0 Author Speaks - Nandini Thatavarthy

Author speaks

This is an interview with the author of "Two girls who wanted the golden crown" - Nandini Thatavarthy, age 5.

We asked the author's mom to do an interview on behalf of Bubble Ink for the post. I hear that the little author was super excited about the feature, here are her answers - Unedited.

Bubble Ink : When did you start reading books?

Nandini : When I was like 5 years old.

Bubble Ink :Which is your favorite book?

Nandini :Pokemon and Ash and Don Adventure

Bubble Ink :What other books do you like?

Nandini :Sleepy Dog, Very hungry caterpillar, Hello kitty, David, My little pony.
{Bubble Ink loves the Very Hungry Caterpillar too!}

Bubble Ink : Why did you write the book?

Nandini :Because I want to make like a familiar book. I like books and I want to make one.

Bubble Ink :What else do you like?

Nandini :Watching tv, playing with daddy, mathematics, drawing and coloring.

Bubble Ink :Do you want to say something about your book?

Nandini :Its like , so good the last part because the 3 girls share the crowns and they share and they are kind to each other.

Author's Mom speaks:

Archana told The Bubble Ink,

There were a few grammatical mistakes here and there, but while writing the story Nandini was adamant that I write what she told me. She made it very clear to me that it was her book :). So I helped her with the writing piece while she narrated the story to me page by page. Tried hard to tell her to introduce the girls at the beginning, but she decided to name them in the 6th page!
When I told her about the feature, she was super excited and answered all the interview questions. I still can't believe this little girl responded to me about sharing and kindness :) .

Like The Bubble Ink here :

Like this post here.

0 Feature - Two girls who wanted the golden crown - Nandini Thatavarthy

This is the first feature post by The Bubble Ink. Presenting to you, our little writer, Nandini Thatavarthy. In Bubble Ink style, here it goes

Two girls who wanted the golden crown 

The Book: 

Two girls who wanted the golden crown is about two girls who fought for the golden crown and at the end decide to share it and be best friends.

The book is written and hand illustrated by Nandini Thatavarthy who is 5 years old.

In her own words, on why she wrote the book , Nandini said "because I want to make like a familiar book. I like books and I want to make one. "

The Story: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyxMxSs_Hik

The book with her illustrations can be found in the video. The illustrations were hand drawn by Nandini herself , with her spending 3 full hours to do it. The book was hand written by Archana Budida Thatavarthy, Nandini's mom - word by word as narrated by Nandini, with even grammatical errors left as-is.

We realised the writing was a bit light and with the author deciding to color that area too :), it ended up a little difficult to read. So we requested Archana to add the printed lines to the video and also to send us the story via Email. Find the story at the end of the post.

The Bubble:

The book is about two girls who fight for the golden crown. The illustrations are hand drawn by the author herself and is an absolute joy to see. The girls continue to fight despite rain, despite mountains collapsing only to realize that the golden crown itself is getting smaller as they fight. Fighting till night, the girls decide to stop fighting and share the crown and the found that the crown got bigger. 
It teaches the lovely lesson of kindness and sharing. The message it sends out that despite all the fights friends will remain friends and if we fight, the world around us only diminishes (mountains collapsing, crown getting smaller). What insight into philosophy is that coming from a 5 year old author!

We are thoroughly impressed by the moral of the story, the imagination of the and her illustrations.

Bubble Ink's verdict:

Show the book to your child for that perfect inspiration, read it yourself and feel awed at the 6 year author's imagination.

The little author teaching you a lesson of kindness and sharing and the crown getting smaller when you fight and bigger when they become friends. Everything about the book touches your heart.

We give it 5 bubbles out of 5 and blow our infinite kisses to the author.

Nandini, We at Bubble Ink, want to tell you that we truly love what you have done. The story, the illustrations, the moral - We love it all ! May all the crowns that you desire stay as big as your heart wants them to be!

And as a token of our love and appreciation, we are sending you this, Plant a Kiss, one of our favourite books, the message in this book is the same as in yours. It will soon be on its way.

The Bubbling Verdict:

The bubbling still hasn't read the book. But am sure, this is serve as true inspiration for her.

Bubble Ink interviewed the author and got some lovely answers. Nandini's responses can be read here.

The Story:

Name: Two girls who wanted the golden crown by Nandini Thatavarthy

Page 1: Once upon a time there were two girls who fought and fought and they never stopped fighting. They both want the special golden crown.

Page 2: They went back to their house and they came back out of their house. They saw each other. They started fighting for the golden crown. While they were fighting the golden crown became smaller. 

Page 3: They got surprised and the whole time they didn't know the mountains collapsed and the whole time they didn't know the golden crown was getting smaller.

Page 4: They ran forward before it turned night. But the golden crown was getting 
smaller and smaller.

Page 5: It was raining. They went back to their home and they came out of their home. And it was raining badly. They almost cried for their mommy. But they didn't cry. They were brave.

Page 6: Shalliah was still following Rose. Shalliah wants to still follow Rose.

Page 7: Shalliah was still following Rose. Shalliah will never stop following Rose until she gets the golden crown.

Page 8: Shalliah is still following Rose. She will never stop. But Rose wants her to go back home. But Shalliah will never go back home. Shalliah wants the golden crown until she gets the golden crown she will not go back home.

Page 9: Rose and Shalliah became friends. But they will still fight for the golden crown.

Page 10: Rose and Shalliah are still after the golden crown. They will never stop fighting until one person first gets the golden crown.

Page 11: Rose almost reached the golden crown. Well Shalliah gets mad.

Page 12: Rose and Shalliah and Sam became best friends for ever. Even though if they fought they will still be best friends for ever. The crown became big. They broke three pieces of the crown and they kept the three half cut crowns on their head.

Note :  It was the author's conscious decision to introduce the girls and name them only on Page 6 despite the mother's request to introduce them in the beginning. Why remains a mystery?

0 Biscuit's Birthday

Biscuit's Birthday

The Book:
Biscuit's Birthday is a book about the birthday party of a dog named Biscuit. The book is written by Alyssa Satin Capucilli and illustrated by Pat Schorie.This is part of the Biscuit series of book featuring the brown dog character, Biscuit.

The Bubble:
We mostly sense her current interest for events/things/characters and mostly pick books based on that theme/character. This book was an easy choice for us with dog being one of her favourite animals, her excitement at a recent party and her own birthday nearing.

The story revolves around how a girl organizes a birthday party for her dog, named Biscuit. Right from, waking him up with a hat to put on, inviting his friends, decorating the lawn with balloons, the small cake with a candle, unwrapping of the birthday gifts , the perfect set up is beautifully illustrated. We love the  birthday mood it set us in. The book helps you teach the child on what happens at birthdays and to get her excited about her own.

We love the cute way the girl has thought out each of the favourite food for every guest and her thoughtful gifts for her puppy. Birthday is the best time to surprise your loved ones with the things on their wish list and to witness the joy as they unwrap those carefully chosen gifts. This book sends out that message to your child.

Biscuit with his hat on - unwrapping his gifts is cuteness overload.

Bubble Ink's Verdict:
Get the book to gear your child for her own party or for a friend's party. Birthday surprises have been the most awaited and most cherished events of my childhood, so this book is one of our favourites.

"Plan birthday surprises with gifts, 
Invite those surprise guests,
Blow the candle as you make a wish,
Enjoy great party food and have a bash.",
says the Bubble Ink and the book.

We bought ours at flipkart.com. We give it 3 bubbles out of 5.
We picked the book after Devaki from Little Readers' Nook recommended the Biscuit series.


The Bubbling's Verdict:
Bubbling recently celebrated her 2nd birthday. From about 6 months ago, she has been reading this book and was well geared for her birthday. At the very sight of the book , says in baby talk, "Happy to you" and starts singing the Happy Birthday song. She loves all things party in this book.
It is a bubbling tantalizing-three.

0 The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Book:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a story about  the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly.
Eric Carle is a famous American writer and illustrator of many popular children's books. He is most famous for this one. 

The Bubble: 
There is so much we love about the book. From the simplest of it being holes for the little fingers to learn counting to the most complex of seeing beauty in change and its hidden message of "Dream On", this book is all about the things that every child must know. 

The book is a story of how a caterpillar hatches out of its egg and comes out hungry. He eats fruit and vegetables on each day of the week in increasing quantities. The illustrations are lovely and the holes are just right for the little fingers to practise counting. It moves on to a treat page with beautifully illustrated kiddie favourites like cake, lollipop etc on the sixth day where the caterpillar eats a whole lot of junk and ends up with a stomach-ache. This teaches your child the lesson of how too much junk food can turn out to not being good. 

Then comes the most beautiful part of how the prickly caterpillar builds a cocoon around itself and stayed inside it for more than a week, dreaming of being a butterfly. It dreams of things bigger than just crawling and eating. It dreams of flying, it dreams of colorful wings.  It works hard towards his dream by shedding all its skin and one day became a beautiful butterfly. This is a lovely first lesson for your older child to believe and to see the beauty in change. 

 If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies - Author Unknown.

Oh, how true. As you read the book , teach your child to not be afraid of the many changes that await her in life. Teach her to always "Dream big", to dream beyond the obvious; Like the prickly, crawling caterpillar dreaming of colorful wings and flying. It has the hidden message that dreams come true by a lot of hard work like how the caterpillar had to shed all its skin to get those colorful wings and to persevere in pursing this dream.

Bubble Ink's verdict:
This is our first story book review and the book also happens to be the first story book in the Bubbling's book collection. Call it bias or sentiment or our love for dreams or whatever, we strongly say this is a must own in every child's library.  From your child's first counting lessons, days of the week lessons,  healthy eating learning, science lesson of transformation to her moral science lesson to Believe and Dream, the book has it all. It will be a long time before your child outgrows this book.

Go, Grab the book, Learn to Count, Say the Days of the week, coax her into healthy eating and teach her to Dream On.

We bought ours, the board book version at this lovely book store in Chennai - Pappadum. We love buying books at bookshops and this shop is one of our favourites.
We give it 5 bubbles out of 5.

The Bubbling's verdict:
Bubbling loves this book. I have seen her transformation from a baby just observing the colorful illustration, her tiny fingers on those holes on the book, beginning to identify the fruits to now saying almost all items on the junk food page. That is my bubbling, the little egg that she was , then went on to becoming a crawling caterpillar and is soon going to be on her wings to become that beautiful butterfly. Her transformation is her verdict for the book. It is a bubbling fab-four. Fab four only because her lesson of Change and Dream is still waiting to be understood. 
We might come back to this post, a couple of months/years later to give it a Full-Five. For now, Fab-Four it is.

0 Hippo Has A Hat

Hippo Has a Hat

The Book:

Hippo Has a Hat is about animals going shopping , the clothes and the accessories they try on at the store in order to get dressed for the party.

Julia Donaldson is one of UK's most successful writers for children. She is undoubtedly a "Bubble Ink Favourite" and a hit with the Bubbling.

The book is illustrated by Nick Sharatt.

The Bubble:

With any animal lover, the book will be a great hit. The illustrations are lovely and the unconventional way in which the animals are illustrated brings a smile on one's face. The tiger standing up wearing a shirt, the hippo grinning with a hat, the cat looking smart in a cardigan, the zebra with a zip are a treat to view on each page. What is amazing about the illustrations, despite them looking unconventional, the baby brain can so easily identify those animals. It is a moment of mommy pride to have your little one actually identify a frog drowned in an over sized tracksuit. The shop set up with clothes, shoes, bags and even chain for the animals to try on brings cheer to the reader. The illustrations are well detailed with attention given to even the variety of each item on rack display. 

What we love most about the book is the message it sends out to be adventurous, break the conventions and not be feel shy dressing up and the party mood that it sets you in.

We love the caterpillar with shoes on page and the last party page.

The book offers a lot of scope for games with the child. Each page gives a sneak preview to the animal on the next page provides for a good guessing game. The final party page with all animals sitting on each other provides for a challenging "Find the animal that you call out" game.

Bubble Ink's verdict:

A  funny read which makes you realize how the simplest of things can bring joy to your child and a smile on your face too. They say, kids bring out the child in you. I have been a big animal hater all these years, but I just love this book! It makes you want to play dress up or to grab that long lost pair  of shorts to try on! 

Read, Giggle with your little one and get set on shopping mood or the party mood , dress up and indulge! Break the rules!

We bought ours, the board book version on amazon.in.

We give it 4 bubbles out of 5.

The Bubbling's verdict:

This section will feature a rating too. 

Full Five

Fab Four

Tantalizing Three

Teeny Two

Only One

Bubbling, an animal lover gives this one a "Full Five". At the caterpillar page, the way she teasingly says "So many shoes" in baby talk is testimony to her love for the illustrations on book. Did anyone say, kids can't get jokes?

1 Huggy Kissy - Review

 Huggy Kissy

What better way to start the blog for the season, the climate and the blog's theme itself of Bubbles, Babies and Books. This book is all about showing the love in form of hugs and kisses. 

The Book:
Huggy Kissy is a book about Hugs and Kisses with a baby and her close associations. 
Leslie Patricelli is a famous children's author and an illustrator.

The Bubble: 
We love the mere sight of this board book with its color and the matte finish on the pages. Each page of the book has a family member hugging and kissing. No one is forgotten, all close family associations, grand parents, uncle, auntie , the friend, the dog, the cat, the fish and even the blankie is hugged and kissed. We love the message the books sends out ; love all and express it too. Say it with a hug and a kiss.
The joy of bonding is beautifully illustrated in the book with details to the blushing, the sulking during the good-bye hug, the tear for the hug not to end and the pricky uncle.
The love and the mood lift it brings when it is being read is magical.We love the last page with the different types of kisses. It is beautifully hand lettered by the author herself. 
 
The Bubble Ink Verdict:
What's life with a child without those priceless hugs and kisses. A great read. Get it and cuddle your little one. While you are lost in cuddling the little one, the book makes you want to and teaches you how to do it to every one else {aka husbands} whom you love.  Go ! Say "I Love you" with a Hug and a Kiss to all whom you wish to and as the book reminds you , Don't forget anyone, not even the blankie! { may be the smart phonie for many} and wish for the hug not to end.
{XOXO}

We bought ours at amazon.in.

We give it 4 bubbles out of 5.

The Bubbling's Verdict:
The bubbling's verdict can't be put in words. A picture , as soon as she sees the book : that adorable smile and arms held out running for the hug can only do justice. The bubbling , on every read of the book, doesn't forget to demand to be lifted up like what the dad does in this book.

A Bubble Ink book review will have these sections. 
The Book - The synopsis of the book and the author. 
The Bubble - Why we at Bubble Ink love it? 
The Bubble Ink Verdict: The blog author's verdict of the book to other mums  and a rating out of 5
The Bubbling's Verdict: The author's offspring , the tiny thing behind "The Bubble Ink", my toddler's verdict of the book which is expected to be more valuable than the Blog Author's verdict.

1 The Bubble Ink : Why The Name and Why The Blog?

Bubble Ink: named thus, for the pure love of the most joyous things in life Bubbles, Books and Babies. While we cuddle , blow bubbles and read to those joy-bringing little villains ( aka babies ) we will share our review on the books we have read and love and the ones we wish to read. 

The blog will also feature write ups on the magic that unfolds when reading to a child; which for me seems to be therapy . This is the must-do thing to retain the little bit of sanity left to get away from "toddlerdom" besides the ever persistent mundane list of "Watch their weight gain, Play Peek-a-boo with them, Rest them well, Take them to parks, etc etc". We all have to admit that the moments of joy that a child brings as short lived as compared to the moments of fear, frustration, anxiety and sleeplessness that they bring along. So the trick of sane motherhood is to do more of those moments of joy. So, if you and your child love reading, this blog will just help you have longer and repeated such moments of joy!!

Reading with a child comes with its own set of tod-patented "Read Before Use" like "Read This, Stop..stop... Read That" ; "Show Me This"  , "No - No - No, not that page" and the automatic fast forwarding of story pages. While we will soon learn to sit through and follow those instructions, for NOW, yeah, for now, reading to the child seems sane enough and feels like magic.