keep our wish lists ready!

Auroville is an experimental township in South India like no other. 15 year old Diya Barmecha, a Bookosmian from Mumbai tells us the fascinating aspects of living here and how it has impacted her way of thinking. Have you visited it too? Tell us!

Diya goes to Ascend International School and is a student of Word Munchers.

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Travel is a process of self-discovery. When we travel, there is mostly a destination. However, this travel I am reminiscing about is different because its destination was internal.

While my feet were rooted in the town of Auroville, in Southern India, my mind was exploring new depths of myself.

While I saw the beauty of the city of dawn, I learned so much more. Auroville is a place where everyone can live as an equal. The main goal of this city is to realize human unity.

There is no concept of having a servant. In my stay there, I was asked to wash my own dishes, harvest my own crops, and a plethora of other things that I had never imaged doing.

In my everyday life, there was always food on the plate and always a clean plate when I asked for it. But in my trip to Auroville, I learnt that behind one piece of bread there is a long process.

When we did workshops of building a mud house and learned about unschooling, my mind was pushed to the limit on understanding. My mind curious as ever grasped every bit of knowledge. My knowledge was not about the place itself but how I could implement the teachings of this place in my home.

The people living in Auroville are content with what they had and don’t think of what they don’t have. They don’t have cars or a normal toilet. They don’t have dryers or washing machines but they do have their human will.

My stay there was a travel within. I went with a dependent and curious mind and emerged as someone more independent.

I understood so much more and felt even more uncertain of what I knew. But I was positive of one thing, that was – travel showed me another dimension of this earth and this dimension has changed my life.

Hey everyone, your friend Sara here! How’s your weekend art coming along? Welcome to my vibrant ‘Art with Sara’ section for kids.

Here I publish the works of young artists who share their beautiful work and their passion for artwork in form of a write-up!

10 year old  R Mahimashree, a Bookosmian from Chennai has been polishing her pencil sketches. Do check them out!

Hey friends, Sara here !
Young writers illustrating their own stories , how exciting is this idea! No one can tell our stories better than us and so we are thrilled to bring you a free ebook for children ‘ Picture Stories by Young Writers‘ – a collection of children stories both written and illustrated by talented under 10s and published by Bookosmia.

All these young writers enjoyed their learning at the Be an Illustrator Workshop for young writers by Bookosmia.

Read the flipbook below or download Childrens Picture Book Bookosmia.

We are proud to present ‘Powerful Young Voices’, a compilation of stunning writings by young writers of Bookosmia who have chosen to use their talents to call out prevailing discrimination in the world, from the stigma around menstruation to  the refugee crisis, these bright youngsters tackle the issues with passion and an optimistic view that can only come from the youth.

And we couldn’t have asked for a more credible person than the wonderful Yosha Gupta to compliment the use of Indian art for illustrating this book. Yosha is a serial entreprenuer and Founder & CEO of MeMeraki, a company on a mission to revive Indian art.

We hope you will resonate with the sentiments expressed in this book and join us on our quest to make the world a more inclusive place.

Read the flipbook below or download Bookosmia Young Writers on Discrimination

Presenting our first ever book written by an individual young writer and what a stunning story it is! We all love chocolates but what about God? Isn’t the creator entitled to a divine piece of chocolate?

Do read this lovely little book by 12 year old Varnika Agarwal from Delhi. She is a student of KathaVachak Khushboo of Not Just Tales.

No surprises that this deliciously creative tale was republished in the prestigious  international journal Borderless.

Read the flipbook below or download Why doesnt God get chocolates ebook Bookosmia.

Hey everyone, Sara here! Welcome to my ‘Places with Sara‘ section 

It’s the weekend! And here I am, your best friend getting you a virtual tour of beautiful places, courtesy our friends!

Here’s 9 year old Atreyo Bhattacharyya from Kolkata telling us all about his visit to Jaisalmer.

Atreyo is a student of Word Munchers and goes to The Heritage School.

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Last year, my family and I went to Jaisalmer.

Jaisalmer is a fascinating city because it has historical palaces, monuments and forts.

So we went to the airport and boarded a flight. It took about 3 hours to reach there.

When we went there we hired a car and then went to our hotel.

The hotel’s name was Priyadarshini. It was very big where there were games such as lawn tennis, tennis, badminton, basketball.

There was a guide with us and a driver uncle. That day we stayed in the hotel.

The next morning, my family and I woke up and after some time we were ready. So we got inside our car went for sightseeing.

The people were very polite and kind. We also saw people playing musical instruments on the streets.

We clicked pictures and videos of the people playing musical instruments. After sightseeing, we went shopping.

After 1 ½ hours our bags were full, so we went back to our hotel and rested for some time. By now it was afternoon, so we went to the dining room and ate Papad ki subzi, Dal baati churma and Rabri.

After lunch, we went to “Sonar Kella”. While I was entering the gate, I looked up and to my surprise, I saw many bats hanging on top. I stared at them in surprise for a few seconds.

Inside I saw that everything was made out of yellow sandstone. Even there were wall paintings drawn on the walls.

Then I went to see the majestic rooms where kings and queens used to live. They were very big and spacious, some of them were even made of glass and some of them were half broken.

After exploring all the rooms, we went to see the view from the topmost part of the fort. When we went there, we saw that the whole city was visible from the top. And I was dumbstruck with amazement because all the buildings were made out of yellow sandstone. Then we clicked pictures of the whole city from the top.

The next day we got inside the car and went to the Thar Desert. When we went there, we kept our car near a cottage.

From the cottage, we could see many camels, and the people were greeting us to ride the camels. We even clicked pictures of the camels. Then my father and I had a wonderful ride on one camel and my mother on another camel. The camel stood up with a sudden jerk.

After riding on the camel for some time, we were tired.

I will never forget the beautiful sunset in the Thar desert. We sat on the sand and watched and listened to the music of the musical instruments being played by the local people.

The weather was cold and chilly. We spent the night there. The next morning we woke up and started our journey back home. I will always cherish this memory of the big forts, the food and above all, the camel ride.

Hey everyone, your friend Sara here! Welcome to my vibrant ‘Art with Sara’ section for kids.

Here I publish the works of young artists who share their beautiful work and their passion for artwork in form of a write-up!

Prepare to be blown over by the art work of 11 year old Ema Anand from Sharjah. And do check out her thoughts about her art too! Do you also paint? I am waiting to see your paintings and thoughts!

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Drawing has had a profound impact on my life. Without drawing, I don’t know who I would be, where I would be, or how I would deal with everything that happens in life. Drawing is the most powerful tool I have.

Drawing helps me discover, reflect on, and express myself. It helps me feel happier and more confident and has given me an extra sense of identity and purpose in life. It keeps me honest with myself.

Almost every time I sit down to draw in my sketchbook, what comes out is a direct reflection of how I’m feeling at that moment. My sketchbook becomes a visual diary that can illuminate feelings I didn’t realize I had. I turn off my thinking brain, move my pen across the paper and would start drawing.

Not only does drawing help me become motivated and inspire me, it also helps me clear my head by reflecting on and clarifying those thoughts and feelings.

When I begin a drawing feeling agitated, grumpy, and stressed out, I almost always finish a drawing feeling more relaxed, content, and at peace. I draw my stress and worries.

Many people have trouble choosing what subject they want to draw on.

The subject should be one you are interested in – genuinely interested and engaged in.
Give new ideas a little time and thought before deciding to make them the subject of a work of art.

There are many art mediums you can choose from. They include:
– Watercolor
– Acrylic paintings
– Oil paintings
– Sketches
– Coloring
– Markers

Painting/Drawing is not a theory. It is not a media where you take notes and do it within a limited time. Art is something that you have to practice. It is where you have to be patient enough to finish it. It may take days, weeks, month or even years in certain paintings.

One image attempting to capture the essence of the written story sharing its page is called a painting/drawing in my point of view.
For example, the painting which I drew, the man drinking tea from the saucer, tells a short story.

Can you figure it out?

Another great example is the painting of “The last supper” drawn by Leonardo DaVinci.

The painting represents the scene of the Last Supper of Jesus with his apostles. Leonardo has depicted the consternation that occurred among the Twelve Apostles when Jesus announced that one of them would betray him.

That is all I have for now readers. Have a wonderful day ahead!

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

13 year old Gofiaa from Chennai shares the review of the widely popular book ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’  known for the importance of financial literacy.

Gofiaa is a person who loves to explore new things. She always likes to be unique in whatever she does. Her hobby is learning new languages. She is a student of NSN Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Chitlapakkam

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Book Review

Title- Rich Dad, Poor Dad

Author-  Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter

Rich Dad, Poor Dad book is an autobiography written by Robert Kiyosaki which was originally published on 2002. I love reading articles or books related to economics and this is must read book for everyone. This is one of the best
books I have read so far. After reading this book Robert Kiyosaki became one of my inspirations.

This book is one of the bestselling books around the world which I am not
surprised about having read this book . This book is about Robert Kiyosaki and his two dads where he mentions his real dad as poor dad and his best friend’s dad as rich dad. He takes lessons from his rich dad about money and becoming rich since he was 9. This story is categorized into chapters, each chapter unlocks a valuable lesson.

The lead character is the Robert Kiyosaki who is a billionaire now. He explains each and every situation clearly, that we can imagine the scene in our mind. He reveals many tactics, tricks and secrets for becoming a billionaire.

My favourite part was when the author and his best friend were nine years old and melted toothpaste tubes  made of lead at that time and poured into coin moulds and made money but they didn’t knew that it was illegal.

What I learned from this book is ‘HAVE MONEY WORK FOR YOU, DON’T WORK FOR THE MONEY.’

I would recommend this book for all people 13+

I would give this wonderful book 5/5 *
*on a scale of 1-5 where 5 is the highest.

Hey everyone!

Basant Panchami went by a few days back but there is never a bad time to ask for a little extra wisdom from the Goddess of wisdom, Saraswati, right?

Here is 10 year old Saanvi Agarwal from Kolkata sharing a beautiful artwork on the occasion of Basant Panchami.

Saanvi goes to La Martiniere for Girls, Kolkata and is a student of Word Munchers.

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I am sharing my artwork for Goddess Saraswati, on the occasion of Vasant Panchmi.

I developed a keen interest in doodling during lockdown. It takes away my boredom and makes me happy. Whenever I want to relax, I doodle.

I pray to her to grant us with wisdom and knowledge.

Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here! Welcome to my ‘Places with Sara‘ section 

I can’t wait to pack my bags and head out. Until then lets read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Let’s keep our wish lists ready!

The Konark Dance festival starts today in Odisha! No sweat if you don’t know much about Odisha. 10 year old Divyanshi Das from Bangalore is here to tell us all about it!

Divyanshi is a student of NPS, Kalkere, Bangalore.

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Odisha is a truly impressive and​ spectacular place, famous for its heritage sites, unpolluted beaches, pilgrimage etc.

Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here! Welcome to my ‘Places with Sara‘ section 

I can’t wait to pack my bags and head out. Until then lets read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Let’s keep our wish lists ready!

The Taj Festival begins today! It is a 10 day festival celebrating our country’s cultural heritage. To warm us up for the festivities, here’s 8 year old Aisha Mehta from Gurgaon telling us about her trip to the Taj Mahal.

Unique architecture with perfect symmetry and exceptional artwork, it was my first experience to visit a wonder of the world.

At the entrance gate, there were 22 rooms that represented the number of years it took to build the Taj Mahal. Carrying food items was strictly forbidden and so the entire place was spic and span.

It was a pleasant, sunny, winter afternoon for outdoor lunch. We had a relaxing lunch followed by a local sweetmeat ‘Petha’.

We took a stroll around the town and got to know that the city is popular for leather crafted products.

We wanted to reach Delhi before dinner time, so we started our return journey on time.

In about a while, we reached the National sports club Delhi to have dinner. Within a short drive, we reached home.

Everything went as planned and it was quite a memorable trip. It was a completely new experience for me and I truly enjoyed it.

We are hoping for a future trip to Agra again, to visit the Agra Fort.

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Enjoyed reading? Have your own travel memory you would like to share and get published?

Here is how to go about it-

Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here!

Exam season is around the corner but close on its toes will be the vacations and a perfect time to relax and read. But which books to choose for the willing and unwilling reader? Not to worry, the wonderful Jyotsna Dilip, founder of Rabbit Hole Children’s Bookstore is here with a ready list and useful suggestions.

Starting off our conversation, with this beautiful message for each Bookosmian, by Jyotsna–

Sara: The content industry has lined up a host of options for parents to choose from in the Covid era: Online workshops, digital books, virtual storytelling. How do parents browse through this sea of options to make the right choice for their kids?

Jyotsna: True. There is a plethora of options to choose from. In the real, physical world parents would choose based on the proximity, not just the child’s interest or price. However, the online world has decimated travel and parents now can choose between workshops across the globe. But this has also put us in a quandary over the quality of content that such workshops offer. Though there are plenty out there, quality or the value these workshops offer is something we need to give a thought about. As a parent, I usually discover these via social media and I choose workshops that my child shows an inclination to or those that may supplement what they are passionate about.

Sara: Reading is a one-way activity. For our young readers, how can it be made as enjoyable and interactive as a screen?

Jyotsna: Well, reading may seem like a one-way activity where the reader only reads. But I’d say books interact with you at a much deeper level. When a child reads a book alone, the book talks to them about the story – the child imagines the story and this kindles readers to reflect. This is an interaction between the reader and his/her inner self.

When parents read out to a child, the parent gets an opportunity to interact and bond.

When children read as a group, like in a book club, books enable children to understand another perspective or opinion. So I would say, books don’t speak, but they say a lot! Young readers find books enjoyable in families where reading is practiced as a pleasurable activity. We should get children to read and think about what they read, this will surely encourage a thinking reader who can interact in a multitude of ways.

Sara: Many people say “writing is a talent.” What do you think about young minds expressing their thoughts on a global writing platform like Bookosmia?

Jyotsna: Writing is a talent? Well, that depends on what you are writing for or about. But any child can write to expresses his/her thoughts. This kind of writing should not be measured by the choice of words, or spellings and grammar used. The writing a child does to express what’s on their mind opens a window into their world of ideas, thoughts, and feelings. And this should be encouraged. This will encourage them to pick writing and they will eventually become “talented” in writing! And while on the topic of writing, I must mention the book reviews by children on your website. Each one was so well articulated. I absolutely loved the way the children had reviewed the books. What more proof do we need to show that writing more makes you talented in writing!

Sara: What is a well balanced mix of books for young readers? Indian Vs Western, Fiction Vs Non- Fiction, Humour Vs Other Genres. Please share your recommendations for under 8, 8-12 and 12-16 age groups 

Jyotsna: I feel everyone should read what they “feel” like reading and would definitely encourage children to pick a variety of books. They can start reading a book and drop it mid-way if they don’t like it. But they should give it a try. How else would you know if they like it or not? I have observed that children like to read a certain genre of books at a certain age and there is nothing wrong with that but as a parent, I would definitely pique their interest in other genres by, maybe, reading it out to them or talking about it, without enforcing it, of course!

My recommendations! This part is really difficult since every child imbibes something from every book and it is very tough to narrow it down to a few. Here are a few that are perennial favourites at my home. I have added in series or authors or genres as recommendations too.

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Don’t miss sending me your thoughts on rural India at Sara@bookosmia.com. And now

Know  Jyotsna Dilip better: Jyotsna is a passionate woman entrepreneur and founder of  a travelling bookstore for children called, ‘The Rabbit Hole’.

Jyotsna has been in many roles before starting her own bookstore. An MBA with a career starting in IT industry spanning over 10 years of experience, before she decided to become a full time mom for her two kids.  She is certified in facilitation and child development and freelances in writing educational content for children. Jyotsna also runs a reading program for children called, Seed a Read.

Hey everyone!

Happy Basant Panchami to you all.

Here’s 9 year old Shrivats Nathany from Kolkata telling us about the day’s significance. Do read!

Shrivats goes to La Martiniere For Boys School and is a student of Word Munchers.

Hey everyone, your friend Sara here! Welcome to my vibrant ‘Art with Sara’ section for kids.

Here I publish the works of young artists who share their beautiful work and their passion for artwork in form of a write-up!

9 year old Aayush Bhattacharjee from Bangalore loves nature and you can see that in his paintings too. What do you like to paint?

Aayush is a student of Orchids International School, Bangalore.

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Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here! Welcome to my ‘Places with Sara‘ section 

I can’t wait to pack my bags and head out. Until then lets read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Let’s keep our wish lists ready!

Today’s travel review is by  9 year old Shivpriya Bhargava from Gurgaon who went on an exciting camping trip to Lansdowne, Uttarakhand and tells us all about it! So cool!  Shivpriya is a student of Word Munchers and goes to Amity International School.

I went for a camping trip to Lansdowne, a hill station. I went with my family which included  my  grandparents and cousins.

First we all gathered at New Delhi railway station to board the train. It was an overnight journey and we reached in the morning by 7:00 am. We felt very refreshed in the morning.

Finally, we reached our destination! We went to camp near a lake.

Now the most difficult task was to pitch a tent, to live in! My parents built it and I also learnt how to do it.

At night, we all lit a bonfire and roasted marshmallows! There were leeches and bugs and because of them we had to put insect repellent everywhere around us.

Then we woke up and my father and I, did some exercises. After that, I read a story book in the tent and my father went for a walk in the forest.

In the evening, around 7:30 pm we all laid outside on the grass and started counting stars.

We enjoyed the fresh breeze near the lake, and it was really fun!

In the morning, everyone took a bath in the stream. As we were taking a nature walk, we heard the sound of barking. We turned back and saw a little puppy injured. We took him to the tent, fed him and tended to the injury.

My father gave first aid to the puppy. He was very cute, furry and small.  After two days he was very energetic and started playing with us!

The next day we came home.

I learnt so much from the camping trip like how to pitch a tent. I spent great time with family and really enjoyed nature. I had lots of fun! And I would love going to more such camping trips. Everyone loves to go to camps right?

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Enjoyed reading? Have your own travel memory you would like to share and get published?

Here is how to go about it-

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Today is the birthday of Sarojini Naidu, the nightingale of India. Do you know about her? 11 year old Pratichi Satpathy from Bhubaneswar sends us a review of ‘Dear Mrs Naidu’ to help us know more about her. Read on!

Pratichi goes to Sai International School and is a student of Word Munchers.

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Book: Dear Mrs Naidu

On this occasion of Mrs Sarojini Naidu’s birthday, I would like to share a review of the book – ‘Dear Mrs Naidu’authored by Mathangi Subramanian.

In an era where children like me are attracted to sci-fi and fantasy, this book about daily life had me hooked until I finished.

In the book, the author shines a spotlight on the unglorified side to urban life. The main character, named Sarojini, lives in a basti with her best friend Amir and attends the dilapidated government school.

When Amir starts attending a posh private school, Sarojini’s life changes and she thinks that there are no more similarities between her and her best friend.

When she learns about the Right to Education at school, she thinks that she has a chance of attending Amir’s school. But, when she is denied a seat there, she realises that it is time to take matters into her own hands along with Deepti, a new friend from the construction site.

Sarojini takes inspiration from Vimala Madam, a lawyer and her own namesake Mrs Sarojini Naidu, who is also her secret pen pal.

Read the story to find out whether Sarojini wins the battle she is fighting – the battle for her family, her friends and her education.

Recommended Age Group: 10 + Years

Rating: *****(5/5)

Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here! Welcome to my ‘Places with Sara‘ section 

I can’t wait to pack my bags and head out. Until then lets read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Let’s keep our wish lists ready!

10 year old Srishti Haridarshan from Bangalore sends us a lovely travel story from her holiday at Karwar, Karnataka. Did you also go on a holiday? Tell us!

Srishti goes to The Samhita Academy, Bangalore and is a student of The Hobby Place.

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My favourite holiday is Karwar. It is a coastal plain of India and has the coast on one side and land on the other side.

It lies on the west coast of southern India at the mouth of the Kali river in Karnataka. It is also a Defence Naval Base.

I went there from December 26 to 30 December 2020 with my family.

We made a road trip from Bangalore to Karwar via Haveri, Ranibennur, Davangere, Chitradurga and Shimoga by car. It took us almost 11 hours and it was a beautiful drive through the Western Ghats.

Karwar has hot summers from March to May where the temperature may reach 37 degrees Celsius. Because of the very hot and humid climate, people wear light cotton clothes.

The major livelihood of the people of Karwar is fishing and fisheries, followed by farming of locally grown crops. Fishing villages concentrate around the wharfs and have their own community of fishermen and engage in deep sea fishing and fishery-related activities.

Konkani is the native language of Karwar. The currency used in Karwar is Indian Rupee. Seafood is the most common food eaten here.

Some of the amazing delicacies of Karwar are: Karle Ambat (Crab masala), Bangada fry, Oysters, clams, Masli kadi(Fish and coconut gravy), Sukhe Masli (dried and salted fish), Chilly Squid, Rice and dosa.

Some of the interesting places in Karwar are: Kurumgad Islands, Kali island, Kali River Bridge, Devbagh Beach, Fish Market, DudhSagar Falls, Rock Stone Garden, Warship Museum and Oyster Rock Lighthouse.

The fish market was one of the cleanest places. I saw a variety of fish, prawns, crabs, oysters and clams.

We went on a cruise on the Kali river. We visited the Kali temple on the Kali island. Karwar is famous for the Kali river estuary.

From the Kali island we went to the Oyster Rock Lighthouse and on our way we saw the Elephant Rock island.

Trekking up to the Lighthouse was fun and a new experience for me. The view from the top was breathtaking because there was so much water all around with islands scattered all around. On our way back we saw baby dolphins jumping up and down in the water! I was surprised because it was so close to our boat.

Fine muslin cloth is quite famous in Karwar along with carved sandalwood and incense sticks. You can also buy some colourful and beautiful silk sarees here.

This place is famous for under water diving and para sailing activities. Kayaking, nature walks and bird watching are very famous activities here.

Karwar is a beautiful place to have a fun filled holiday and spend time with family and friends.

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Enjoyed reading? Have your own travel memory you would like to share and get published?

Here is how to go about it-

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

6 year old Dhakshitha C from Chennai reviews ‘Rangeela Finds a home’, a book that is sure to delight animal lovers. Read on!

Dhakshitha is a student of N.S.N Memorial Senior Secondary School.

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Title: RANGEELA FINDS A HOME

Author: GITA.V.REDDY

Plot:

​I bought this book from Kindle. This is the first book from the series ‘Rangeela Tales’. At first, I thought the book would not be interesting but I liked it a lot.

​Navjyot was a ten year old boy living with his grandfather and cousin Nimi who was 8 years old. Nimi had a naughty cat named Robber who was very interested in hunting.

​One day, Robber was trying to attack something on the ground. Nayjyot found out it was a parrot and took care of it because it was hurt.

​Since it was very colorful, he named it Rangeela. He liked Rangeela so much. He spent most of his time talking to Rangeela. One day, Navjyot was surprised to find out that Rangeela could talk like human beings.
​

As Rangeela talks, we get to know its story and its thoughts about human beings.

​The characters in this book are Rangeela, Navjyot, Nimi, Robber and Navjyot’s grandfather.

My favorite character is Navjyot because he is gentle and kind.

​The story takes place at Navjyot’s grandfather’s house and the lake nearby.

​My understanding from the book is that we must be kind to animals and not hurt them. The book was very interesting, and I will recommend this book to my friends.

Recommended Age Group: 6 To 12 Years
Rating: *****(5/5)

Hey everyone, your friend Sara here! Welcome to my vibrant ‘Art with Sara’ section for kids.

Here I publish the works of young artists who share their beautiful work and their passion for artwork in form of a write-up!

5 year old Naksh Jariwala from Katy, Texas spotted a bird on the tree and sent us this lovely picture so we can enjoy nature’s wonders too!

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Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here! Welcome to my ‘Places with Sara‘ section 

I can’t wait to pack my bags and head out. Until then lets read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Let’s keep our wish lists ready!

7 year old Rajveer Chowdhary Kolkata had a memorable trip to Bhutan and he sends us a fascinating write-up on his experiences. What’s your favourite holiday destination?

Rajveer goes to La Matinere for Boys and is a student of Word Munchers.

The hotel was very big, and there was a fountain outside my room’s balcony. There was a big garden in front of our hotel. The next day we went to the market place which was bustling with people.

We also visited the monastery and prayed. We wore traditional clothes and got our picture clicked which was such a nice memory.

One morning I woke up and I saw snowfall, I was very excited.

We also tried parachute flying, it was an amazing experience and I thanked my father for it.

The full place was covered with snow, it was looking like paradise.

Although Bhutan is one of the most expensive places in the world, one should still visit at least once.

The local people are always ready to help people from other cities. It is a very peaceful and calm place to visit.

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Enjoyed reading? Have your own travel memory you would like to share and get published?

Here is how to go about it-

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Do you know what realistic fiction is? It is a genre of stories where the characters and the settings seem real and feel like they could happen to anyone in real life. 12 year old F Kaitlyn Breena from Chennai reviews one such tale by award winning author Sowmya Rajendran.

Kaitlyn is a  student of NSN Memorial Senior Secondary School.

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I got this book when I was studying in 6th grade in my old school Olive Public School.

This book is about a young boy and his fascination for detective work.

Let me tell you a little bit about the plot of the story.Chakravarthy is a young boy who is inspired by detectives. He even dresses like one.

Once during festival time, the whole Patel street is crowded. He does what he does best- observe people through his binoculars. While he does that, he sees something unusual- a woman crying and speaking to a police officer. It’s time for Chakravarthy to put his detective skills into action. Does he manage to find out the woman’s problem and help her with a solution? For that you will have to read the story, but let me tell you that the ending is a real interesting one!

The lead character Chakravarthy is well written. He may not be a real detective but he doesn’t let that discourage him.

The central idea of the story is how we can use our intelligence to find solutions like how Chakravarthy does. The writing style of the story is very elaborate.

My favorite part of the story is the climax when Chakravarthy buys himself something to further establish his look as a detective.

The best age group for reading this book is 10-14 years.

I would rate this book 4/5 

Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here!

This chat is a little extra special because it opens up our eyes to a whole new India- rural India. It is one that some of us may never see. But one, that we SHOULD know about. It is big and beautiful in so many ways.

No one better suited than Priti David, Editor at People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI) and her author friends who recently published the PARI-Karadi Tales series for children , to tell us more about it.

Starting off our conversation, with this beautiful message for each Bookosmian, by Priti –

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Sara: So many kids in India grow up in curated housing societies, attend private schools and take up jobs in metros or outside India. Why do you think they need to know about rural India?

Priti: Rural India is a place where most of our country lives and works. Our food is grown in rural India, our water and electricity, people who work for us and much of what we use comes from rural India, so it’s definitely a place which we should know about. 

Those of us who live in housing societies and go to school in private transport belong to a small minority; most of India does not have these advantages and it’s important that we learn about the wider world around us – the different kinds of knowledge that we don’t read about in books.   

Aparna adds: Maybe all of you: the younger generation, will set this world right. But for that, you need to know what is wrong with it. Nandhini’s story tells you a little bit about one occupation, an important one, that puts food on your table and mine. 

Vishaka says: Learning about life in rural India is important because many stories from there show us how much beauty there is if only we look.  

Subuhi adds: This India is as much a part of our country as Bollywood, IPL and cities. But we probably don’t learn much about this at school. Learning about this India will help us understand our country, our cities and ourselves.      

Sara: How has the lockdown affected children in rural India? Are there some key takeaways for urban kids to understand and compare their lives?

Priti: Rural India does not have the same speed of internet or even the same smartphones and laptops. So it’s difficult if not impossible to study online, browse the net or even play games. In some rural homes, or even in slums, there is only one phone in the house, and the working parent needs it for their work, so they take it with them when they leave in the morning for work. 

In your home, when you need help with home or classwork, you can ask your parents. But for many children in rural India, especially those in the higher classes, their parents may not know the language in the textbook or may not have attended school. So rural children often get stuck while studying on their own.

During the lockdown, many parents lost their jobs. So children’s school fees could not be paid and they had to drop out of school. Many of them started selling vegetables and so on to earn some money and help their families buy food.  

Sara: PARI Education has been consistently working with kids across the country to help them voice by publishing their writing. How does it help your mission and is there a way you can measure the benefits?

Priti: The People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI) is like a big library of stories and photographs of the many different people and places in rural India. Our country is so big and people do many different kinds of jobs climbing coconut trees, weaving, farming, herding animals, making musical instruments, honey hunting and ship building among others. 

In PARI Education, students are also contributing to this collection. Some are making posters and comics based on these stories and you can check them out at this link: Inspired by PARI. 

When kids work with us to build this library, they learn something about people who are otherwise invisible to them. They get to walk in their shoes, to feel their joys and hear their dreams. You can learn a lot from the everyday lives of everyday people. 

Sara: PARI Education recently released a set of 5 books for 10-15 year olds, published by Karadi Tales. How did you shortlist these from the  innumerable themes possible? 

Priti:  My book Coming Home is the story of a young boy Selva, who comes up with an idea which sounds impossible – and I really shouldn’t tell you any more! It is based on a few stories I wrote about a community of farmers who live and work in a small valley in Tamil Nadu. As a reporter I travel to some of the most remote and beautiful parts of the country. I thought the idea of ‘home’ was something all of us can relate to. Writing this story showed me how whether you live in a village or a big city, our day to day lives are really no different. As young children, we go to school, enjoy art and craft classes, help at home, look forward to outings with friends but in the end we always want to come back home. 

Aparna says, “My book No Nonsense Nandhini is about a woman farmer and her children. Farmers are in the news and I’m sure children are puzzled. Why, you might wonder, is farming a problem? Aren’t there farmers everywhere? And if it is so hard, why can’t they just do something else? Nandhini’s story – actually tells you that it is not so easy to drop everything and do something else.  But that doesn’t mean people sit around and wait for others to come to their rescue; they are heroes, they do it themselves. Plus, Nandhini inspires children – and not just her own – to take up farming.” 

Vishaka says, “In my book, The House of Uncommons, I write about a young orphaned boy, Krishnan, and his friends who live in a boarding school in rural Tamil Nadu. While they learn and play just like all other young kids do, there’s one aspect of their lives that’s different. They have a virus called HIV. 

Many people in this world aren’t very kind to those with HIV.  They’re afraid of them and treat them poorly. This is unfortunate because they know so little about how it’s contracted and how it can be treated.  In my book, I write about how big problems sometimes land on small shoulders. But kindness, strong friendships and love can help them get through the toughest of days.”

Subhuhi says, “I wrote No Ticket will Travel – a story about migrants, mostly farmers and labourers who are forced to leave their homes in the villages and move to the cities to look for work. Why do people leave their homes and villages? We see many people from different parts of India in our cities, but we often don’t know why they have come here. This book tries to answer these questions by narrating the stories of six people, including a young girl and a teenager.”

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Don’t miss sending me your thoughts on rural India at Sara@bookosmia.com. And now-

Know Priti David better: Priti reports for the People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI) and is Editor of PARI Education where she works with schools and  colleges to bring rural issues into the classroom and curriculum, to document  rural lives and to bring diverse student voices on these issues.

An Economics Honours graduate from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi, she began her career with The Economic Times in 1989,  reported for India Business Report on BBC World and has worked in publishing and as a high school teacher.

 Priti, Aparna, Vishakha and Subuhi are the four authors of the PARI-Karadi Tales series for children. They write on rural issues and have published in the People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI) an online journal on rural India.  

At PARI Education you can read what students your age are reporting and writing about the wide variety of people around us. Meeting them, learning about their lives and opening our eyes, mind and hearts to the many many different kinds of people in the world. It’s a treasure of stories, films and photos on parts of India that we all should know more about. And you can contribute. What are you waiting for?!

Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to my ‘Nature with Sara’ section, in which we find a beautiful way to enjoy nature.

Today’s write up is an epistolary work, which means in the form of letters, by 12  year old Laksha Khanna from Kolkata.

Laksha is a 12 year old , studying in class 7 in Sushila Birla Girls School, Kolkata. She is a student of Word Munchers.

Laksha is passionate about writing from an early age. She is also fond of dramatics. She enjoys being on the stage and  performing for an audience.

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Dear Pamela,

Hope you are doing well. I came to know about your obsession with birds. Recently we had a school trip to Russia and I was a volunteer to accompany a bunch of seventh graders. I am writing to you to tell you about our encounter with the Spectacled Eider, an endangered species.

It was a Saturday morning and we had a free day before we left for home. I took a bunch of seventh graders to a park to spend the day there. There was a tranquil lake nearby and a lot of ducks were merrily swimming in it. My juniors bought a loaf of bread from the nearby bakery and started feeding the ducks. I would have never found the Spectacled Eider if one of the kids hadn’t pointed out that one of the ducks was wearing glasses. All the children gathered around the lake and started pointing and gasping at the duck. I came closer and I found out from one of the locals that it wasn’t a regular duck but it was a Spectacled Eider who has a large white patch around their eyes, outlined with black which makes it appear as if it is wearing spectacles. It had a marvelous white and black body, a green neck and an orange beak.

Suddenly it swopped down and grabbed a mollusk in its mouth. The children watched carefully how the mollusk fought for its life and how the eider was fighting for its food. Later that evening, one child was really fascinated by this bird so he started telling us all about the eider. He told us that the Spectacled eider was an endangered species because it was a common prey for predators if they didn’t travel in large groups.

Overall it was a rare experience viewing an endangered species in a park. Hope to hear from you soon. 

Yours lovingly,

Laksha 

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Hey, Sara here again. Did you enjoy Laksha’s epistolary work? How about some cool facts on Spectacled Eider now?

Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here! Welcome to my ‘Places with Sara‘ section 

I can’t wait to pack my bags and head out. Until then lets read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Let’s keep our wish lists ready!

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In the middle of December, 2019, I visited Abu Dhabi with my family and some of my family friends. I travelled there by airplane and stayed there for one day. I stayed in ‘The Novotel’ in Abu Dhabi.

Our bedroom had a TV, bathroom, desk, closet and a comfortable bed. There are a lot of interesting places in Abu Dhabi but I think Ferrari World was the biggest and best place of all. There were so many things to do there and it had the fastest roller coaster in the world! It also had full real Ferrari models from the beginning of the Ferrari company.

We kept on eating different kinds of fries and yummy chicken shawarma. My brother’s favourite colour is yellow so he loved seeing all the Ferrari cars that were yellow. I think that is the best feature of the city.

There is also a building shaped like a boot! How crazy do you think that is?

Now, let’s talk about food. There are special dates grown across the UAE and the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula! But these aren’t ordinary dates. They taste very sweet and chewy.

I would recommend visiting Abu Dhabi because it is a beautiful city and there are many attractions there. So, please pay a visit and you definitely won’t regret it !

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Enjoyed reading? Have your own travel memory you would like to share and get published?

Here is how to go about it-

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Woohoo! I am super duper excited by the review today.

Today’s review has been sent across by 9 year old Nikhil Girishankar from Mumbai. It’s a review of Howzzat – India’s first sports journal for kids!

Concept by – Archana Mohan

Design – Aayushi Yadav

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Can an epic like the Mahabharatha be reviewed? 9 year old Aashritha Surya Prakash from Bangalore gives it her best shot in this lovely review of the children’s version of the book by Samhita Arni.

Aashritha goes to Vidya Niketan School, Hebbal, Bangalore and is a student of Tale Spin.

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Author: Samhita Arni

As I sat on the couch, reading my very first version of the great epic the Mahabharata by Samhita Arni, completely lost in the glorious world of the ancient epic, I would often witness miraculous scenes; Shantanu talking to Ganga Devi, or Bhishma taking the princesses of Varanasi back to Hastinapura.

Once in a while I would look up and stare at the ceiling, daydreaming away.

Have you ever become so absorbed in a book that you get lost in it and everything you see or hear seems to be an incident in the book? Well, that was how I felt as I heard Bhishma’s words of wisdom to Yudishtira or Surya deva granting the Akshaya Patra to Dharmaraja.

I remember how I felt watching the movie version of the Mahabharata for the very first time. So, what are the things in common between the movie and the book? Well, I think nothing is the same as these epics have been passed down the generations by word of mouth and so every version will be unique in its own way.

No wonder Rahi Masoom Raza, director of the Mahabharata, said that “No event in this world will happen unless it has already occurred in the Mahabharata”.

Recommended age group: 7+

I would rate this book 5/5 

Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here! Welcome to my ‘Places with Sara‘ section 

I can’t wait to pack my bags and head out. Until then lets read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Let’s keep our wish lists ready!

9 year old Vivaan Sanghvi gives us a super account of his holiday at Maheshganj, which is near Kolkata. Have you been there too? Tell us!

Vivaan goes to The Heritage School and is a student of Word Munchers.

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The one place I would recommend people to visit is Maheshganj, which is about four hours away from Kolkata. I went there two years ago in December.

I went with my brother, my mother and my father. My father’s friend, Prithvi Nath  Tagore also came along with us. We went there by car since it is not too far. We stayed at a place called Balakhana.

Balakhana is very nice. It is a big house with lots of trees and plants. Two dogs live there called Tuppy and Johny. It has a very nice swing too.

The interesting place I saw there was a temple in Mayapur, though one part was under renovation. We went to the other part and it was beautiful, it had lots of paintings on the roof.

The most fascinating place there were the shops because they were all in one line and they sold many different things made by the local artists.

The souvenir I got from there was a cup with the picture of the ‘Balakhana’ estate and spoons made from the bark of trees.

The food I would recommend there is the green salad and the vegetables because they feel like magic on your tongue as they are all home grown.

I recommend this place to people because it is beautiful, there is a lot to explore, vast gardens with colourful flowers and numerous fruits, nature walks, the animals, ruins of a building on the other side of the plants which gives it a mysterious look.

It is a little piece of heaven on Earth. It is a great place, which gives a ‘home away from home’ feeling.

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Enjoyed reading? Want to get published on this global writing platform?

Here is how to go about it-

https://bookosmia.com/sara_activities/places-with-sara-submission-guidelines/https://bookosmia.com/category/places-with-sara/

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Today is World Cancer Day. As we send across our best wishes to those suffering from cancer and their families, here’s a book review of ‘The fault in our stars’ a book about a young cancer patient sent to us by 12 year old Mehr Kapoor from Kolkata.

Mehr goes to La Martiniere For Girls and is a student of Word Munchers.

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Book Name : The Fault In Our Stars

Hey everyone, your friend Sara here! Welcome to my vibrant ‘Art with Sara’ section for kids.

Here I publish the works of young artists who share their beautiful work and their passion for artwork in form of a write-up!

Do not miss this adorable story and art work by 5 year old Diya Raymond from Coimbatore where she tells us how she made a christmas tree. So cute!

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My friends Pink, Reddy, Bunny and I are very excited. We are going to build a Christmas tree. 

We are going to make it with sticks and paint it green. We will put the decorations too. Come on, let’s start. I can’t wait!

Now we are all done and we are going to sleep.

It’s Christmas today!

Bunny and Reddy have woken up too. I can see something under the tree. It must be presents!

3…2…1…yah! Presents! I can’t wait to open them.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

What if the moon went missing one day? That’s the plot of the book ‘Starry River of the Sky’ by Grace Lin. To know more, do check out a superb review of the book by 9 year old Alesha Jariwala from Katy, Texas.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

 If you have never read the hilarious Tom Gates series, you must try one! 12 year old S Pragya from Chennai recommends the book ‘What Monster’ from the series.

Recommended Age Group: Above 12 Years.

I would surely rate this book 5 out of 5* because I found it hilarious and it was the most irresistible page-turner. If you begin the book you won’t feel like putting it down.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Today’s review of this fun book for kids is 6 year old Dhakshitha. C from Chennai.

Dhakshitha is fond of classical dance, classical music, reading books and visiting temples. She is a student of N.S.N Memorial Senior Secondary School, Chennai.

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Title: Sunny Meadows – Woodlands School– A School Trip

Author: T. ALBERT

Illustrated By: MAA ILLUSTRATIONS

I read this story on a website.

On seeing the cover page, I thought that the story was scary because the little animals were sweating and startled. However, the book had a message.

Woodland’s school class one students were excited because they were going  on a trip to the shadow woods except Hank the Hedgehog. He is sad because  everyone teased Hank and avoided him since they thought he was odd. During  their trip, they all got lost in the forest and was surrounded by a big snake.  What do you think will happen next?

The key characters are Hank hedgehog, Matilda mouse, Racheal rabbit, Wendy Weasel, Ralph Racoon, their teacher Ms Squirrel, Mr Mole and the head teacher Mr. Owl.

My favorite character is Hank hedgehog because he saved his friends from  the snake.

The story starts off first at the Woodlands School then is set at the Shadow woods.
My Understanding from this book is that we should not tease someone for his  or her looks. I loved the flowers in the Meadows and the cute characters. I will recommend this book to my friends.

Recommended Age Group: 6 – 12 Years

Rating: **** (4/5)

In this deeply profound collection, young writers have chosen quotes by Mahatma Gandhi that have influenced them and describe how beautifully they apply them to their day-to-day lives. It is heartening to see Bapu continuing to thrive through these young voices. More power to them!

We are grateful to Dr. Kamini Gupta, Lecturer at King’s Business School and published writer on Gandhi’s life, for her foreward

Many thanks to renowned Gandhian, social and environment activist Mudita Vidrohi for her endorsement on the idea behind this book.

And finally to Word Munchers for making this book a reality.

To our readers, wherever you are, we hope this book resonates with you in some way. if you are a young voice with something to say, we are listening at Sara@bookosmia.com

Read flipbook below or download Bapu lives within me- ebook by Bookosmia

Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here! Welcome to my ‘Places with Sara‘ section 

I can’t wait to pack my bags and head out. Until then lets read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Let’s keep our wish lists ready!

Dvaita, the son of God, married a priestess of Korea, Isabel. She was a wonderful and intelligent girl. She had heard a lot of things about India from her grandfather, who had came from India.

Her dream was to visit the whole country. This was her chance. Isabel, one day, told her husband about her dream.

Dvaita said, “Of course, I’ll take you on a tour.”

They ordered a carriage and set off. They first stopped at the Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert.

Dvaita said “This desert has fertile soil and is good for the inhabitants here. This famous dessert is located in Rajasthan. Several animals survive the hot sand, including the camel.”

They stayed for 4 days and departed for the Deccan Plateau.

“Tell me, Isabel, what is a plateau?”

“A plateau is a hill with a flat upper part” Isabel replied. “Correct, dear. These parts have many railway stations and hill stations. These places are also covered with forests and big cities, like Bangalore.”

 

They stayed for 6 nights and on the 7th day, Dvaita said to Isabel, well, Isabel, we have visited many places, where do you want to go now?

“I want to go to the Lakshwadeep Islands I have heard so much about it.” “Well, okay, but we will have to stay in the coastal plains for a few days, and then we shall depart for the Islands.”

They went to the coastal plains. Isabel said “Wow, the sea is so beautiful, now I know why they are called coastal plains. They are close to the seaside”. Dvaita said Malabar is at the southern part of Western Coastal Plains. It occupies some parts of Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. The Coastal Plains are famous for its trading of oil and other substances.

 

The next day they hired a ship and sailed towards the Lakshadweep Islands. When they reached Lakshwadeep, the husband explained “ The Lakshadweep Island is one of the union territories of India. The other is Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Lakshwadeep is one island, where we will stay. It has 27 Islands. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are divided into two parts, Andaman Islands and the Nicobar Islands. The island has 350 small parts and is filled with many wildlife creatures. We will be staying at its capital, Kavaratti.”

 

They stayed for a month there and finally went back home. Later, Isabel had two sons, Mark Chaterjee and Barsana John. They both became writers and they wrote a diary about all the places their parents visited.

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Enjoyed reading? Want to get published on this global writing platform?

Here is how to go about it-

https://bookosmia.com/sara_activities/places-with-sara-submission-guidelines/https://bookosmia.com/category/places-with-sara/

Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to my ‘Nature with Sara’ section, in which we find a beautiful way to enjoy nature, while still being locked in.

Here is a wonderful coming together of epistolary (letter writing) creative writing with a love for the vibrant world of scarlet ibis birds, by 13 year old Aanya Surana from Kolkata.

Aanya Surana is a student of Lakshmipat Singhania Academy, studying in class nine. English has been one of the most fascinating subjects to her. She goes to Word Munchers.

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42 Ribbon Street
Kolkata-700023
26th November, 2020

Dear Riya,
Its been a while since we have caught up with each other, I hope you’re doing  well. I know we’ve lost touch ever since I moved to Brazil for my further  studies, but I really miss you and would do anything to stay as attached and close as we were before.

The weather here is so beautiful currently and the autumn season is passing and the winter is setting in and during this time of year we generally have  expeditions and for this year as a part of the science class activity we went to a bird sanctuary, it was so beautiful. I was in charge of a group of children from class six and we were led by an ornithologist. He was so experienced that he  could identify the only check with their chirping noise. We saw a number of  birds but across the lake there was a beautiful flock of vibrant, colourful,  scarlet coloured birds which was were rare species known as scarlet ibis.

I was so mesmerized seeing the beautiful red bird that I could sit there forever and enjoy the calmness around her. Our ornithologist told a lot about that bird  and I found it very interesting . He told us that the scarlet ibis is a sociable and gregarious bird, and very communally-minded regarding the search for food  and the protection of the young. I thought that it would be a fun activity to feed the bird so the students and I asked our guide their check what it check and he said that it had a varied diet and that it and it ate stuff like crabs frogs worms and insects. Hearing this the students stepped back from feeding it because they were terribly scared of worms and insects themselves!

We went  further inside the sanctuary and saw numerous and rare species of  the bird. It was a trip to remember.

Give my greetings to uncle and aunt and I hope you like the pictures I have sent because I know you love nature and everything about it.

Hope to see you soon.
Your loving friend,
Radhika

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Fun fact #2 :  The scarlet ibis is a gregarious bird, living, traveling, and breeding in flocks.

While in flight, ibises form diagonal lines or V-formations. This formation  decreases wind resistance for trailing birds. When the leader of the pack tires, it falls to the back of the formation and another ibis takes its place at the front.

Read more here at the the Seaworld.org

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Wow, that’s really cool, right? Would you want to get published on this global writing platform and become a Bookosmian? Here is how to go about it-
https://bookosmia.com/submit-a-story/

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

I am excited to take this a step further and share reviews from my friends of books that were later adapted into movies.

We all know the story of Sleeping beauty. Have you seen the movie Maleficent, which is based on the fairytale? 12 year old Meher Gandhi gives us her verdict.

Meher is a student of Navrachana International school and Centerstage Young Orators.

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Director – Robert Stromberg

Story-based on – The sleeping beauty fairytale

So, here in the story, there’s a princess who falls into a deep sleep when she turns 16 and wakes up with a true love’s kiss. Sounds familiar? Well yes, This is the story of sleeping beauty – one of the classic stories we all grew up reading. The movie Maleficent has been adapted from this story.

This movie stars Angelina Jolie who plays the powerful and wicked fairy, Maleficent. Aurora is played by Elle Fanning and the Prince is played by Brenton Thwaites.

As we all know, the black-hearted fairy cursed the newborn princess Aurora, that when she turns 16, she would prick her finger on a spinning wheel spindle and fall into a permanent sleep. Upon the kings’ plea, she offers an antidote that the curse can be broken by a true love’s kiss, which Maleficent believes is non – existent.

And as predicted, she pricks her finger and falls into a permanent sleep. And she does wake up, with the kiss of true love. But it’s not the prince who wakes her up. And to find out who it is, you must watch the movie.

As most movies give us morals, so did this one. This movie taught us the actual meaning of true love that Maleficent doesn’t believe in.

The cinematography of this movie is brilliant, even though some scenes were shot in light and dark both, but there was not a single moment to be dull. The characters were spectacular and did full justice to their roles. The dialogue delivery was wonderful, which could make the viewer understand every minute detail going on in the scene.

Angelina Jolie steals the show with her marvellous acting.

I would rate this movie 4 on a scale of 5 (4/5).

Though this movie has a slight twist, it makes the movie more interesting. I felt the change adapted in the film was better than the actual book written as it makes the movie more enthralling and absorbing.

It’s highly recommended for all ages above 12 years

Bonjour everyone! Your best friend Sara here! While COVID has locked us in, our imagination can still help us revisit all those lovely holidays! Welcome to my ‘Places with Sara‘ section 

Bonjour means ‘hello’ in French. I learnt this word from my 8 year old friend Viaan Baid from Kolkata who visited beautiful Paris. Here’s his travel story from there!

Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here! While COVID has locked us in, our imagination can still help us revisit all those lovely holidays! Welcome to my ‘Places with Sara‘ section 

9 year old Vanshika Jain from Kolkata shares a wonderful review, of a wonderful place. Check out this travel piece on the Scotland of India- Coorg.

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Dear Travelers,

If you’re looking for a hill station with surreal beauty and misty hills ,I have a  great recommendation for you- the Scotland of India, COORG!

In this piece I am going to share my experience there.

I gave a sigh of relief, followed by a shriek of delight! Mummy, Daddy and I had just reached our resort, Evolve Back. After taking a flight to Bangalore and  then a long drive, we finally reached our destination. In the drive, I saw towering mountains in contrast to their misty tops.

Our resort had a breathtaking setting, with luxurious rooms. That day was  spent in exploring the resort and then buzzing off to sleep. Early next
day, we went on a nature walk. We also went to see Coorg’s famous coffee plantations! Let me tell you that Coorg is one of the highest producers of coffee in India. Later, we went to Coorg’s famous ‘Raja’s Seat’. This place  offered a panorama of lush-green valleys.

After watching the sunset, we went and had dinner. Being vegetarians, we had  scrumptious dishes like Akki Roti and bamboo shoot curry. The next day, we visited Abbey falls, one of Coorg’s famous waterfalls. The rumbling of the Abbey Falls was deafening. As it tumbled down, it merged with river Kaveri.

After having a picnic, we went back and the next day our two- night trip was over. I took back a few tins of coffee as souvenir. Then we went back to  Kolkata.

This trip was an exhilarating experience. The best part was the beauty of  nature everywhere. This place is a must-visit for any nature-lover.

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Enjoyed reading? Have your own travel memory you would like to share and get published? Here is how to go about it-

Hey everyone! Sara here, bringing you awesome book reviews by young readers just like you and me!

After all, if a story is written for young readers, shouldn’t they get to share their review of it?

Today’s review by 6 year old Atharva Agarwal is of a  book that tells a lively story with humourous illustrations, ideal for children who are beginning to read for themselves, or for reading aloud together.

Atharva’s favourite colour is blue and loves to make friends. He enjoys playing football, loves to eat pizza and pasta. His ambition is to become a scientist. He studies at La Martiniere School for Boys and goes to Word Munchers.

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Title: Llamas in Pyjamas

Author:  Russell Punter 

Publisher: Usborne

My favourite book is Llamas in Pyjamas.

It was bought by my mother as a birthday gift from a book fair.

I remember that when I was 3 years old ,my mum read it to me for the first time and from that day onward I enjoyed reading it every day.

This enjoyable book is about 4 Llama friends who are fond of spending time together.

In the story 3 of the 4 friends went for a sleepover to fourth friend’s house. They had great fun playing together and decided not to sleep the entire night.  At midnight, they got scared when they heard the noise of the footsteps  thinking it is a monster.

The most interesting part of the story is it was not a monster but grandmother who got midnight snacks for them.

 As I myself am a fun loving, friendly boy, I am amused with the friendship  between the four characters and the suspense involved in the story.

This book is recommended for age 2-6 years.

Every night I love to cuddle with the hilarious book in my blanket so that I can sleep well. I would rate this book 5/5 5 star rating*

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Hey everyone! Sara here, bringing you awesome book reviews by young readers just like you and me!

After all, if a story is written for young readers, shouldn’t they get to share their review of it?

Today’s review of an NY Times bestseller series Junie B Jones is by 9 year old Navika Kharbanda from Noida.

Navika is a very kind, creative and compassionate child. Her hobbies are dancing, baking, art and craft. Her creativity can be seen not only in her hobbies but also in her written and verbal expression. Her favourite book series is Junie B Jones by Barbara Park. She is a fun loving child who enjoys spending time with her family and friends.  Navika goes to Amity International School, Noida and is a student of Sandhya Maheshwari’ s Chamatkaar.

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Title– Junie B Jones Toothless Wonder
Author – Barbara Park
Publisher – Random House

Eww… It’s a loose tooth!!

Only Junie B Jones is not satisfied with this development.

She thinks that she looks like toothless Uncle Luo or even worse. What if the whole class is not able to recognize her? So many questions so little time!

The main characters in this book are Junie B Jones, Herb and Ollie ( Junie’s brother )

My favourite character is Grampa Frank Miller because he helped Junie B to  overcome her fear and to get back her courage.

This story gives us a message that we should not be scared about anything.

ALWAYS HAVE COURAGE IN YOURSELF.

What I loved about this book was that it was in a very simple language and I am fond of books that are not too long nor too short, so this was just fine for me.

The story is written in a very creative style and the writer has used many new  words in this story.

I would recommend this book for kids age group 5+

I give this book a 5 out of 5 rating from my side.

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Hey everyone!

Makar Sankranti or Uttarayan or Maghi or simply Sankranti, is a festival day in the Hindu calendar,  dedicated to the deity Surya.

I am so excited to hear how my friends across the world share about how they celebrate the harvest festival.

Here is 5 year old Kiara talking about how she learnt about the festival and celebrated it in New York. Kiara goes to pre  kindergarten at child time, Queensbury, NY.

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Every year, my mom explains to me how she celebrated kite flying festival (Uttarayan) in India. Every year, she makes chikki (sesame cookie) too.

My mom and I make kites. I decorate the kites. My mom tells me they used to go up to the terrace to fly kites and enjoy kite fights. I live in USA and we don’t  have a terrace. So we go to the backyard and fly kites.

I love the sesame chikki. My mom tells me that it is a healthy cookie. I also painted the kite on a canvas with my mom. I practiced few Gujarati words related to Uttarayan.

Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here! While COVID has locked us in, our imagination can still help us revisit all those lovely holidays! Welcome to my ‘Places with Sara‘ section 

Today’s write up by 10 year old  Aaditri Paul from Kolkata is of a must visit place that is hailed as one of the monumental wonders of the world.

Aaditri is a 10 year girl from Kolkata, full of creativity. She is fond of writing and always tries to share her feelings through writing. She loves dancing and sketching and doodle art too. Aaditri is a student of Chamatkar, organized by Sandhya Maheshwari. She goes to DPS Megacity, Kolkata

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One of the must visit tourist spot in this world is The Great Wall of China. It is  one of the wonders of the world.

The Great Wall of China is mainly located in the Northern China. It is made up  of millions and millions of brick and is also known as, one of the longest man- made structure in the world. It is one of the greatest and longest architecture  of the world.

The Great Wall of China was built by Qin Shi Huang, who was also the first  emperor of China. He was also the founder of Qin dynasty, the first dynasty of  imperial China. Qin Shi Huang was also known as Shihuangndi.

The Great Wall of China was a huge construction which took a period of over 200 years to be completed. The reason behind constructing this wall was to protect China from intruders.  Many workers worked very hard to make this wall and it took tons of money to construct it.

It is believed that about hundreds of thousands of people died during the  construction of The Great Wall of China and many of  them were buried within the wall. The Great Wall of China, frequently billed as the only man-made object visible from space, generally isn’t, at least to the unaided eye in low Earth orbit. It certainly isn’t visible from the Moon, as confirmed by NASA.

The Great Wall of China is over 2000 years old but still is a very famous  tourist place and gets lots of tourist every year. The Great Wall of China also became an UNESCO world heritage in December 1987.

I would recommend everyone to visit The Great Wall of China after this Covid  situation as it is one of the best places to visit. A famous quote on The Great  Wall of China is that “Enemy at the gates! – soldiers below the Great Wall.”

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Enjoyed reading? Have your own travel memory you would like to share and get published? Here is how to go about it-

Hey friends, Sara here! Here is a special eBook, something you won’t have seen before- A compilation of the best newspaper columns by under 16 Bookosmians.

“How did they become young journalists?” you ask.

Through our experiential ‘Be a Journalist’ Workshop with veteran journalists. Book a seat at the next workshop here.

Read this unique compilation below or download your copy Opinionated a free ebook by young journalist Bookosmia

Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here! While COVID has locked us in, our imagination can still help us revisit all those lovely holidays! Welcome to my ‘Places with Sara‘ section 

Folks, Sara here. I have decided. For my next vacation, I want to go to a prison. Don’t be shocked! For visiting, I mean.

Check this beautiful travelogue of Alcatraz Island by 8 year old Harshika Khanna from Kolkata and you will want to visit prison too!

Harshika is a student of Word Munchers.

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During our last vacation to the U.S.A, we went to many museums and the one that fascinated me the most was the prison museum on Alcatraz Island.

We took a ferry to the island from San Francisco Bay. The rather large prison could be spotted from a distance. We were given a device with earphones attached to it, that would tell us facts about the prison.

I was really excited to explore what was there inside the prison, now converted into a museum.

As we entered, we came across some well-preserved jail cells, a library and some old pictures with information related to it. It was fascinating to see the reading material which was provided to the prisoners in those times.

There were provisions for outdoor sports as well as recreational activities, which clearly explained that the Government was much concerned about the well-being of their inmates. Dummies were placed inside the cells to give the tourists a real life feel of the prison.

There was a separate shower area which could accommodate over twenty prisoners at once. In the cells, they had towels, a sink, a table, a toilet seat and the bed. They had a large dining room were all the staff and the inmates would have three meals a day. All their rations were stored in a large granary. There was a special visitor room where the visitors could come and visit the inmates. However, they could only see each other through a glass window and communicate via an intercom. All their conversations were monitored by the officers.

Sometimes, prisoners tried to escape but none of them was successful because the prison was heavily guarded. Even if the prisoner managed to break through his cell, the only way out of the island was through a ship or air because the water was very cold for swimming and the prisoner would die of the strong water currents. All this information left me restless as I was wondering what kind of a life the prisoners were living here.

The prison had finally closed down in 1963 because it was too expensive to run. My visit to Alcatraz Island was very informative. The island has a very interesting past and everyone should visit this place once in their lifetime.

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Enjoyed reading? Have your own travel memory you would like to share and get published? Here is how to go about it.

Places with Sara: Travel Review Submission Guidelines

Hey everyone! Sara here, bringing you awesome book reviews by young readers just like you and me!

After all, if a story is written for young readers, shouldn’t they get to share their review of it?

Today, we have a review  by 9 year old Aaradhya S Nair from Chennai for the classic ‘ The owl who was afraid of the dark’ by Jill Tomlinson. Have you read it? Tell us!

Aaradhya is a student of Phonics Power.

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Title – “ The Owl who was afraid of the dark”.

Writer – Jill Tomlinson

Illustrated by – Paul Howard

When I saw the cover page I felt like going to read a story of a cute little owl.

I got this book from school.  The main character of the story was a Barn owl. It was a cute and beautiful owl but was afraid of the dark. The story is about overcoming the fear of darkness.

I was impressed with the writing and illustrations of the story. It was easy to understand. My favourite part of the story was the way in which the Barn owl overcomes his fear of darkness. After reading this story I have understood that if we have some fear of something we have to overcome that.

I have overcome the fear of dogs after reading this story. The best age group for reading this book is 6 to 8 years

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Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here! While COVID has locked us in, our imagination can still help us revisit all those lovely holidays! Welcome to my ‘Places with Sara‘ section 

Today we have 9 year old Devansh from Kolkata writing about his fascination for Dubai. He already knows where he is going to do his MBA from! What a smart guy!

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What a wonderful sight I see right now,
Nothing like this in my small humble town.
Such pretty scenes the habitants see everyday,
Why would these Dubai dwellers ever frown!

Multi-storied buildings overlooking the bay,
Looking like tall missiles jutting into the sky.
This is my definition of paradise, oh Jesus,
What the view must be from up so high!

It looks like strings of lights drape these buildings,
Studying here is better than wearing the crown.
I’ll take a job in Dubai only, no matter what,
And never go back to my quaint little town.

What a wonderful experience it would be,
Doing my MBA here will be absolute bliss.
Imagine seeing this magnificent sight daily,
I’m very sure the entire Dubai is like this.

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Enjoyed reading? Have your own travel memory you would like to share and get published? Here is how to go about it.

Places with Sara: Travel Review Submission Guidelines

Hey everyone! I am so excited to hear about my friends from across the country telling me how they celebrate the harvest festival.

Here’s 7 year old Keshav from Navi Mumbai telling us about the celebrations at his state Maharashtra.

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Hey everyone ! Sara here. Happy Pongal to you all of you!

13 year old Yalini from Chennai shares her cherished memories of celebrating this festival with her beloved family. Tell us about your festival plans!

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Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to my ‘Nature with Sara’ section, in which we find a beautiful way to enjoy nature.

Today’s write up is an epistolary work, which means in the form of letters by 16 year old Ishita Jain from Kolkata.

Ishita is a 16 year old who loves reading and writing. She is someone who would rather curl up with a book, with a hot cup of tea than go out and socialize. She loves to listen to music as well.

She goes to La Martiniere for Girls School and is a student of Word Munchers.

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Dear Aunt, 

Do you remember the day you told me to take time out of my busy schedule from time to time to be in the lap of nature? Well, this December, I got such an opportunity. As a part of a science class activity, I was handed the responsibility of leading a group of juniors on a bird watching expedition. We went to Keoladeo National Park, India’s most famous bird watching park. It is a small wetland in Rajasthan that domiciles over 400 species of birds.

Our science teacher was a retired ornithologist, who helped us throughout the trip. We were told by our guide, to be quiet in order to experience the thrill of observing exotic birds. The group of juniors were very cooperative and understanding; the group touring with us, were an obstreperous lot.

In that tranquil atmosphere in the wilderness, we saw many birds such as painted storks, bar-headed goose and Indian courser. However, the bird that caught my eye the most was the Demoiselle Crane, which is the smallest of the crane species. Their bodies and outer wings are a pale silver-blue in colour and their tails and the underside of their wings, are black in colour. Their necks are black while there are pearly white feathers on the side of their eyes. They also have a mane-like set of feathers on their chest that makes them look graceful and elegant. This attractive bird has red eyes and small, ivory beaks, with grey and pink marks on them. 

Seeing this bird, all of us were left awe-struck and unable to tear our eyes away from it. Their call is like that of a ‘high-pitched trumpet’, as our guide had told us. They are migratory birds who migrate to South-Asia during the breeding season of winter. 

We spent that entire day in awe of the entire park filled with beautiful, exotic birds. I learnt a lot about different kinds of birds that day and I plan on visiting the park along with you next time you are in Rajasthan. 

Yours Lovingly,

Ishita.

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Hey everyone, your friend Sara here! Welcome to my vibrant ‘Art with Sara’ section for kids.

Here I publish the works of young artists who share their beautiful work and their passion for artwork in form of a write-up!

6 year old Vivaan Srivastava shares a sweet little story with his beautiful artworks.

Vivaan is a student of Indian High School, Dubai.

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One day a girl named Sally was walking in the woods.

Suddenly, she saw two feathers of pink and green colour. She thought “Wow, they are so lovely. Let me take them home and show to my mother.”

She ran home and showed them to her mother. Her mother threw them out of the window thinking they are dirty and full of germs. Sally felt sad. She went to her room and kept crying. After a while she slept. Next morning she woke up and saw many golden feathers in her room. She was overjoyed and thanked God!

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Hey everyone, your friend Sara here! Welcome to my vibrant ‘Art with Sara’ section for kids.

Here I publish the works of young artists who share their beautiful work and their passion for artwork in form of a write-up!

7 year old Lekishaa Thodda shares important messages for the year 2021 through her beautiful artworks.

Lekishaa is a student  of N.S.N Memorial Higher Secondary School.

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A child’s hands are too small to work,
But they are perfect for holding a pencil.

They have only a few years to be a child.

We the bubbling kids of the future generation feel that literacy is the jump off point from which all of life’s successes take flight.

Here’s to every child in the world – may you always have a chance at being educated.

Our planet’s most valuable resource is water.

If we save water, it will save us. So, preserve water and preserve life

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Hey there, your best friend Sara here! Here is another ‘Best of 2020’ eBook, but this one is on a unique theme – Book Vs Movie Reviews!

Sounds exciting? I loved this theme that my friends at Young Orators had of comparing our favourite books with their movie adaptations. So here it is! The reviews in this eBook are written by young minds, just like you and me.

So read on and send me your own reviews at sara@bookosmia.com

Download Bookosmia’s Book Vs Movie Review

or read the flipbook below-

Hey everyone, your friend Sara here! Welcome to my vibrant ‘Art with Sara’ section for kids.

Here I publish the works of young artists who share their beautiful work and their passion for art work in form of a write-up!

9 year old Riddhima shares her favourite artworks with us.

She is a student of Loreto Convent School.

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I myself was not aware that I can paint.  Before lockdown, my father had got canvas at home to gift it to a friend who loves painting, however, due to lockdown my father could not gift it. So I decided to paint on it. While painting I never had any specific idea on what I will paint.

I had once seen a Buddha painting in a restaurant so I made that and when my parents saw they were pleasantly surprised and their words of encouragement, motivated me further in this art journey of mine.

This one is my favorite, as I love to swing and missed it the most during lockdown, so I painted myself imagining swinging and being in the open environment the way I was before covid 19.

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Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here! While COVID has locked us in, our imagination can still help us revisit all those lovely holidays! Welcome to my ‘Places with Sara‘ section 

I can’t wait to pack my bags and head out. Until then lets  read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Lets keep our wish lists ready!

Ritwik is a Ninth grader studying in Lawrence School , Ooty. He is a simple, friendly, organized and peace loving  boy. He  loves to play all kinds of outdoor sports, however his forte is cricket .His sincerity and dedication in everything that interests him, is commendable. Ritwik is a student of Young Orators.

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If you are wondering what gave Rudyard Kipling the idea of writing the epic The Jungle Book, then the answer is the Kanha Tiger Reserve, also known as  Kanha- Kisli National Park.

The Kanha Tiger Reserve is one of the most famous tiger reserves of India and the largest national park of Madhya Pradesh. Kanha National Park was created on 1 June 1955 and was designated a tiger reserve in 1973 under project tiger  launched by then Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi.

Today it encompasses an area of 940kmsq in the two districts Mandla and  Balaghat together with a surrounding buffer zone of 1067kmsq and the  neighbouring 110km sq Phen Sanctuary, it forms the Kanha Tiger Reserve,  which is one of the biggest in the country. This also makes it the largest  national park in Central India.

The park has a large variety of flora and fauna. The park is home to the
fearless Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, sloth bear and the rare Barasingha amongst others. It is also the first reserve in India to have its official mascot,
Bhoorsingh, the Barasingha.

Kanha also hosts around 300 species of birds and the most commonly seen birds are the black ibis, bee-eaters, white-breasted Kingfisher among many more. The flora here includes over 1000 species of flowering plants. The lowland forest is a mixture of Sal and other mixed-forest trees. A notable Indian ghost  tree can also be seen in the dense forest. The view here is breathtaking and it  is always a pleasure to be here among the dense and beautiful forests of Kanha Tiger Reserve.

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Enjoyed reading? Have your own travel memory you would like to share and get published? Here is how to go about it.

The Christmas and New Year festivities helped us make some special memories, to end a grim year.

Here is 10 year old Prachi Kothari from Mumbai, sharing with us what made her year end festivities special.

Prachi Kothari started off, writing a small poem as her homework  and then reached great heights. She now writes poems as well as  fascinating kids stories. She has a passion for writing motivational poems. She has two books, “Rainbow in the sky” and “The blooming flowers.” Prachi is a student of Children’s Academy Group of Schools(Malad)

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Poem-My Special Christmas

In the chilly morning, the shiny blue sky

I went out to play in the snow but something happened as if in a sci-fi,

A golden spot lit as I touched my feet to snow.

I flew far away from that golden glow

I bounced on a roller which had attractive gifts,

And cute little elves were working hard and had red rosy lips

“Ho ho ho,” spoke a voice

While I was still on the roller with no joy.

The voice was Santa Claus’s, wearing his peculiar red cap

And in his hands, a big bag with an arresting wrap,

But in no seconds before I could ask Santa any question,

I reached my home back with popping questions, “Was it fiction?”

The day was Christmas and we kept sock and cookies,

And decorated the Christmas tree.

With shining, dangling bells

And with colourful glistening stars,

I felt this Christmas was the best.

And I slept wondering, what would happen next

I always wished if I had a telescope,

Or a going-to-space rope

The next wintry morning I woke up,

I opened the gift and it was incredible,

I got the telescope I had always wished for.

Hey everyone, your friend Sara here! Welcome to my vibrant ‘Art with Sara’ section for kids.

Here I publish the works of young artists who share their beautiful work and their passion for work!

11 year old  Sanjay is highly passionate towards drawing.

Sanjay is a student of N.S.N Memorial ,Chitlapakkam, Chennai.

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I was attracted to drawing from my childhood and started to draw on my own. As my parents felt that I was very good at drawing, they enrolled me for a drawing class.

My drawing teacher who is a master in ‘Fine Arts’ helped me improve my drawing skills.

I made this cartoon Ganesha on Ganesha Festival 

I really enjoy drawing vehicles.

I am inspired by the YouTube channel ‘Sway’ for learning to draw them.

Drawing helps me improve my imagination and creativity.

Here are some of my favourite drawings of vehicles :

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Here is a simple and good read by 8 year old Aisha Mehta from Gurgaon, of a visit to the museum.

Aisha has an inquisitive mind and is often able to find answers to many questions by her own observations. Her parents find her more independent than they would ordinarily expect children her age. She loves art and craft.
Aisha goes to Shri Ram School Aravali, Gurgaon and is a student of Word Munchers.

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Last year I visited the Transport Museum in Gurugram with my family. It was an enormous museum, a  phenomenal place and an absolute delight to see. It is a great place for learning about the transport culture of India from the beginning.  It showed how in the olden days we had wooden wheels and now  we have countless rockets, double decker planes and fascinating cars.

It was a beautifully designed and well-organized museum. At the entrance,   there was a map which showed the layout of the museum. It spread over 4  floors, was spaciously built with lifts and easy ramps to walk. One section that was my favorite was the wheel section. There were more than hundred different types of wheels. They all were placed very carefully according to the  years they were invented in.

There were not many people in the museum, it was quite `peaceful. Next, we came to a section with a large double decker van. Inside there were very  fragile objects and lots of artifacts.

We spent a couple of hours exploring the museum. The museum was really a  big inspiration for all of us. It showed the evolution of transportation from horse-carts and carriages, to fancy cars and big vehicles like airplanes
and rockets.

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Enjoyed reading? Have your own travel memory you would like to share and get published? Here is how to go about it.

Hey everyone, your friend Sara here! Welcome to my vibrant ‘Art with Sara’ section for kids.

Here I publish the works of young artists who  share their beautiful work and their passion for work!

13 year old Neshaa from Chennai loves drawing and it shows! Neshaa is a student of NSN Memorial School, Chennai.

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I love drawing, especially pencil shading .

I started drawing when I was 11. I saw my neighbors drawings and was impressed by it. I took to it.

I love to draw and dance. These are some of my drawings.

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Hey, your best friend Sara here. Very often we are called kids and asked not to talk about important and serious world issues, but I am here to change that.

It is extremely important for young voices to understand, process and communicate the reality of the world they are inheriting. Let us  ‘Be the change.’

This eBook is a collection of 5powerful essays, written by young writers, just like you and me. Come on, give them a read, tell me what you feel and don’t forget to send me your own write ups at sara@bookosmia.com

Download Powerful Young Voices by Bookosmia or read the flipbook here

Sara here friends. Wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year !

Here is a jolly poem talking of a jolly time, by 9 year old Noah Batolar from Gurgaon. Noah is a student of Kathavachak, Not Just Tales.

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Christmas is a jolly time of year

Where everyone opens up to good times and cheer

Nothing can stop this holiday

Almost everyone celebrates this day.

All negative thoughts are thrown into a pit

Christmassssssssssssss, what a jolly time

Put up the decorations

Light up the fireplace

Sing the carols and

All of that is just the beginning for a cheerful new year!

Happy New Year friends, Sara here! Here is hoping 2021 will be nothing like 2020. Read this wonderful essay by 9 year old Sia Patel from Ranchi about how she is ready with fresh positivity to greet the new year, even after a very tough 2020.

Sia Loves reading books and writing short stories. Her dream is to publish her book of short stories for kids and become a famous writer. She loves dancing and plays squash. She is a student Loreto Convent, Ranchi

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2020 wasn’t as exciting as I thought. It was more like a prison but it was good spending quality time with my parents, my sister and my pet dog. In this pandemic I hardly bothered about day, date, and month because everyday seemed the same to me.

Soon online classes started. Initially, it was boring as no one understood the instructions given by the teachers. They did not mute themselves and time was wasted. We could not talk to our friends which was the worst part. If it  would have been school I could have played with them at lunch break but there was no school so no playing and mostly no talking.
Soon we made a friends group on mobile and we started doing zoom meetings but that also did not happen often as our parents restricted our screen time. Because of this pandemic, I wasn’t able to meet my new class teacher or my  new friends in the class.

I did get to learn many new things while staying at home like  doodling from a  book by Liz Pichon known as TOM Gates. I read lots of books, yes, a total of 31 books! Few things were really fun doing while staying at home.

What I missed most was celebrating festivals like we did earlier and vacations to a new place. Everything was restricted with a limited number of friends and relatives. I even lost my grandfather in September this year due to his illness. I miss him so much. He loved and pampered my sister and me a lot.

The only thing that was good this year was I got my first pet dog, Bingo.  He is very cute and mostly a good friend of mine. I had so many plans for 2020 with my friends. We had already discussed our ideas for celebrating our birthday parties with different themes but nothing could be executed because of  coronavirus. We did most of the celebrations virtually this year.

Now that it’s time for the year end of 2020 so let’s welcome 2021 and say goodbye to 2020. Let’s  stay strong for facing all the problems in future and  hope that 2021 brings lots of good time and positivity to everyone.

Hey, your best friend Sara here! Do you know that everyday children from across the world share with me, the stories they wrote on their own? I love them and am sure you would love them too!

Here is a year end gift from me to you- the best of of Thriller Stories by Young Writers in 2020! Ready? Go on and get spooked!

or download the pdf Bookosmia’s Thriller Stories

Hey, your best friend Sara here. Is there any chance we can end THIS year with a smile?

You bet! To our rescue are the young writers from across the world, who shared their humorous write-ups and managed to make us grin, cheek to cheek. My friend Ditto and I pulled together the best of 2020.

The uplifting writings in this book, have been written by young writers, just like you and me. Come on, give them a read and don’t forget to send your own stories to me at sara@bookosmia.com.

Download here Bookosmia Humour by young writers with Sara

Once upon a Christmas, Mother Mary was creating cookies for the man in red and white. You guessed it! SANTA!  Father Filch was decorating the tree and I was doing the best thing a child could do! Sitting in bed with my laptop playing  Roblox with my friends. I was in the middle of killing people in BIG! Paintball to launch my first nuke when my father told me that I had to make cookies.

I was about to say no but my father gave me the look. I had no choice but to  make cookies with my mother. I made a special Rudolph cookie. It was looking soooooooo delicious. I was about to eat it when my mother told me to go to my room and get ready for bed. I did as my mother asked. I was lying in bed and fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, the gingerbread Rudolph WOKE ME UP. He said,”Do not worry. I am not here to hurt you. I am here to help you to achieve your  dream of meeting Santa Claus!” I was not surprised because I swear I saw an eye movement in the oven but SANTA CLAUS!!! I AM SO EXCITED.

I quietly went outside the house. I was already taking driving lessons so I quickly took the van and carrying snacks like Takis, marshmallows, sores, chips and my laptop we went on and on until we reached a stop.  It was Christmas night. Rudolph said, “Saint Nick and Saint Vera, it is your Rudolph cookie who wishes to visit you, please”. Suddenly a man with red clothes, a black belt with a golden belt-buckle, a snow-white collar, and black shoes appeared.

He shouted in a very deep voice, “HO HO HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS LITTLE WESSIE.” I was surprised Santa knew my name. “What brings you here today? What wish do you wish from my wishing stock?” Santa asked.

I enquired, “Can I see your village?”

“HO HO HO, your wish is my command, my lady”, replied Santa.

After seeing a huge village filled with elves and reindeer, I asked for one last wish, “May I go home, and with a snap of a finger, I did! Was it all a dream? Then I saw my answer. I saw the Rudolph the red-nosed gingerbread on a plate in front of me.

Samaira Bhansali studies at the Cathedral School in Mumbai.  Her passion is writing and journalism, because it helps her connect with  herself. She usually writes autobiographies on exciting incidents that she has been through. She is a student of Little Kathakar Writers’ Club sessions at Not Just Tales.

How to Impress Santa:

Ingredients –
1 teaspoon of promises
1 tablespoon of prayers
1/2 a cup of discipline
1 cup of understanding
5 cups of chores
4 cups of listening
8 ladles of love
25 cups of goodness
3 cups of manners
50 cups of laughter

Directions –

1] Finish your homework, brush your hair, have a shower, show love and care.

2] Wake up fresh, do your chores,  don’t forget to sweep the floors.

3] Attend school, pay attention, do not get yourself into detention.

4] Help out, keep your promise, clean up, show your goodness.
5] Go to bed, say your prayers, don’t forget to show good manners

6] Always keep discipline, show that you are listening.

7] To your friends, show understanding, always continue being outstanding.

8] Laugh out loud, celebrate, make sure you finish all the cake.

9] Joke about, there’s no limit, run around, keep up the spirit

Hey, your best friend Sara here! Do you know that everyday children from across the world share with me, the stories they wrote on their own? I love them and am sure you would love them too!

Here is a year end gift from me to you- a collection of stories by young writers, under 10 years of age. Perfect way to end a difficult year 

Shout out to Word Munchers for mentoring these wonderful minds.

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At the stroke of midnight, I woke up to the sudden sound of a whistle. I went  outside and saw a train. There was a man with glasses. He said to me, “Are you coming to Santa’s workshop?”

I excitedly replied, “Yes. I would love to.” The train was red, green, white and  black in colour. We reached Santa’s workshop in about twenty minutes. We  were greeted by Rudolph, Dasher, Cupid, Vixen, Blitzen, Donner, Comet and  Prancer.

Santa’s toy factory was enormous and was sprawling over acres of land. At the  entrance I saw a forest where elves were holding bows and arrows, guarding  Santa’s workshop. As I entered, I saw other elves making lots of toys, video   games and sport sets. It was fascinating to see the elves use magic to create  gifts for children of the world. They were extremely quick and efficient and were really working hard, day and night.

Soon I met Santa Claus and Mrs Claus. I asked Santa if I could help the elves in  packing the gifts. But the elves were much quicker than me. I asked Santa if I  too could be as efficient as the elves. He then flicked his fingers and granted  me the power that the house elves had. Soon I was quicker than the house  elves in packing the gifts. I managed to pack thousands of gifts.

At the end Santa gave me an extra gift for Christmas. He gifted me a bell that  would always keep me happy!

11 year old Prahas Balaji from Mysore shares this action packed thriller, based in a freezing region that is Santa’s home. Prahas goes to Excel Public School, Mysore and is a student of The Hobby Place.

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I sat on my comfortable chair in the Winter Grand Resort, a resort that had just come up recently. It was perfect for winter. I wiggled my toes to feel the  warmth of the fire in the chimney. I wore a comfortable black coat with cyan frost designs on it.

It was then that the fire sputtered out of life. I spun around, all the light had  turned to darkness as a swirling vortex of snow and ice burst into my room and a man stepped out. He was wearing the exact same coat as me but he had an ice crown and icy blue eyes and walked with regal grace. He offered his hands towards me but I noticed the tips of his fingers were frozen. I got up myself. “I see you too bought your coat in the human trading palace,” he said in an icy tone. “I think you mean the mall,” I said, shivering.

“Yes, yes, whatever,” he placed his hands on his head and spoke again.
“I am Vulmir the frost king. I live in the north pole. I believe you have heard of one of my citizens ,Santa Claus?”

“Yeah, but I did not know he lives in a kingdom,” I replied.

“In winter, the entire world is my kingdom, however that is not the point. I am part of the Seasons Council and as the name suggests we govern the seasons. However we have a enemy known as Inthe. We banished him long ago and continued governing the seasons and of course he had to bombard MY season,” he let a sigh and a cloud of frost left his mouth.

“So what do you want me to do? “I asked.

“I need you to defeat him of course! Humans are his weakness.”

“Why don’t you ask your council?” I questioned again.

“Because I don’t want to burden them with the problem of my festival, so are you coming?” he said as he waved his hands and the portal of ice and snow opened again. I stepped through the portal.

I found myself in what I guessed was the North Pole. It was surprisingly warm. I figured it was some winter magic. There was a vast kingdom below the snow hill and was made out of ice!! There were snow fairies, ice dwarfs, elves and more living in the houses below. A large castle of ice loomed in the center.

Behind me was a gingerbread village and elves were wearing Christmas colors. “Is that Santa’s village,” I asked.

“Yes it is. He, after all is the highlight of my season.” Then he looked down at the snow and blew at it. The snow swirled away revealing a ice door facing  downwards. Vulmir bent down and opened the door. It opened into a black void and Vulmir jumped through. I followed.

We were in an ice cave. There were icicles hanging from the ceiling and in the  center of the room there was a large ice crystal, glowing with energy. Vulmir  spoke, “This is the heart of winter which gives it, its magic. It has been tainted and you will remove the mark of evil that has befallen this beautiful crystal.”

He waved his hand and a glowing sword appeared in his hands. It was made of gold and what looked like fire. It stood out against the blueness of the  cave. “This is the sword that was used to banish Inthe and now you wield it. Defeat him and return.” With that I disappeared in a puff of cyan smoke.

I found myself in an icy wasteland. Nothing was in sight. The ice below me was smooth. I would have frozen if not for the fire sword. I heard a deep laughter and spun around. There he was, in an armour of black metal and a black scythe in hand. He was laughing like I was a comedy film and it filled me with hatred.

I said, “What is so funny?”

“The fact that Vulmir sent a human to defeat me,” he said.

“Well, we’ll see about that,” I said and lunged at him with my sword. He sidestepped me and thrust his hand, as I felt an invisible force push me to the  ground.

He loomed above me and said, “All hope is lost for you.” I balled my hands into fists and said in a determined voice, “No hope is not lost. Hope cannot be lost  as long as you believe in it. Humans are better.”

I rose to my feet and looked him in the eye. “We can love, create, have  compassion but you and your magic is nothing compared to the strength that I have. That is what make us your greatest weakness. I may not have magic but I have strength, in ways you cannot imagine.” With that I pushed him to the icy  ground and touched the sword to his temple and with that he disappeared in a vortex of golden light blinding me.

I was back at the LODGE and I looked around to see if the whole thing had  been true. I looked up and saw a sleigh in the sky pulled by reindeers and I  smiled.

Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here!

Christmas is here and I love the festive cheer in the air.

Rudolph the red nosed reindeer
Is now a red masked one,
He who once had a round flashlight in the middle of his face
Now seems to have none.

On 24 December 2020
He was flying Santa’s sleigh at a great pace,
So fast that when a strong wind blew
It blew Rudolph’s mask into his face.

He shrieked and cried, “Wait, my mask flew off!!!”
He panicked and could not fly
The wind blew hard and threw him, Santa and the sleigh
Across the cloudy sky.

The Sleigh crashed on a roof
Rudolph toppled and hit a wooden chimney
Which caused the sleigh to rise
And launched Santa into the sky. He cried, “Help me!!!!!”
Luckily Santa did not get hurt
When he landed on the fluffy snow
But Rudolph now knows that
Flying with a mask on, is not as easy as it looks so.

Suhani has great enthusiasm for writing, reading, baking, travelling, and listening to music. Her favorite book series are Harry Potter and Sherlock Holmes. She goes to Our Lady Queen of the Missions School Salt Lake, Kolkata and is a student of Word Munchers.

Dear Santa Claus,
I hope I am on your nice list,
But this year I don’t ask for gifts,
I want to learn some values instead.

All I want is a talk with you
To learn lessons as I grow up,
So, I know where to stand up
I want to know your life view.

Life has ups and downs,
Could you teach me how to be strong?
How to correct myself when I am wrong?
When you come to my town.

I hope to meet you soon,
And talk sitting by the fire,
In a perfect Christmas attire,
Oh! what a boon.

Hey everyone, your friend Sara here! Welcome to my colourful ‘Art with Sara’ section for kids.

Here I publish the writings of young artists who not only share their beautiful work, but also passionately ‘express’ art.

Aarav is a 9 year old boy who loves art. Just give him a paper and see his magic. His parents are super proud of him. Aarav is in 4th grade and lives in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA.

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Hey everyone, Hey friends, Sara here! Can you feel the chill in the wind? 0 year old Lakshyan Raj from Mysore, talks about all that the chill of winter brings, including Christmas…yipppeee!

Winter, winter pleasant and cold
Winter, winter Gingerbread mould
Winter is when Christmas comes
Winter is when Santa Claus bumps

It is when we stay in
It is when togetherness begins
The polar bear has thick fur
It helps it to avoid cold that makes us go burr!!!

Mom makes us some hot chocolate
That makes us warm
And my mom does not let me go to the big farm!
I like snow but before I play,
My dad has to plow the snow .

It’s time for cakes, carols and lights,
No grownups and children will fight.
Its time to spread happiness and joy,
As Santa is giving us toys.
It is a very beautiful sight.

Rudolph had a red nose,
On Christmas eve he comes in his pose.
The sleigh is loaded with goodies,
Santa is ready with his hoodie.
Its so cold, frozen are all the hose.

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It was two days before Christmas in the North Pole and I, Rudolf the red nosed  reindeer, was trotting happily and returning to my stable.

Before leaping onto my sweet smelling hay bed, I decided to visit Santa Claus,  my master, the world’s best toy-maker, who is so large-hearted that he  distributes it among the children of the world, free of cost, from his  humongous factory.

When I went in, all was going well and the elves and penguins were working on the last gifts. I went to see my master; and as he was always outside his office  when the penguins wrapped the gifts. I also wanted to ask him why he wasn’t out right now. Humming my own Christmas carol along the way, I reached  Santa’s office and knocked. No answer! Now this was really weird, Santa never stays quiet when someone knocks at his door. I pushed the door with my antlers and entered, Santa wasn’t there! I examined the whole room and searched for clues about where Santa had disappeared. After a while I saw a large green paper which read, “Santa is gone. There will be no Christmas  ANYMORE!” ~ The Grinch.

Who was this Grinch? I had no idea, but I had to go and save Santa- and Christmas. Then it struck me and I remembered we have CCTV cameras, of course! I saw the CCTV footage and saw that the Grinch was actually Radar, an evil reindeer who hates Christmas for no reason. The good news was that I  knew where he lived, which was in a small cottage near the Santa’s toy factory.

After a few minutes, I had made up my mind to go and defeat Radar. Luckily, I  was able to fly unlike normal reindeer and I reached my destination speedily.  When I reached the cottage, I saw that it was locked from the outside and the  key was nowhere to be seen. Although it was such an unfortunate situation, I  had a solution to the problem. I knew how to pick locks with a hairpin, and sometimes even with a thin stick. I rummaged around in the snow looking for a thin and sharp object. After a while I found one and quickly unlocked the  cottage’s door.

I tiptoed in, and saw that Santa was tied up with thick and strong ropes firmly  to a chair. When I looked closely, I saw that they were not ropes but only a few  branches tucked together! With the help of my antlers, I broke them and led  Santa to safety.

When we got back to the factory, all was going well. Santa thanked me with all  his heart and rewarded me by giving me a present! It ended happily after all!

It would have been a calm Christmas Eve, had it not been for the trolls, who had invaded Santa’s toy factory, destroying the toy making machine.

I am Ivan, half human and half fairy. My fairy mother is Santa’s sister and when I am not in school, I help Santa in his factory. I do all jobs: bathe the reindeers,  give Santa milk and cookies and keep an eye on the elves so that they don’t get naughty.

That day was devastating. We were just putting the metal to make last 100  toys in the machine when the roof collapsed and a bunch of Trolls jumped in, breaking the machine while landing.

“Hurray! We have destroyed the machine! Now, no more Christmas and no more happiness,” said the Trolls and fled away.

On seeing this, Santa broke down. “Oh no! The last batches of toys were for the poor children! It is the most important part of Christmas for me! Now what will I do? I cannot break the hearts of those innocent kids!” Santa sobbed.

I felt bad on seeing Santa cry, for he was a very jolly man. I stepped up and  offered a solution.

“Santa, I can get all my toys from home and you can give those to the poor children. I am sure they would like them.”

On hearing this Santa was very happy and hugged me tightly and said, “What would I have done without you? You have lifted a burden from my heart!”

In the end, everything was right and Christmas was saved.

“Ho! Ho! Ho!”

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Christmas is here
All the towns with holiday cheer!
Santa and his elves
With the cookies to themselves.

The snow and the ice
The nutcracker and mice,
All the colorful lights
They shine so bright.

The gingerbread spice
Oh! It smells so nice
All kids with their toys
They are filled with joys.

Santa comes through the full moon
With all surprises and boon.
The star on the tree
Oh Christmas! You have some glee.

In a small town in the Laplands of Finland, I am an elf called Genome. I work in Santa’s Toy Factory and I am the chief of the elves.

Siddharth is 9 yrs of age. His current favourite hobbies are reading Harry Potter books and watching the recent English Premier League football matches which have resumed after the Covid crisis.

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The day before Christmas Eve, there was chaos in the factory. The incident  was that Santa Claus’s evil, almost identical twin brother had tricked Santa into making him the owner of the factory. This Santa was acting strange and was  accompanied by naughty little goblins and imps. He was rude to us and asked  us all to leave the Room of Gifts. I suspected that this was someone else and  not the real Santa.

We could hear a lot of activity in that room. As I peeked inside the room, I saw that these naughty men were packing up all the toys in lots of bags. I was  horrified and had to act fast. What followed was a scuffle between the two groups . But this Santa had some magical powers too. He cast a spell and my  elves and I, we all fainted. When we regained consciousness we were  devastated. An old elf remembered that a long time back Santa had told him  about his evil brother, The Fiend Patrik. He wanted to steal the happiness of  people but Santa had banished him to the mythical world of nightmares where  he stayed with Satan. He had returned to cause this misfortune.

Alas! we had to find the real Santa because Christmas was around the corner. I  sent out search parties to look for Santa. We found Santa’s broken sleigh as  we went inside the snow covered dangerous forest. The reindeers were  nowhere to be seen. As we moved along we heard muffled noises but couldn’t  see anything. Suddenly I stumbled over something. I couldn’t see anyone but I  felt something. There was a big rock . The muffled noise was definitely coming from under it. With all our elf power and light from the lanterns, we moved the  rock and dug into the deep snow. There was Santa, barely breathing and  almost frozen.

We took him to the factory and and warmed him up. Now we  had to get back the stolen gifts. We knew where the houses of these naughty  goblins were. We reached there to find them all making merry and eating and drinking. We sprayed the entire area with a gas which would put them off to sleep in minutes. With masks on our nose, we crept upto the houses and retrieved all  our lost bags of toys and returned to the factory . The fiend Patrick was tied up and produced before Santa. This time he was banished never to be seen again.

At last happiness reigned . It was Christmas Eve. We were ready to deliver the gifts to all the children who had written letters to Santa , all who had hung up  their stockings as well as to all the children who had been good over the year.

Hey everyone, your friend Sara here! Welcome to my colourful ‘Art with Sara’ section for kids.

Here I publish the writings of young artists who not only share their beautiful work, but also manage an equally challenging task of ‘expressing your art.’

Today’s thoughtful artwork has been shared by 10 year old Manini from Noida.

Manini likes to read and draw besides playing badminton and riding a bicycle.

She is a student of Sarla Chopra D.A.V Public School, Noida.

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I like all kinds of drawings.

Especially when they all have different perspectives. I am sharing a few thoughts behind some of my favourite artwork.

Happy Cow – The happy cow, really happily, is looking towards the beautiful sky.

Lost in space – The space drawing has a perspective of a lost astronaut  floating away in space and it’s even out of our solar system!

Sunset – Looking at the sunset is such a wonderful view.

Tree – The great tree swirling in the wind at midnight.

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Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here!

Hurray!! December is here which means Christmas and New Year festivities.

Here is hoping that the next year will be nothing like this one.

6 year old Reyaansh Jhawar from Kolkata imagines every little detail of what it would be like to meet Santa!

 

Reyaansh goes to La Martiniere for Boys, Kolkata and is a student of Word Munchers.

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It was Christmas eve. I was excited to get gifts.

I was not sure that Santa Claus would meet me. I did not even think of sleeping that night. I sat on the sofa and switched on the television. Till midnight, I was  watching television.

Suddenly at a distance I heard footsteps on the stairs. I quietly went  downstairs to check and I was surprised to see Santa Claus standing there. I  was overjoyed and ran downstairs to hug him.

I invited him into my house and gave Santa some hot chocolate to drink. I asked him some questions about himself. We spoke about ourselves for a while. After that, I asked Santa if I could get a short ride on his sleigh.

‘Ho…ho…ho..’ said Santa and he said, I could get a ride.

After the ride was over, Santa gave me a fire engine truck as my gift and I was very happy receiving it as I had wanted it for quite some time. After sometime, Santa got up and said goodbye. Then he went downstairs and got into his  sleigh. Then he went with a zoom into the sky and went away.

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Dear Santa,

MERRY CHIRSTMAS!! I know you would be very busy in your factory. Please convey my wishes to your little helpers, the Elves. They would also be busy, I
think. You should also take care of yourselves. We must be very careful. I hope we have a better CHIRSTMAS next year.

I know you love to make children happy right. I ask you a very small gift. Please
spread your happiness all over the world and. I also love your reindeers and  how they can fly in the sky. I only have one small question.

Won’t you get sick while flying in that cold night?

You are the only one who lives in the North Pole. Do you enjoy yourself there and how do you manage all the naughty elves? They look so cute and they are very helpful. I know I asked you a lot of questions!

I would love to share some things with you. Can you please help the poor  people who have been cold and have no food?

I love your factory. I wish I could be there. I love your costume. It is so pretty.

Every CHIRSTMAS I would wait for you but would fall asleep and you would put my gifts in my stocking and go away. I wonder if I should give you something so you would also have a present. You must also be very hungry from all that work. I will also keep some nice treats, so you can take some to your little  workers and your flying reindeers.

Hope you and your workers enjoy it. And one last question. Why do you always come at night and don’t you get sleepy or tired? OK, that’s two questions. I think you should also take rest after CHIRSTMAS and take care of yourself.

You know my favourite thing about CHIRSTMAS is enjoying with my family by  playing games, singing, dancing and so on. My sister and I love to sing carols for our family. Hope you also enjoy with your family.

I also love the way you laugh Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho. MERRY CHIRSTMAS once again. I hope you have time to read my letter. Enjoy your day Santa.

Love you lots!!
Ananya

Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here!

Hurray!! December is here which means Christmas and New Year festivities. Here is hoping that the next year will be nothing like this one.

11 year old Prahas Balaji from Mysore shares this heartfelt letter to Santa this year. Prahas goes to Excel Public School, Mysore and is a student of The Hobby Place.

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Dear Santa,

It has been a rough year. Pandemic followed by lockdown and then online school instead of regular ones!

But of course it is that time of the year again, the legendary Christmas. I hope you have prepared to lift everyone’s moods up. They are after all looking forward to the festival seasons. I hope I have been in your good books because this letter is one for a wish list. Let’s get into it then. Over the past years, I have got many gifts so I do not know what to ask of you. 

Maybe let’s start with the gifts I need you to give to others. Every year I ask of a gift of the erosion of poverty yet that is one of the few gifts you can not seem to give. Isn’t it funny how the most important gifts are the ones you can not deliver? I request of you to provide all those children who are yet to experience the magic of Christmas, their own miracle. Grant the earth’s wish for humans to evolve. And finally my wish for the peace of the world.

Hoping this letter finds you in your toy factory working away and a thank you on behalf of all the children in the world.

Prahas Balaji

Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here!

Hurray!! December is here which means Christmas and New Year festivities. Here is hoping that the next year will be nothing like this one.

Today’s write up by 8 year old Nirav Prakash from Kolkata imagines him being hired as Santa’s helper and what that will entail 🙂

Nirav is a happy go lucky child. He is an observant child who uses his daily events around him and creates wonderful stories out of them. He loves to read books as well as newspaper. He likes adventure travel and takes lot of photos. A collector of transformers robots and likes to watch Marvels Avenger and Disney’s cartoons. Nirav goes to La Martiniere for Boys, Kolkata and is a student of Word Munchers.

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Last year, when I wrote a letter to the Santa, I expressed my desire to work for
him. I was overwhelmed when this year, I heard from Santa.

He wanted to hire me. I am very creative and amazing in making animal figures so Santa gave me the job of making different animal toy figures.

When I entered the factory, I was  amazed by seeing the huge architecture with little elves working diligently on   their designated spots. On my first day  of the job, I made a beautiful bird by toothpicks. Santa was impressed and  many elves who were so far distant, became co-operative after seeing my creative work. A few became my good friends too.

After every hour, we got a break and one of my elf friend suggested that we  should go out of the factory to feed some cookies to Santa’s reindeers and to  my surprise, the reindeers loved eating cookies. The moment we stepped out  of the factory, I nearly froze as the weather was nippy. We quickly met and fed  the reindeers and rushed inside the factory and I drank two glasses of hot  cider.

I made a lot of toy animals and Santa was extremely happy seeing my creative work. Before leaving, I requested Santa if he could hire me again next year. I  would come up with more creative and amazing toys as this was my most  memorable experience.

Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to my ‘Nature with Sara’ section, in which we find a beautiful way to enjoy nature, while still being locked in.

If you were a bird in a zoo, how would you feel? Would you love it? Would you  rather be free?

9 year old Atreyo Bhattacharyya from Kolkata shares his perspective, in this epistolary (letter writing) piece. Atreyo goes to The Heritage School and is a student of Word Munchers.

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Dear Grandpa,
I am very sad as I have been locked up in this cage. I am in an enclosure named The Egrets. But people still admire me for my beautiful snow white plumage.

We have cages that restrain a bird from flying away. I was brought to this zoo by a man named Kalan. He first dug a big hole and then covered it with leaves. Without seeing properly, I stepped on that and fell into it. I miss my freedom and how I used to roam around and jump from one tree to the other.

But the advantages of this zoo are that I regularly get good food to eat and big bowls of water everyday. My life in this zoo is comfortable because the people give me food and water at the right time and take care of me properly.

But I feel lonely here because I can’t talk to my friends. Slowly, I am forgetting  how to fly as this is a small cage, nor do they allow us to fly. My flight feathers are becoming of no use. I miss my freedom and abhor this life of a prisoner.

Hope I could fly back to you whenever I wish as I used to do….

Miss you Grandpa
Yours lovingly,
Jack

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Read more at the Britannica here – https://www.britannica.com/animal/egret

2. The great egret faced near extinction and is a conservation success story

Nearly wiped out in the United States in the late 1800s, when its plumes were sought for use in fashion, the Great Egret made a comeback after early conservationists put a stop to the slaughter and protected its colonies; as a result, this bird became the symbol of the National Audubon Society. The great egret is the symbol of the National Audubon Society and represents a conservation success story.  The birds have enjoyed legal protection over the last century, and their numbers have increased substantially. 

Read more at Audubon here

Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here!

Hurray!! December is here which means Christmas and New Year festivities.

Here is hoping that the next year will more than make up for the last one 🙂

When Santa takes ill, who would rescue Christmas? Today’s exciting write up is by 12 year old Arav Barmecha from Mumbai.  Arav studies at Ascend International School, Mumbai .

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“Santa! Santa! Are you ok?” Ms. Clause asks.

“I think I have fallen ill from all the soot in the chimneys that I deliver gifts from,” Santa says as he sneezes on his napkin and stares at the black powder from his lungs.

“No, No, you can’t be sick today. It is Christmas Eve! You have to deliver all the gifts today!” Ms. Clause exclaims.

“I am getting too old and sick from all that soot!”  Santa says.

“What will happen to Christmas if Santa is sick?” Ms. Clause asks worryingly.

“You must save Christmas, you must!” Santa exclaimed.

Ms. Clause calls three elves and tells them to get Santa’s supplies and get the sledge ready. She summons two more elves and tells them to keep an eye on Santa, just in case.

Ms. Clause wore Santa’s extra suit, beard, belt, hat, and even his boots. Ms. Clause was getting ready to board the magic sledge when the voice of Santa broke through, “You forgot to take the gifts bag.”

Ms. Clause ran towards the living room and picked up the huge bag full of gifts with the help of a total of 15 elves. She dumped the bag in the back of the  sledge and began to take off.

Ms. Clause rode above the clouds to a place called Kolkata, where there were so many lights that she would have been blinded if she stared any longer. She started dropping gifts through chimneys and windows where the Christmas trees were. In two minutes, she was finished with the blinding place and went off. She kept at it all night, almost till day broke.

The last stop was a strange place called Mumbai, where it was so hot that she would have burned up in the suit, if not for the AC in the sledge.

After two hours of hard work, she was finally done and she began to return home. As she was approaching the North Pole, she got a call that it was not  safe to travel outside any longer, due to a large number of people getting up in the morning. She told them that she was coming home soon and that she was safe.

When she reached she went straight to Santa and told him Christmas was saved!

Hey everyone, your best friend Sara here! While COVID has locked us in, our imagination can still help us revisit all those lovely holidays! Welcome to my ‘Places with Sara‘ section 

I cant wait to pack my bags and head out. Until then lets  read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Lets keep our wish lists ready!

Today’s write up by 17 year old Shritij Beriwal from Kolkata is about his own home town and the beautiful, city of joy- Kolkata!

Shritij is fond of reading books and writing essays. He is an honest person and loves to explore different places. He is a student of La Martiniere for Boys, Kolkata and Word Munchers. 

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Kolkata or Calcutta is the second largest city in India and one of the four metros in India. It was the capital of India during the British rule from 1772 to 1911. 

Kolkata is nicknamed as the city of joy and how true that is! Each day in Kolkata is a festival. Durga Pooja is the most important festival where people light their houses with bright lamps and get dressed in new clothes. They go to the pandals, worship the mother Durga and pray for the betterment of their family. 

In Kolkata, each person can afford food at a minimum rate of Rs 4 compared to other megacities.

Kolkata has various modes of transport, from hand pulled rickshaws to autos to buses and taxis, metros and the unique trams.

It is also famous for delicious desserts and sweets such as Sandesh, Mishti Doi and Rossogullas. People can also buy mouthwatering jhal muri and puchkas at just Rs 10. I recommend Russell Street for this.

The river Ganga flows through the city. It provides for its people. If you like shopping you will enjoy our many markets like Newmarket, AC market, South City mall and Quest mall. People also visit Park Street and Bara Bazaar and enjoy a delicious variety of restaurants. 

In the field of education there are many schools such as La Martiniere, Don Bosco, Modern High School and many more which have excelled in academies as well as school curricular activities. Kolkata has also produced many great writers such as Rabindranath Tagore.

Places such as the Botanical Garden, Science City, Nicco park, South city mall, the Howrah bridge and the Victoria Memorial are a must-visit.

For the fitness enthusiast, there are many clubs in Kolkata for swimming, table tennis and lawn tennis. The food of these clubs is also very delicious. Our IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders is one of the best teams in the competition. 

I like living in Kolkata not only because it is my hometown but also because of it being a hub of culture. My Kolkata is a city like no other! 

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Enjoyed reading? Have your own travel memory you would like to share and get published? Here is how to go about it.

Places with Sara: Travel Review Submission Guidelines

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

How does a 12 year old interpret and process the Bhagawad Gita, an iconic book that transcends boundaries of philosophy, spirituality and literature?

Today’s review by 12 year old Yashvi Jalan from Kolkata is unique, in its choice of book and what it means to millions of people- The Bhagavad Gita.

Yashvi loves reading mysterious and adventurous books. She always try to improve her creative writing skills.

Yashvi goes to Sushila Birla Girls’ School, Kolkata and is a student of Word Munchers.

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What if a book came to life?