Sara’s Favourite Themes

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 once the pandemic exits from our lives. Until then let’s read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Let’s keep our wish lists ready!

Have you ever been to a farm? 9 year old Shreeda Thakkar, a Bookosmian from Hannover, Germany went to a strawberry farm and seems to have had a berry berry happy day!

Finally we crossed the bridge and waited for my friends to come, but then I was bored and clicked some pictures of a strawberry cow and I even made a riddle out of it ” Who poops strawberry poop and gives us fresh strawberry milkshake?” and the answer is a strawberry cow.

I sat on the strawberry cow seat. It was quite hot.

I was patting a strawberry cow I wanted to hop on it but the cow was wobbling as it was not made out of strong material like wood.

Being with the cow was so fun even though it was not real. I wanted to pick the strawberries so I grabbed the two clean baskets and gave one to my mom and we started walking between the strawberry bushes to pick the strawberries.

I filled my basket with the strawberries and thought I had many but I looked in my basket there were very few and I looked at my mom’s basket it was full of them!

Look at the big juicy strawberries! There were so many strawberry bushes.

This is my basket but the good thing was it was empty so I could take more time and enjoy the strawberries and my mom was eating the strawberries then after some time she went back to play with my baby brother and talk with my dad.

I ate so many strawberries until my tummy was saying “I need no more”, hahaha! I was having lots of fun.

Finally, one of my friends came, his name was Arnav and couldn’t find any strawberries ( just like me) so l helped him out along with that we chatted through the way. After five minutes my other friend came, his name was Rohan. Soon all our baskets were full. Then we played so many games!

We were walking over the bridge and we finally reached to the bus stand and we were in the bus after couple of stops we hopped off and jumped on the train and finally we reached home.

My mom made strawberry jam and…

strawberry cake …….

and strawberry milkshake , l drank it all up .

They were all tasty.

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About the author:

Shreeda Thakkar

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Hey everyone, your pal  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!

What’s the best thing about art? 7 year old Dhakshitha C, a Bookosmian from Chennai, loves bright colours! Check out her lovely art pieces!

Hey everyone, your pal  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!

Forests are fascinating, aren’t they? 9 year old Rishita Khemka, a Bookosmian from Bangalore, certainly thinks so! Check out her art work!

Hello, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on movies that inspire you.

Who is your favourite superhero? 11 year old Drea Sujeet, a Bookosmian from Mysore, cannot stop raving about Wonder Woman, and the message she conveys through her powerful character in the movie. Have you seen it?

  Movie: Wonder Woman 1984 

Recently, I watched a DC movie, Wonder Woman 1984. I liked this movie very much. It portrays woman power and the fact that even women can be superheroes, just like a Batman and Superman.

I have very few comic books of Wonder Woman, but I have watched the movies. I like DC superheroes so much that I also have all their action figures, out of which Wonder Woman is my favorite. She is a superhero that stands by truth, love and wonder. I found the movie very inspiring.

The basic plot revolves around Diana a.k.a Wonder Woman who has to fight against two people, Maxwell Lord and Barbara Minerva, a friend turned foe. Barbara is upset with her life because nobody pays attention to her and is not popular amongst the people. Hence, she desires to be like her new friend, Diana Prince, who is very talented, confident, beautiful and positive, not as a superhero, but in normal life. But as they say ‘be careful what you wish for’.

Barbara gains powers like Wonder Woman. However, Barbara uses her powers to side with the evil, Maxwell Lord.

Juggling between two villains isn’t easy, but Diana does it. The movie was indeed slow, but the inspiration and messages from the movie are unforgettable.

The moral I got from this movie, is that you have to work very hard to achieve something. For instance, Maxwell Lord just wishes to be a wish granter and gets carried away with it. He gets so lost in his wrong doings that he creates nuclear bombs and even declares a war on Russia.

The phrases I liked in the movie are ‘nothing good is born from lies’, ‘the truth is bigger than everyone, ‘the world was a beautiful place just as it was, and you cannot have all of it. You can only have the truth. Truth is beautiful’ and, last but not the least, ‘you have a strong power in you. Stop doubting yourself. These inspiring words were spoken by an inspiring superhero. I loved the way Wonder Woman convinces Maxwell Lord to be on the good path, especially for his son.

In conclusion, truth is a bigger hero than any of us. In the end, the truth shall always win, no matter what.

This movie is the best example of the power that women hold. This sheds light on the most needed topic today, truth.

We should thank god for creating such a great world and shouldn’t destroy it with lies, cruelness and disarray. Just imagine a world, full of happiness, truth, unity and love. Can you believe how much this world is going to change? As Diana once said ‘sometimes you can’t see what you’re learning until you come out to the other side.’

I give this movie 4/5 stars and recommend it to ages 10+.

Hey everyone, your pal  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!

What’s better than masala noodle? 11 year old Saanvi Agarwal, a Bookosmian from Kolkata, tells us in this cute poem and art work! So cool!

Enjoy Digital Art?

Hey everyone, your pal  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!

What makes you happy? 7 year old Baivab Pattanayak, a Bookosmian from Cuttack, paints the sight that fills him up with joy.

Hey everyone, your pal  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!

Have you tried alphabet doodles? 10 year old Navya Kyal, a Bookosmian from Kolkata, loves detailing them. Check it out!

Hey everyone, your pal  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!

Presenting a new species of dinosaur – The Hummingsaurous! Check out the note on this innovative dinosaur along with art work by 8 year old Riddhima Jain, a Bookosmian from Delhi. Can you invent your own species? Tell us!

Dear readers,

This is exciting! We have always believed that creativity can strike anywhere and here is an example of that. Taking a photograph as a story prompt, the young writers of this book (who are all less than 12 years old) impress us with their interpretations and tightly-packed story telling that keep us engrossed throughout.

This book is testament to what youngsters, if given mentorship and the right platform, can deliver. We congratulate and thank Tale Spin, our partner on this project, for their efforts and support. Many thanks to the brilliant photographer, writer and RJ Nishant Gadhavi for writing a foreword for this book.

So what are you waiting for? Dive in and enjoy the book! Read it as a flip book below or download Flash Of Fiction.

Hey everyone, your pal  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!

What secrets do you think the ocean is hiding? 12 year old Lakshayaa S, a Bookosmian from Bangalore, shows us her thoughts through a colourful painting. Can you guess what all she has drawn?

Hey everyone, your pal  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!

Ayaan Gupta, a Bookosmian from Delhi, is a budding artist at age 5! Check out his beautiful crayon paintings!

Children’s books are crafted with a lot of love and excitement by authors. And while reviews for the book come from other authors, media, publishers and even parents, very rarely do they come from the kids themselves, for whom the book is written.
As a ‘for kids, by kids’ platform, Bookosmia likes to complete this feedback loop. Having published over 1800 kids from 120+ locations worldwide, we firmly believe that young readers and writers deserve to be heard.
It was a delight to have the author Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan interact with our young readers in the Bookosmia room on Bakstage app and answer their unfiltered questions in the most endearing way. Here is a compilation of unfiltered reviews by young readers of Bookosmia who have chosen to use their love for reading and talent of writing to share their feedback.

Book your seat at our Young Reader’s club NOW here

Listen to the show here-Bookosmia : Meet Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan  With Bookosmia https://bkstg.flyx.me/tFKRfNxmphb

Download the reviews Raja Ravi Varma Book reviews Bookosmia or read the flip book-

Hey everyone, your pal  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!

I love to admire the art work of my friends and read the interesting reasons why they chose to do them. Here is one such fascinating collection of art and messages by 7 year old Bookosmian, Shambhavi from Bangalore. Send me yours!

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I imagine a world where cars are flying, colourful trees, flying fish, purple sun and orange clouds. I imagine a world filled with my own choice of colours where everything is clean and magical.

This art is my imagination of the magical secrets of the ocean.  I have used watercolours and oil pastels to create this effect.

The magic of underwater has always attracted me. I sometimes imagine myself diving into deep water and watching it all myself. I dream of colourful corals, fishes, octopus and many different type of creatures.

In this painting I have tired to imagine and create the underwater world scene.

This art work is inspired by the beauty of nature which is filled with so many colours.

I collected all these nature elements and have created a colorful landscape to celebrate colours scattered all around us on our earth.

Hey everyone, your pal  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!

 13 year old S Vignesh, a Bookosmian from Chennai, loves doodling. Check out this beautiful pop art. Do you doodle as well? Send us!

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Hey everyone, your pal  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!

Sara here. Almost 6 year old Ujjal Bothra, a Bookosmian from Kolkata, tried bubble calligraphy and loved it! Do you also enjoy doing it? Tell us!

Hey everyone, your pal  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!

What secrets do you think lie in the ocean? 8 year old Ritisha Ghosh, a Bookosmian from Hyderabad, expresses them through her art!

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 is Autistic Pride day! 12 year old R S Anandita, a Bookosmian from Chennai writes a powerful essay about what it means to have a friend on the autism spectrum.

Since my friend is on the spectrum, I would:

• Not judge her actions
• See her as real
• Not urge her to enjoy whatever I do because if I do she will start to feel like an impostor
• Be there for her
• Raise hope for her future

I want to tell you about my friend who is on the spectrum.

I met her in my 2nd grade, but since I wasn’t cognizant about autism those days, I didn’t give much importance to her. I frequently saw her sitting quietly in one corner and not talking to anyone.

Once I reached my seventh grade she was in my class again! Coincidence, of course! As days passed I came to know a lot about autism and special children.

Then I started conversing with her and liked her a lot! Days went on and my half yearly exams were nearing and my teacher asked me to pair up with her and help her study. I agreed enthusiastically! We both studied together in the free time and had a great time.

Sadly, the exams got cancelled due to covid but I am hoping that she is empowering herself and making use of this lockdown.

During certain days, I would see her getting bullied by the children in my school and she would start to cry. My friends and I would console and confront the children and make them understand her situation.

I also remember my birthday where she gifted me a sweet note with a photo of both of us! I revere that gift!

Here’s to many more years of our everlasting friendship!

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Hey everyone, your pal  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 Arthavit Mohanty, a Bookosmian from Cuttack, is a bright young artist who takes inspiration from his surroundings.

Hey everyone, your pal  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!

10 year old Kavin Kumar from Delhi discovered his love for painting and sketching during the pandemic and he shares his beautiful art work with us. Have you also been making art? Do share!

I choose something different in my artwork every time.

It gets boring creating the same thing again and again. So if I do a bird drawing one day, the next day I will draw something like animals.

While creating my artwork,I tend to feel bored as it takes a lot of time.

When half of it is done, I start to get excited and when finished, I am very proud of what I have achieved. 

One of my artworks that, I think, tells a story is ‘The Wolf’ – The wolf is howling, trying to find his pack on a full moon night. He can be a person who was bitten by a werewolf and turned into one.

My favourite artwork is the cat and the butterfly artwork (Titled ‘Friends’). It was the first animal drawing I made, it was really detailed and I had a lot of fun creating the butterfly, filling it with patterns.

But my favourite painting work with colours was the sea painting which was filled with lots of colours. It was my first drawing of the sea and I liked making the waves in a different form.

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Hey everyone, your pal  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!

8-year-old Kavya Agrawal from Goa utilized the lockdown time to learn oil pastel work from videos online! How cool! Do check her art!

Hey everyone, your pal  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 Ayaan Agarwal, a Bookosmian from Kolkata, has a keen interest in art and his favorite subject is flowers! What’s your favourite thing to draw?

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These are colourful flowers and shrubs from my backyard.

I call this painting – Chirps and Blossom.

The beauty of a rose.

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Hey everyone, your pal  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!

5.5 year old Wrishik Ghosh from Kolkata draws a cute picture of a truck full of toys! What’s your favourite toy? Send us your drawing!

Wrishik is a student of Birla High School

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Hey everyone, your pal  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 Spoorthi Shenoy B, a Bookosmian from Bangalore paints a picture we all want to see – a sunset view of the beach!

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Hey everyone, your pal  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!

Give it up for 7 year old Anaisha Daga from, a Bookosmian Kolkata who has a keen eye for details. Check her art out!

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Hey everyone, your pal  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 Rishita Khemka, a Bookosmian from Bangalore is a painter in whose hands, nature comes alive! Check out her art and her thoughts.

Hey everyone, your pal  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!

This week, the world lost Eric Carle, the author-illustrator of beloved children’s book, ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’. 8 year old K S Rithik, a Bookosmian from Chennai pays him a special tribute with his painting.

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

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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 once the pandemic exits from our lives. Until then let’s read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Let’s keep our wish lists ready!

14 year old Vaibhav Giani, a Bookosmian from Kolkata tried out scuba diving at Maldives and encountered a reef shark!  Do read to know what happened next!

We first had to do a practice dive near the shore to get accustomed to the equipment.I quickly jumped into the water where my instructor was already waiting. He made me understand a few signs through which we could communicate inside the water and told me to wear the regulator which would allow me to breathe underwater.

He then adjusted the pressure of my diving suit which allowed me to slowly go deeper into the water. We went down to about 2 metres where he further gave me instructions and taught me how to manage my suit underwater and what to do in case of an emergency situation.

We then came back on the boat for a long twenty minute ride which would take us to our diving spot. During the boat journey, my instructor and I struck an interesting conversation about fishing and how the Maldives government had banned large scale fishing of whales which had become an endangered animal.

We soon reached the diving spot and that’s when my heart started beating at 100 miles an hour. My legs started shaking and my throat dried out. I quickly gulped down some water and stood at the edge of the boat.

I closed my eyes, took God’s name and just jumped into the water. I quickly put on my oxygen regulator, adjusted the pressure of my diving suit and started going down

As I went below the surface, I saw a whole new form of life. I was mesmerized by my surroundings. Fish of all kinds were swimming with me. I had just started to admire my surroundings when suddenly I felt a pain and pressure in my ear. I had completely forgotten to equalise my ears and the trainer had specifically told me to do so.

In less than a second, the pressure just increased exponentially and it felt as if my ears were about to burst any second. I grabbed my nose as fast as I could, blocked it and then tried to breathe through it, which allowed my ears to equalise to the pressure underwater. I felt a sigh of relief.

I continued to go deeper and deeper until I reached about 17 metres below sea level. The surroundings were just mesmerising. Corals of all shapes and sizes, both poisonous and non poisonous ones swayed from side to side with the ocean current.

Fishes shimmied around me gently touching my body which made me feel a tickle through my body. The pop and click sounds which the fish made while eating also seemed extremely tranquil.

I was just looking around when suddenly I saw a reef shark heading straight towards me. I was briefed about this earlier and was told to stay as calm as possible in such a situation as reef sharks are not interested in harming humans. Staying calm when a shark is approaching you is much easier said than done.

My body twitched and became stiff, I felt as if my heart was sinking and I closed my eyes.I could feel as if the shark was right next to my body. I was shaking. After a few seconds, I opened my eyes slowly and saw that the shark had changed direction and was not interested in me anymore.

I was just about to come back up to the surface when I saw a school of manta rays swim right past me which also sent shivers down my body. Slowly, I started to come back to the surface from where I climbed up on the boat and went back to the island.

This experience of mine while travelling was definitely one that would remain with me for the rest of my life. The peace and calmness I experienced underwater was serene.

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience of scuba diving and hope to dive many more times again.

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About the author:

Vaibhav Giani

Hey everyone, your pal  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!

11 year old Urjita Saha, a Bookosmian from Kolkata loves butterflies! Check out her drawings and her thoughts about them! Do you also love butterflies? Tell us!

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 once the pandemic exits from our lives. Until then let’s read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Let’s keep our wish lists ready!

6 year old Atharva Agarwal, a Bookosmian from Kolkata recalls some memorable moments spent with his family on a holiday in Bangkok. What’s your favourite holiday?

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My favourite holiday was a trip to Bangkok with my loving parents in the year 2017.

Excited as I was, I helped my parents pack the luggage. We reached our destination in two hours by aeroplane.

The hotel car escorted us from the airport to the Novotel Hotel. It was a luxurious hotel and we enjoyed staying and relaxing there.

Our Bangkok trip was a well organised guided tour.

First, we visited the famous and much awaited Dinosaur Park. It was a thrilling experience to see the animated dinosaurs roaring and learning about them.

Next morning, we went to the water park to enjoy water rides, playing and splashing water the whole day.

Then we went to the amusement park, laughing and giggling on the rides.

Watching the aquatic life in the theme park was also quite fun.

My father and I enjoyed munching on snacks while my mother was busy shopping.

I like to go on such adventurous trips with my family.

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About the author:

Atharva Agarwal

Hey everyone, your pal  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 the art work of 13 year old Bookosmian from Hyderabad, Ameya. Read on to check her art work and her thoughts about creating them.

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!

15 year old Aditi Sowmyanarayan, a Bookosmian from Bangalore opens up about the way she sees the world. Three cheers for our beautifully diverse world! #NotThatDifferent

Hey everyone, your pal  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!

In how many ways can you draw a landscape for different occasions? 5 year old Shiv Gupta from Vibgyor School, Bangalore has the answers.

5 year old Shiv from Bangalore loves everything about art- his drawing classes , safekeeping his colours and the time he spends with his Mumma colouring. Shiv has also joined keyboard classes.

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I love drawing landscapes. My mother helps me at times with drawing and choice of colours.

This is something I made for Diwali- with firecrackers and lights.

I added a flag to my drawing when I made it for Independence Day.

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 once the pandemic exits from our lives. Until then let’s read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Let’s keep our wish lists ready!

 8 year old Akshaj Kar, a Bookosmian from Cuttack travelled to Chennai to participate in the spell bee and what a lovely time he seems to have had there! Send us your travel story!

After an exciting and equally tiring journey of two days, we arrived at our destination.

We stepped out of the train and took a taxi to a hotel. It was not something luxurious but was good to stay. It was already nighttime so we had our dinner. The food served was very tasty.

The next day, I went to my Spell Bee competition. We took a cab to the venue. Children from many states were there. I gave my best and the competition was very challenging. I was awarded too.

It was already night by the time the competition ended. We returned, had our dinner and slept.

The next day, we had our breakfast and then took a taxi for sightseeing. It was exciting.

First, we went to a rose garden. It was very beautiful. There were different colors of roses like white, red, pink, yellow etc. It took about 45 minutes for us to see all the flowers. My parents clicked photos of me.

Then we went to the chocolate factory and tea factory. We tasted the chocolates and tea there. They were very tasty. We bought a packet of chocolates.

It was already afternoon. We were very hungry. It was time for lunch. We went to a restaurant and ordered food.

The food served there was very tasty. We ate chapati, rice and chilly paneer.

Then we went to the boat house overlooking a beautiful lake. There, we took a ride on a boat. It was very big and beautiful. Many people were sitting in the boat.

In the boat, we were given life jackets. We wore that. It was a very thrilling experience. We rode for 30 minutes.

Then we went to a fair. We rode on a mini train and the most exciting experience for me was riding a horse. The horse was big and cute. There were many stalls there also.

The next day, we went to a temple. It was huge. It was very beautiful. There were many statues of gods. We prayed to the god. There were statues of Lord Shiva, Ganesh, Vishnu and many more. Many people were in the temple.

In the side, there were two big black statues of lions. That was one of the most beautiful temples I had ever seen. It took about one hour for us to see all the statues and pray.Then we returned to the hotel.

We ate lunch at the hotel. We ordered rice, dal and cauliflower curry. Then I watched TV and painted for a while. Then we ate dinner and slept.

The next day, we booked a taxi and went to the beach. There we ordered an item which was a glass filled with juicy fruits like watermelon, apples, banana and many more.We sat on the sand and I made a beautiful sand castle.That day was our last in Chennai.

After spending such a beautiful time in Chennai, it was time to travel back to Odisha. This time we traveled by flight – a faster and easier way to travel but I liked the journey by train because I enjoyed the scenic beauty of nature while traveling.

This was one of the most memorable trips of my life. Hope you all enjoyed my little travel story.

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About the author:

Akshaj Kar

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 once the pandemic exits from our lives. Until then let’s read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Let’s keep our wish lists ready!

Today is International Museum Day! 9 year old Atreyo Bhattacharya from Kolkata writes about his memorable visit to the historic Indian Museum in Kolkata which includes a close-up look at an Egyptian mummy! Do you love museums too? Tell us!

We stood in a queue and ate ice-cream while our Sir bought our entry passes. Just after entering the museum, we took a look at the map of the whole premise.

We all got puzzled after seeing the huge map as there were so many different things to explore in a day.

Our Sir came to the rescue and became our tour guide for the day.

We started our museum journey with the Egyptian wing. It was a giant twilight room with a spotlight at its centre.

As we took a step forward, I saw a ‘mummy’ inside a glass coffin for the first time. It looked like a dead body wrapped with a white Egyptian cloth.

We all got scared at that moment. We came out of the room with heavy hearts as someone had died and was mummified and had been on display for us to see.

There was an exhibition going on outside the museum about Egypt. I even bought a papyrus book from there to cherish this memorable trip.

Soon after covering the Egyptian wing, we went to the archeological section and saw a giant skeleton of a reptile. We took a lot of snaps in front of that and later on learnt that, the skeleton was of an extinct crocodile which has now became a fossil.

Throughout the whole day, we explored every corner of the museum including the preserved sea animals, old aged coins and weapons of different metals.

In the process, we also had fun together. The trip will always be in my good memories for the rest of my life.

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About the author:

Atreyo Bhattacharya

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 once the pandemic exits from our lives. Until then let’s read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Let’s keep our wish lists ready!

What’s the best way to learn? Travel, writes 12 year old Shrivika R from Bangalore. Check out her amazingly detailed travel story from her trip to Ooty!

Then we booked a cab and drove to Ooty. It took around 3.5 hours to reach. We stayed at a nearby hotel called ‘Rose Valley.’ It was a 4 star hotel. The rooms were spacious for us.

The weather was rainy most of the times. Because of the fog, the city seemed to levitate in the clouds.

The next morning, we visited three places. They were:

• Nilgiri Mountain Valley

It has the Toy Train. The train had cartoon characters on it. My dad and I took a ride on it. It was wonderful.

All the seats were full with lots of enjoyment. I was looking out of the window and eating a double scooped ice cream. ​I could see the mountains and valleys covered in the mist.

Next we visited,

It was 7 in the evening and it was time to return to our hotel. It took 30 minutes to reach the hotel and it was snack time. Mother gave me a sandwich. I enjoyed it. Father said, “We’ll have more fun tomorrow but get some sleep now.” We switched off the lights and went to bed.

It was morning, another day of excitement. I brushed my teeth and took a bath. It was 10AM. At 12 noon we again set off to see something new. We visited four interesting places that day. They were:

It took 30 minutes to reach this spot. It is the highest peak of the Nilgiris. It is a fabulous spot for trekking. I was happy to visit this place. It was huge. There were signs of ‘Do not pluck flowers’ and ‘Do not litter.’ This is a sign which everyone needs to follow. We spent an hour there.

I love roses and I had landed on the rose garden! It is said to be ‘The Heart of Ooty.’

It had multiple colours, varieties and scents. I begged father to buy me a bouquet and he finally bought me one. It was one of the best places I liked.

Next,

This place was very peaceful. I liked its architecture and design. Its carving is praiseworthy. It was simple and beautiful. The timber was of a good quality.

Lastly,

I was amazed by this place. The flowers and plants here were made of thread! It was a real artful creation. We took infinite pictures here. At first I was doubting it, but when I touched it, I got to know that it is true.  It is one of the most recommended places to visit in Ooty.

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About the author:

Shrivika R

Hey everyone, your pal  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!

If you had a chance to design anything in the world, what would you create? 7 year old Chezhiyan Balaji, a Bookosmian from Bangalore has a cool idea for a robot. Check it out!

Hey everyone, your pal  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 Adyasha Mohapatra from Cuttack is a talented young artist. Check out her beautiful art work! Do you also draw? Send it to us!

Adyasha is a student of DAV Public School, Rajabagicha, Cuttack, Odisha.

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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 once the pandemic exits from our lives. Until then let’s read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Let’s keep our wish lists ready!

10 year old Sanvi Atul Sharma, a Bookosmian from Kolkata is pink with excitement as she writes a super travelogue on the Pink City – Jaipur! Have you been there?

The following day we all, decided to go to Nahargarh Fort which was nearby. We had to climb all the way up.

While we were climbing up, we heard that a black panther had been spotted a few days ago. I felt scared, but we moved on. At last, we reached and fortunately, we did not find a panther anywhere near us.

On top of the fort, we saw a fascinating panoramic view of the city.  Everyone was amazed.

In the morning, after eating Dal- Bati –Churmaa (an appetizing dish); we went to Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar and a temple in a garden which is said to have fairies in it!

My memory was itself the souvenir I got from the place.

I would recommend this city to other travellers because it has so many monuments, different types of yummy food and kind people living there.

This place will always be special to me as it holds many memories.

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About the author:

Sanvi Atul Sharma

Hey everyone, your pal  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 Maukthika Mari, a Bookosmian from Chennai feels that art has helped her improve her imagination and creativity. Check out her drawings!

I love making scenery. The below is one of them, titled ‘The day and night.’

The day scenery has coniferous trees and the night scenery has mountains and a waterfall.

Outer space is another topic I love. This is a sketch of the solar system.

This is my imagination of two birds sitting on a tree.

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 once the pandemic exits from our lives. Until then let’s read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Let’s keep our wish lists ready!

12 year old Y Divya Darshini from Chennai has one dream destination- Shimla and she wrote a lovely letter about it to me. What’s your dream destination?

Divya is a student of NSN Memorial School.

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Hey everyone, your pal  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 Nithwin S, a Bookosmian from Chennai loves to draw cartoon characters and he does them so well! Do check out his cute paintings and write-up!

Nithwin is a student of NSN Memorial Senior Secondary School.

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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 Rithik, a Bookosmian from Chennai loves reading about animals and is excited to share his review of the book ‘Anda, the poisonous red ant’. He recommends it for ages 5+!

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

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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!

It’s been a difficult time for many people as they have lost their jobs and are struggling to pay hospital bills. 11 year old Vaishnavi Vinod Kumar, a Bookosmian from Sharjah makes a digital art urging us to do our bit.

Hey, your best friend Sara here. Remember the adorable song from The Lion King, where Simba says he ‘just can’t wait to be king!’ I think he speaks for all of us when he dreams of a time when no one will tell him to do this and do that.

So why do all kids dream of growing older? Find out in this wonderful write up by Karishma Mehra, a counseling psychologist, family therapist and a parenting coach.

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‘I want to grow up fast! I can’t wait to be an adult!’

This was my own mindset while growing up. As a child brought up in a conservative Indian household, all my life I was only instructed and directed, time and again, about how I was SUPPOSED to behave and to be.

A while ago, while doing some research on schools and how this system of education and child development began, I was amazed and shocked to find out that schools were only created in the 18th
century to teach factory workers certain skill sets, in order to boost productivity and output.

Structuralism was strongly embedded in the schooling system– in fact, classrooms today are still based on the Prussian Model of education, focusing more on the ‘year’ of study  rather than on ability.  A documentary released on Netflix called Batch of 2020 aptly portrays how structuralism is so deep rooted in children’s  culture.

In fact, our children’s lives are often being limited to assessment,  management, intervention and treatment, while conveniently marginalizing the knowledge and skills the children may possess for their own lives. Problem-saturated stories of children often make them feel, “the problem is me and I am the problem!”

As a therapist, I explored the understanding and expression of  individuals about their experiences in life.  Very frequently childhood memories and issues often show up in conversations, evidently having profound effects in shaping the lives of young people.

As parents, interestingly when we make decisions, there are intended consequences as well unintended or undesired  consequences of  these decisions. Culturally, the power dynamic has evidently been one sided. We sometimes tend to authoritatively feel responsible and take
the liberty to decide for children. A child’s perspective is never given much weightage in our structured society. Adherence to typical ideas about ‘growing up’ and conformity is  expected from a child.

In my pursuit to make a few teenagers in my workshop comfortable with each other, I once asked them to write down what stops or hinders them from truly relating to others in a group. I was amazed to learn how the fears and conditioning of our structured childhood and culture stood out in showcasing how they felt about themselves. Interestingly, a lot of them voiced how they felt bad about not being asked or consulted about their major life decisions by parents and elders. The power imbalance in our relationships is more than evident, and needs to be worked upon.

The children’s culture definitely struck a chord with me; I think it has a great deal of influence on parenting practices, which are also passed down and followed through generations of structuralism and  normativity.

I observed the power of allowing children to give feedback to parents. When I dwelled on it within a workshop, I was amazed at the kind of compassion and empathy they held for their parents; but because we are so politically restricted and culturally controlled in our responses, the entire group of teenagers refused to actually approach their parents with the feedback. The power imbalance in our  relationships is more than evident, and needs to be worked upon.

The words and actions of adults can leave a permanent mark on the identities of children and adolescents with impressionable minds.  However, still, most of them voiced the same idea– of wanting to grow up as soon as possible to be free from these authoritarian relationships. Through deliberations and active reflections about observed parent-child relationships as well as from personal experience, I have come to realise that involving children and dealing with them as individual souls – not controllable kids – can be an
invaluable tool for parents to build a rapport with their children. Truly connect with them and with their inner voices.

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Parents and kids, do you have a question for Karishma? Please send them to sara@bookosmia.com. Each month Karishma will answer one such question.

Know Karishma Mehra better:

Karishma is a counseling psychologist, family therapist and a parenting coach. She is a mentor to the young and a life-coach for women and children. Her centre, Happiness Quotient in New Delhi, is designed to enable people to explore and enhance their inner potential. A Masters in Psychology, Karishma is certified to practise Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Solution-Focused Behaviour Therapy, Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Mental Space Psychology. She is also a practicing graphologist. Karishma is keen to actively combine psychology and education, and is currently associated with Max Hospital, Delhi, and schools such as Sardar Patel Vidyalaya.

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 Purvi Agrawal, a Bookosmian from New Jersey has always loved art. Do check out her lovely paintings and her absorbing thoughts about art. Read on!

Purvi is a student of Robert B Jaggard Elementary School.

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I also chose those items because I feel very comfortable using them.

I’ve made some paintings where I didn’t like my first copy so I made another copy and I loved it.

I would make another one because I wanted the painting to be perfect and until it wasn’t perfect I would not give up.

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 once the pandemic exits from our lives. Until then let’s read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Let’s keep our wish lists ready!

8 year old Saanvi Baheti, a Bookosmian from Bangalore went to charming Chikmagalur in Karnataka and tells us about that trip through an equally charming poem! Share your travel story too!

Saanvi is a student of Greenwood High, Bannerghatta branch, Bangalore.

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When I went to Chikmagalur,
I didn’t even wait for a tour.

I tried to cross the Burma Bridge with all my might,
Ouch! The zipline’s hook was toooo tight.

The paddle boat was very old,
Brrrrrr! The lake’s water was very cold.

I got scared of a spider in the lake,
They all shouted “Oh, for goodness sake!”

My mom made me rock,
When I was relaxing on the hammock.

As we ate french fries by the bonfire,
I wish I could go and touch all the stars…
That was my first desire.

Next day, I ran around the sprinklers and fell twice,
That was definitely not nice!

All day long the pups and I played,
And as we left, my smile faded.

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About the author:

Saanvi Baheti

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 once the pandemic exits from our lives. Until then let’s read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Let’s keep our wish lists ready!

13 year old Saaketh KS, a Bookosmian from Bangalore is living it up at his grandpa’s lush farm in Kerala. What’s your most favourite place in the world? Tell us!

Saaketh is a student of Talespin.

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It’s a beautiful sunny day at grandpa’s farm. The grass is shiny from the rain last night, the trees are beautiful and have dew drops on their leaves.

My brothers and  I are because it is our summer holidays. My brothers are out playing dodgeball. Oh! I  forgot to introduce myself. I am Saaketh.K.S , a 13 year-old.

The farm has so many things to do – green grass to play in, a river to swim in, fruits to pluck and eat, trees to climb and a farmhouse. The farm has many animals like horses, cows, goats, sheep, dogs, cats, and clutch of hens and roosters.

My best friend among the animals is a horse named Bob. She is a one of a kind thorough-bred horse that saved three people from a fire. At the farmhouse, we get to eat lavish lunches made by my grandpa. We play cards also. Most days end with a pleasant walk down the river followed by a good night’s sleep.

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About the author:

Saaketh K S

Hey everyone! Your friend, Sara here.

This month some of us celebrated Holi in a low-key manner due to the pandemic. 8 year old Krishiv Kedia, a Bookosmian from Kolkata recalls his memorable moments of the festival from previous years. What fun!

I brought big water guns and herbal colours. I threw water balloons on my sisters. I shot water guns at my friends and completely coloured their face in a way that we could not recognise each other.

Then we all had delicious snacks and Thandai after colouring each other.

I also had my favourite ice golas of different colours. I started feeling cold as we played with water practically the whole day till the evening.

Then me and my brother scrubbed and had a long bath session to remove all the colours. Thereafter, I got tired and slept off for the next day.

The best thing about Holi is that it is full of fun and happiness. It unites everyone.

We should play Holi with only herbal colours as other colours in the market have lots of chemicals which is bad for our skin. This is one of the most memorable festivals for me as I really enjoy playing Holi a lot.

I keep waiting throughout the year for this festival to come fast.

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About the author-

Krishiv Kedia

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 let’s read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Let’s keep our wish lists ready!

12 year old Meher Gandhi, a Bookosmian from Vadodara introduces us to the diamond city of Surat and its sparkling sights. Do you also have a travel story? Tell us!

Meher goes to Navrachana International School Vadodara (NISV) and is a student of Centrestage Young Orators.

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My parents had four days off from their busy and hectic schedules. My brother and I had our winter vacations. Mom and dad made quick decisions. And Voila! Here we were on our way to Surat.

The next morning, we visited the aquarium. It is a must-visit place and I highly recommend it. The aquarium is massive and covers more than 25,000 square metres. It houses a wide variety of fish and more than 1000 species of marine creatures. Right from teeny tiny fishes to humungous whales, sharks and dolphins.

There are informative placards provided and each tank which tells you a lot about the fish. One of the main attractions is the shark tank. It is huge and has seven sharks. It is definitely worth visiting because of its scenic beauty. I assure you, you will immediately fall in love with the aquarium and marine life!

Surat is a city that is known for its diamonds. How could we miss visiting its famous diamond museum? The diamond museum had a lot of information on how the diamonds were discovered and their significant history behind them.

I found that a little boring but seeing the lustrous diamonds was fun. Next, we also visited the science centre, although it was a hurried visit I found it very fascinating. We could perform fun experiments and see visual representations. We also saw the planetarium there. I would recommend visiting this place especially for science lovers like me.

We visited the Dumas beach. While there are a lot of beach activities like banana rides, para sailing etc, I really wish it would be cleaner and more hygienic.

We also went to the Surat fort. I would highly recommend this place. It was a lot of fun seeing places inside it like trapdoors, massive rooms and learning history through movies and placards.

Food is the highlight of Surat city. No tourist can leave Surat without trying out its lip-smacking food and the various multi-cuisine restaurants it has.

And that’s how a spontaneous trip to a nearby city turned out to be a lifetime experience for my family and me.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

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

 Here’s a book review on ‘Pierre Le Poof’, a story about a dog named Pierre who is torn between staying with his kind owner or escaping into the wild. Read this review by 11 year old R.S Kamalini, a Bookosmian from Chennai to know more!

Kamalini is a student of NSN Memorial Senior Secondary School.

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I got this book to improve my knowledge of grammar but also learnt that home is the best place of all. The writing style is simple. My favourite part of the story was when the door opened and Pierre ran out.

I like reading about dogs but this is the first story I read about a dog and I really enjoyed it. This is the first book in the Pierre Le Poof series.

Hey everyone! Your friend, Sara here.

Last week some of our friends celebrated ‘Vishu’. 7 year old Aaryan Vittal , a Bookosmian from Bangalore had a wonderful time celebrating the festival at his Aachi’s home and writes all about the love and pampering he received!

We could smell the aroma of yummy food across the street I jumped out of the car and slowly entered home and rang the doorbell hiding behind the gate. Thatha was reading the newspaper. He came and asked, “Who is it?” then I screamed and jumped and hugged him he almost had happy tears.

“How did you come, sir?” he said. He calls me sir when he is happy. I ran inside to see Aachi running towards me with all smiles “Acho thangame vanthdutiya raja?” (My dear you came!). She calls me Raja.

She told me the festival would be boring without us, though she had already prepared my favourite bakshanam. I asked Aachi I can smell my favourite food, stomach is grumbling. She was so happy and ran inside and came with yummiest dosa with all ghee and we spoke and ate happily together.

Aachi and Thatha celebrate all festivals elaborately and narrate stories every time. I saw Aachi prepare obbattu my favourite, Thatha, Amma and I also helped in preparing it.

We all had a good lunch and afternoon nap. When I woke up the entire home smelled of sambrani. Aachi was doing pooja, Thatha told me its Moondram pirai- third day after new moon day and if we see moon and pray, all our wishes will come true.

I was so excited to hear it, and we all went to the terrace to see the moon, it was so much fun. It was like a race to see the moon first. We saw the moon and Aachi had a plate full of coins, fruits, flowers and a Ganesha photo to be seen after seeing the moon.

Next, Aachi was preparing for Vishu kani arranging mirror, jewels, fruits, coins, diya, seeing ourselves in the mirror the very first thing on the new year to remind us we are the most special part of it.

We all woke up and ran to see vishu kani as soon as we woke up before seeing anything else, followed by a bath, Pooja and kaineettam- my most favourite part of all festivals – where elders give blessings and money to younger ones in the family.

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 Vani Baid, a Bookosmian from Kolkata loves dogs and hopes to have one someday. Meanwhile, she loves drawing and writing about them. Read on!

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 let’s read through these wonderful travel memories from kids. Let’s keep our wish lists ready!

So excited to bring to you, a travelogue of a Kenyan Safari by a 7 year old Bookosmian Ananya Vengurlekar from Mumbai. Rich wildlife, a rhino attack, tent stay.. this is a must-read!

Ananya is a student of Parle Tilak Vidyalaya .

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Due to covid 19, there was a ban introduced on air travel. Unfortunately, my father got stuck in Kenya where he works and we got stuck in Mumbai, where I study. When the travel ban got lifted, due to online school, we got a chance to go to Kenya and stay with him for 6 months.

Kenya is a beautiful country with a lot of national parks having wild animals, mountains and valleys, dense forest, lakes and white sand beaches. My father took us to several such places. While studying “animals around us” in my online classroom during the week, I got to see real animals like lions, cheetahs, leopards, rhinos, giraffes, zebras and elephants roaming freely in the grass during a safari on the weekends.

My favourite place in Kenya is Ol Pajeta national park because it is the only place in Kenya that offers a night safari, is located on the equator, has the tallest mountain in Kenya –Mount Kenya in the background and is home to many rare animals like white rhino and chimpanzees.

After attending my online school in the morning, we set off on our journey from our house in Nairobi to Ol Pajeta national park. Our driver Antony uncle was driving our big car. The journey was beautiful. On the way to Ol Pajeta, we saw the rainy mountains of Aberdere and the tallest mountain in Kenya-Mount Kenya, the peak of which is covered with snow. I slept a bit because I wanted to stay awake for the night safari. We completed the 4 hour journey and reached Ol Pajeta at 4 pm.

Our first safari-the rhino attack

After paying the park fees, we started our first safari in our own car. We saw some deers and zebras crossing the kutcha road. We went further inside the park to see many more animals. While going towards elephant dam our car got stuck in the mud. Antony uncle pushed the car out of the mud with great strength. I was scared a bit but we continued the safari.

I saw a huge animal at a distance. We went closer to see who it is. When we went closer, guess what it was? A huge rhino with her baby. They were eating grass. We decided to park our vehicle and observe them. They kept coming close to our car and we couldn’t move.

But when they came at a touching distance to the car, we had to drive away. But while we were driving away, the Mumma rhino felt that we would attack the baby rhino and she came charging at our car.

Thanks to Antony uncle, we just managed to escape the rhino charge by a whisker. I was very scared and told my parents to go to the resort.

I learnt that every mom cares about her baby. I hugged my mom and we went to our resort within the national park. While going back, we saw a fox killing a rabbit. This was a rare experience.

Back to our tent

We reached back to our resort – Sweet Waters Serena camp. The hotel staff welcomed us, checked our body temperature and checked us in. The resort was very beautiful with a garden having trees with a lot of flowers.

 There were many animals coming to drink water at the water hole. We saw deers, sambars and zebras near our tent.

The night safari

At 9 pm we reached the resort gate. It was very cold at night. I was wearing thermal, sweater and muffler. For the night safari, we had to take a safari vehicle as our car is not allowed in the night.

Animal eyes shine in the night and that is how our driver was spotting a lot of animals. She spotted giraffes, zebras and deers. I waited for the African big 5 (lions, buffalos, leopards, rhinos and elephants). I was a little scared because the animals were very active. My father spotted a group of buffalos. I was surprised to see the buffalos were still eating in the night as well.

Good Morning – At the equator

We woke up early in the morning at 6 am to see the sunrise. The sunrise was very beautiful with the sky having many colours. I was brushing my teeth just outside our tent, while the Sambars were grazing around. I walked on the equator line and joined my class and showed the equator to my friends and teacher on the video call.

My teacher told me that we will learn more about the equator in the 3rd standard. We saw Mount Kenya from the equator point as the clouds had completely cleared.

An afternoon with endangered animals – white rhinos and chimpanzees

Then we visited a part of the park endangered animals are protected. First, we visited the blind rhino – Baraka. Sadly he could not see with both eyes. It was a rare experience to feed Baraka. My father fed him but I was scared.

Then we left for Nairobi as I had to attend online school. It was a lovely trip to Ol Pajeta as I liked the animals in their home. I will never forget the trip and tell my friends in India and Kenya to visit Ol Pajeta.

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), Kolkata

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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 Dumbledore 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 Parsel tongue.” 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 character 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.

Age group-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.

Rating-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.