List : World Environment Day Recommendations
Today (June 5) is celebrated as World Environment Day annually to encourage awareness about the environment and its protection. This has been done for the last 50 years now to create a global platform for public outreach on environmental issues like pollution, global warming, wildlife crimes, overpopulation and sustainable development. Here are a few books that we have already read/still reading around the theme of environment to create awareness and have discussions with our children.
Passepartout, Is That You?
“Passepartout, Is That You?” by Menaka Raman and illustrated by Jemma Jose. A delightful tale of little Shyam who has to find Passepartout, a rescued tortoise that seems to have disappeared. This heartwarming story beautifully conveys the message that exotic animals should not be kept as pets. It also instils a sense of responsibility that we must take for protecting endangered and vulnerable species through a tale of adventure, perseverance and friendship.
The Girl Who Was a Forest : Janaki Ammal
“The Girl Who Was A Forest : Janaki Ammal” by Lavanya Karthik. A delightfully illustrated short biography of little Janaki who went on to become one of India’s foremost path breaking women botanists. The story can be a way to encourage children to contribute to the environment around them. The book is sure to spark curiosity about nature in children and make them appreciate it.
All-Time Favourite Nature Stories
“All-Time Favourite Nature Stories” by Ruskin Bond and illustrated by David Yambem. This recently released book featuring twenty five charming stories has been curated around the theme of nature in full splendour. The stories showcase Mr Bond’s deep love and attachment to nature and particularly the hills around him. Featuring endearing characters and charming illustrations, they are bound to make one yearn to go to their setting and soak in their beauty. From the rustle of the leaves to the chirping of the birds to serene landscapes dotted with beautiful trees adorned with fruits or charming flowers to gurgling streams to the stillness of the forests to the changing of seasons, the stories have it all. The stories also feature themes like friendship, simple joys, friendly ghosts, nostalgia, adventure, mischief and curiosity.
Ranthambore Adventure
“Ranthambore Adventure” by Deepak Dalal. An evergreen favourite at our home, this book is the first one from the “Vikram Aditya Adventure” series set in the lush forest of Ranthambore and featuring a Royal Bengal Tiger who needs to be protected from the clutches of a ruthless poacher. The book is a heady combination of so many topics like the life of a tiger, adventure, poaching issues, problems faced by wildlife conservationists and the lives of the forest department officials. Each of the books in the series feature an adventure set in a diverse region of India while showcasing a special creature that is found there making it a must read for readers across ages.
Naturalist Ruddy
“Naturalist Ruddy” by Rohan Chakravarty. This one of a kind and extremely interesting book is a must read for all those who want to know more about the wildlife of Indian forests. One can get to know bizarre facts and interesting tidbits about the flora and fauna from different types of Indian forests through 39 cases solved by detective Ruddy mongoose who has to get to the bottom of every strange occurrence that he comes across while roaming around various natural habitats. Even the most reluctant readers will not be able to resist this one given its comic format and the humour laced narrative replete with brilliant and cheeky illustrations. And, yes, the reader can try and help Ruddy as well in solving a dozen additional mysteries! We have been going back to this book every now and then for the last few months to savour one case at a time! :)
Trunk Call For Ajju
“Trunk Call For Ajju” by Anjana Nagabhushana and illustrated by Siddhi Vartak. An endearing and sensitive story of two 8 year olds friends pitching together for helping a baby elephant who was in a desperate situation due to the cruelty of humans. Written by a debutant author, this one is about the love for animals and how people can be sensitised to have a change of heart towards animals and lend a helping hand towards their protection. This is our current read and we just can’t get over the book!
Little Shambu Series
“Strangus Derangus & Other Adventures of Little Shambu”, “In the Bear’s Den & More Adventures of Little Shambu” and “Dum Dum to the Rescue & Yet More Adventures of Little Shambu” by Reena I.Puri and illustrated by Savio Mascarenhas. Another current read! The most loved Tinkle character returns in a brand new avatar in this series of three books in a chapter book format for the first time. Each book has six stories featuring Shambu along with his best friend Shanti and his dog Dum Dum who always find themselves in sticky situations and end up having adventures of all kinds. The books tackle animal rights issues like cruel treatment of pets, caging animals and so on. They aim to spread the message of being kind and compassionate to animals. There isn’t a dull moment at all in these stories and they are keeping us entertained as we are reading them.
