Presenting * Insert Drumroll * Book Reviews!

Over the past 2 1/2 years I have found myself drowning delightedly in children's books, particularly picture books. Growing up, I somehow bypassed this genre entirely (the first book I ever 'read' was Children of Willow farm by Enid Blyton). But Jr's arrival opened my eyes to the incredible range that children's literature boasts of today. We started reading to him when he was about three months old, and by now we have amassed a wonderful collection of books of every description.

Until last month, most of the books we owned and loved were by foreign authors. Albie and The Space Rocket by Andy Cutbill and The Story Machine by Tom McLaughlin have been read so many times, it is a wonder they aren't in shreds. I adore the works of Emily Gravett, Oliver Jeffers and Lemony Snicket, and have added them to my picture book collection (not my son's, mind you! :P ) All these books are absolutely captivating, and we have spent many delightful hours poring over them.

But no matter how much I enjoyed these books (or maybe precisely because I enjoyed them so much) it used to annoy me no end that I could not find one more suited to the Indian context. The only books that I had come across were ones that dealt with Hindu mythology, Jataka tales or some version of Indian history. And I do not care for such books at all! Hoping to remedy this, Jr and I caught a taxi, the metro and an auto to get to the World Book Fair in Delhi. And how we were rewarded for our trouble!

Jr and I spent a couple of wonderful hours roaming from stall to stall, sniffing through brand new books to our hearts content (Ok fine... my heart's content!). We came back armed with several incredible books by Indian authors, and I intend to review a few of them here. I am no expert on childrens' books, I have not worked in any capacity in this genre. But what I do have is truck loads of experience in reading aloud to a staunch book lover.

Needless to say, I'm super excited about this :D