In this story, Srividhya Venkat effortlessly weaves together a strong storyline, likable characters, and an important message- that Dance is for everyone. Yali books always puts out books that don’t just entertain but make you pause and think. This one is no exception. Illustrations by Kavitha Ramdhandran are vivid, and detailed and capture the spirit of dance.
The status of the pandemic varies greatly depending on where you are, but Sandhya Acharya says the world is united by COVID more than ever.
This book, like, Ramadan, teaches kids and us all an important lesson in empathy.
..a masterfully crafted story that is gentle but powerful. As immigrants, first or second generation, we all struggle with nostalgia, the pressure to fit in, and the search for our unique identity. This book gives expression to all those feelings and turns the whole experience into something magical. It’s a therapy session in a picture book. Your kids will love it and so will you.
My kids went back to in-person school today. It’s just for two hours this week but still, the elation is real. It’s been a long year. A year of no field trips, no racing each other around the tracks, no monkey bar throw downs, no impromptu bey-blade battles, and no lunch-time shenanigans. It’s not all back to normal, but still, the end is in sight.
UPDATE: So overwhelmed to win this contest. Thank you Ciara O’Neal and Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez’s for this wonderful opportunity! https://ciaraoneal.weebly.com/spring-fling-kidlit-contest I am participating in Ciara O’Neal and Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez’s SpringFlingKidlit contest with this #ownvoices entry – “Anna, my favorite color is You”. I created my own gif for it. But first, an Introduction: Birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, there is color everywhere. It’s springtime! And that also means it’s Holi time. Holi is the festival of colors celebrated in India, a spring time festival. On this day we celebrate by quite literally throwing… Read More »Anna, my favorite color is You
I recenlty saw Vivian Kirkfields contest to tell a tale in 50 words. FIFTY WRODS!! Of course, I had to try! I took off for a run thinking about it and saw a hummingbird on a tree. So I started out with that image. Soon the hummingbird image got replaced by a more macabre one. I had recently read about a Blue Tit bird that had been eaten alive by a Venus Flytrap plant. Yeah, I went to dark places! So that became the inspiration for my 50 word story. Here it is. And here’s… Read More »My entry for #50preciouswords
When Sarla moved to her new home, she had questions about so many things – autumn, snowflakes, canyons, earthquakes. She thought she would find the answers at school. But when she tried to ask, the questions got all muddled, and jumbled, and twisted into a tight ball inside her. So Sarla sat at an empty lunch table and sketched. She sketched parrots from her old home, the rickshaw she took to school, The crowds at the mela, Nani’s shawl. Until – Hideyo stopped by. Hideyo was the ‘new-kid’ before Sarla. He showed Sarla his sketches… Read More »Sarla asks a question: Entry for Valentiny 2021
As adults, we are kind to our children when they try new things. Even if the circle isn’t round, we admire it. Even if the handwriting is loopy, we applaud it. We clap when they jump rope 30 times and cheer when they run around the block.
But when it comes to appraising ourselves. What if we were kinder to ourselves?
Published on KQED Persepctives https://www.kqed.org/perspectives/201601140598/sandhya-acharya-raising-a-good-loser Sandhya Acharya contemplates being a good loser – on the playground and in politics. Some time back, I was witness to a kids’ plank showdown. Timers were set, poses struck, seconds counted. But when it came time to declare the winner, a chorus of voices, including my son’s, broke out into complaints. “My jacket slowed me down!” “He moved!” “I wasn’t ready!” I watched from the sidelines, cringing. A question troubled me. Are we raising good losers? On Jan 6, 2021, we saw the damage a bad loser could do.… Read More »Raising a good loser
Right before the Christmas break, my younger son logged in early to one of his classes. The kids showed their stuffies to each other, discussed their breakfast, and then proceeded to a new topic. Santa. Now, I was introduced to Santa a little late in my childhood. Thanks to the convent school I studied at, I could sing carols, pay my respects to Jesus at the chapel, and knew all about the holy trinity. But Santa and Christmas had not yet made an entry into our Hindu household. Until one day, a cousin showed me… Read More »The Truth of it
When we get older being entertained is hard. We have to spend hundreds of dollars on subscriptions and apps to drown out the noise around us. But when you are six or eight, it is not such a challenge. A round piece of metal can magically transform into a spinning wheel that takes you across planets. Whoosh! Swish! It becomes a weapon as you fight an imposing dragon. Blankets become moats and pillows become forts. Stuffies can be pets, friends, even a ball to throw and catch. But Tag – what can one say about… Read More »Tag!
On our way to a family hike, we decided to change course and spend time at my sons’ school instead. It had been so long! Hikes could wait. The Ginko trees near the parking lot were gleaming gold. They shimmered in the morning light inviting us in. We stepped on the yellow carpet of leaves shed – soft, wet with dew. We bunched them into our hands, gathering more and more and then ‘TOSS’ – into the air they flew. The leaves rained down on us, gently grazing our cheeks, floating down. My sons giggled,… Read More »Waiting for School
Can’t say no to prompts, so here I am participating in SUSANNA LEONARD HILL‘s Halloweensie contest 2020! The Contest: write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (children here defined as 12 and under) (title not included in the 100 words), using the words skeleton, creep, and mask. Your story can be scary, funny, sweet, or anything in between, poetry or prose, but it will only count for the contest if it includes those 3 words and is 100 words (you can go under, but not over!) Dear Skeleton crew When Pihu told me Halloween was canceled this year,… Read More »Halloweensie Contest Entry 2020
Isn’t that what art is all about? The ability to express. To think of something funny and share that with the world; with words or scribbles, song or strokes. To be able to take sorrow or pain inside you and use it as ink. To be able to hold that effervescent excitement bubbling inside you and turn it into something lasting. Art is beautiful, refreshing, liberating. Art is essential.