FORTUNATELY, THE MILK...

" Prepare to be keelhauled, you scurvy dogs", shouted the pirates.

"Let us now sacrifice them both to great Splod !" shouted the people with shiny black hair."They stole my eye! Twice !" rumbled mighty Splod."Ve vant those willains and warmints wiolently vound up,"proclaimed a tall lady wumpire with long fingernails.The piranhas said nothing, but they thrashed about in their bowl, ominously.

"Doomed", moaned Professor Steg. "We cannot escape.They have frozen us in time and depowered us, Even my mighty Time Machine can do no more......

Of late, I have been reading a lot of books for children. Books where friends/brothers - sisters go on adventures, explore and discover the world around them or go to far off lands. Then there are some where animals and birds talk and behave like us humans and tell their story.

 'FORTUNATELY, THE MILK...' by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Chris Riddell is different. It is a delightful story of a father who goes to fetch milk from the corner store, for his kids and returns to tell  them the weirdest of adventure he went on whilst on his way back home.

Yes !!! it's about DAD's adventure told in the voice of his son. It has time travel, aliens, dinosaurs, vampires,pirates, volcano, hot air balloons.

Dad is kidnapped by Aliens.In an attempt to escape from their clutches, he opens the wrong door  and lets the Time-Space Continuum in.

Had it not been for Professor Steg, a learned Stegosaurus and inventor, in his 'Floaty-Ball-Person-Carrier', he would have been eaten by sharks, sacrificed to Splod the volcano God, ended up as meal for the vampires.

Here, the Tyrannosaurus rex, Pteranodon,Ankylosaurus,Diplodocus are not creating havoc but are the Galactic Police, saving people all over the Universe and riding fast space bikes.

Through this whirlwind adventure, Dad manages to protect and hold on to the milk carton, uses it to scare the aliens and finally brings it safely home to his son and daughter.

'FORTUNATELY, THE MILK...' is an extremely exciting and enjoyable read. I would recommend it to young readers, 8 years and above. Before the child starts reading the book, a little talk about time travel and time machine would be great. For readers, who are reading time-travel fiction for the first time, it might be a bit confusing to understand the frequent shift of frames.Enquiring about the story on and off, occasionally reading it together will add to the fun. All through the story, the brother and sister keep asking their Dad probing questions about his adventure. It encourages kids to be curious and ask questions.

For kids who love dinosaurs, it is a bonus.

The illustrations are fabulous.

 It is funny, entertaining little read.

Available in Flipkart and Amazon.

Llama Llama Misses Mama

First day of School is an important day in the life of our little ones. As parents we go through a mix of emotions - will he cry? will he miss me? will the teachers understand what he wants to say?...For the child, I think ,initially, he is more interested in the paraphernalia - new school bag, snack box and water bottle. The concept of school hits him once he has to leave his parents and walk into the school without Mama or Papa.

The challenge begins the next morning - refusing to get dressed for school, crying as soon as the car parks near the school gate, clinging to Mama/Papa as the teacher tries to take him in....

To beat the 'First Time to School' blues try Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney. It is available in Amazon in all forms - Kindle, hardcover, paperback, audio CD and audible book.

 But I found it in a wonderful site We Give Books all for free !!!

The book is about a Llama's first day at school. His Mama wakes him up, gets him ready and rushes to school as they are getting late.( something that happens in my home almost every morning) At school he is introduced to his new teacher and new friends and soon it's time to kiss Mama Goodbye.

THE CAR BOOK : The Definitive Visual History

If you are looking for a book to gift to your son, whose toy cupboard is full of cars small and big, spic and span or in run down condition with broken doors or missing wheel, who prefers drawing cars and buses to mountain- rising sun-flowing river scenery, who can tell you the name of every car that just zipped past yours, I have a wonderful suggestion.

THE CAR BOOK – The Definitive Visual History

Publisher - Dorling Kindersley Publishing

It traces the history of cars right from 1880’s to 2010. It starts with the steam powered vintage cars and ends with future cars. It has information on more than 1200 cars- vintage, luxury, sports and many more.

Oxford Reading Tree - Read with Biff, Chip and Kipper series

Children have a special bond with their grandparents. I often listen to the animated discussions that Junior has with his Grandma. They have a world of their own with imaginary friends, frequent space and time travel and customized vehicles. Biff, Chip and Kipper are always a part of their adventure.

Biff, Chip, Kipper ….WHO? I have often had to answer my friends and family who chanced to overhear Junior- Grandma’s  flights of fantasy.