Warriors: Power of Three #4: Eclipse and millions of other books are on orders over $25—or get FREE Two-Day Shipping with Amazon Prime . Add all three to List . She will stay up way past her bedtime reading. unlike any of the other clans. thunder clan is what we're trying to figure out right now. . Fun stories for.
Table of contents
- Children's Bookwatch
- Long Way Home (Thunder Road #3) by Katie McGarry Book Reviews
- The Writing/Publishing Shelf
Has to be too easy. There were 4 books in the original series, published late 's - early 's. A youth gets caught up in a war between the people of his world,including elves, dwarves, etc. While following the dwarves to safety after a battle, he finds armor and weapons that turn out to be enchanted. His friend is apprenticed to a magician hence the title of the book.
Brooks, Terry, The Sword of Shannara, It's a long shot, given the date, but there are elves, dwarves, a magic sword and high adventure! It is neither C S Lewis nor Tolkein. I have just finished reading Sword of Shanarra and can rule that one out. I have acquired the Feist: Magician Apprentice, and this one looks promising. Apprentice , is definitely the one. My thanks for solving this mystery. The two children in it enter other worlds through a doorway in the attic which connects their houses, and one of the worlds has a red, dying sun.
R8 is definetely The Magician's Nephew. The book G5 isn't remotely like The Magician's Nephew. I know the book being refererred to in R It's The Magician's Nephew , the first book in C. Lewis 's Chronicles of Narnia. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the second book in the series. I was reading through the "Stump the Bookseller" page on your website, and I think the book the reader is looking for under "R8: Lewis , and is part of the Narnia series. I actually loved these books as a child and recently re-read them, and the plot described in R8 is the same as in The Magician's Nephew.
All the Narnia books are worth a second look. The Chronicles of Narnia. Complete series of seven books. Book Club hardback editions from the sixties see image. Magoose's Grocery , 's. I know this book well. This was a Parent's magazine book club book. The Magpie's Nest, which shows up in many collections.
Here's Joseph Jacobs' edition. I'm not sure which edition you're looking for or if indeed you remember one in an anthology, which broadens the scope considerably. But this is certainly the folk story you're looking for. There are some little differnces, but the general plot line is the same The island and the teacher I agree with the person who thought the answer might be " The Magus" by John Fowles. Just to give a few more details that might help, the protagonist is Nicholas Urfe. The old man is Conchis. The daughters are Lily and Rose. And there is another woman, who is in the end Nicholas's true love, named Alison.
This book was made into a film as well. Conchis, a wealthy estate owner. John Fowles, The Magus. Sounds similar to The Magus by John Fowles: The story concerns young and intelligent Oxford graduate Nicholas Urfe, who takes up with Alison, an Australian girl he meets at a party in London. The affair gets more serious than Nicholas can stand, so he leaves her to take a position as an English instructor at the Lord Byron School in the Greek island of Phraxos. Bored, depressed, disillusioned, and overwhelmed by the Mediterranean island, Nicholas contemplates suicide, then takes to long solitary walks.
On one of these walks he stumbles upon the wealthy Greek recluse Maurice Conchis, who may or may not have collaborated with the Nazis during the war and apparently lives alone on his island estate.
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Inez Irwin, Maida's Little Shop. She makes friends in the nieghborhood, one of whom turns out to be her nanny's grandson from Ireland. Only I think the diamond was in a necklace This sounds like it could be any of the many drawing books by Ed Emberley. This definitely matches the description, although there may be others as well.
I adored this book--you really could make a whole little world, without any particular drawing talent. Have you looked at the Ed Emberly drawing books? There are many and they are in the right time frame. Ed Emberley, Make a World. From description, most likely this one of his many books. Finally back in print. It's one of my favorite gifts for children in elementary school--this book, a big blank book, and a set of markers, with the invitation to "make a world.
My favorite is a child who made an atlas of his "planet. Not sure who was the solver but, I thank you!!! I saw the inquiry about a book with the saying "hay foot, straw foot, left foot, right foot. The author is Jan Margo. All I remember about this book is a little boy who would march around with a paper hat on his head and chant "hayfoot, strawfoot" as he marched. One I read around about a little boy who would march around with a paper hat singing "Hayfoot, Strawfoot. His sergeant, also a country fellow, asks him if he can tell hay from straw. Of course he can, any durn fool can do that!
So Sarge ties a wisp of hay to one foot and straw to the other, and drills him by calling 'hay-foot, straw-foot' instead of 'left, right, left'. By the Sandhills of Yamboorah by Reginald Ottley , "The story of a boy who lives alone on the edge of the sandhills of the Australian desert. His only companions are a dog named Brogla an her puppy Rags. I was enquiring about a book my family read 30 years ago. It was about a dog named "Rags" who loves his owner, a rancher, very much but is not appreciated by his owner because he is not pure-bred. At one point, the owner's two dobermans?
Just after Rags runs off, a boy on the ranch runs up to the owner and tells him the other two dogs started the fight and crying tells him how much Rags loves him. The owner is unable to find Rags no matter how much he looks for him. Finally, they meet in a blizzard and Rags almost dies getting the owner to safety. Then while Rags is dying the owner lays down with him and tells him over and over how sorry he is and Rags finally gets better. Make Room For Rags. Illustrated by Vee Guthrie. When the small dog Rags appeared at the farmhouse in the middle of a storm, the family knew they would have to make room for her, for a short time, anyway.
Danny hoped that the place could be permanent, but the more Rags teased the kittens and chased the chickens, the slimmer the chances seemed to be. The description sounds exactly like a book that my teacher read to me in 6th grade, approximately, It was about a man kept in a box in Vietnam and I think the local boy helps him escape to a cave.
Dunn, Marylois, The Man in the Box, I am enjoying rereading it very much. I read that story over and over in eighth grade ! It made me want to learn fencing, though I never did. I keep thinking it is Richard or Robert somebody. If anyone can track down the literature textbook it is in, that would help me solve an earlier book stumper I sent in about a boy named P.
This description sounds just like a short story I too had to read for an English class in junior high! The point is that he does this so that the other students won't learn to look up to the arrogant, conflict-loving fencer and come to think of him as the "better" fencer, but instead realize that a peace-loving person could still be the better fighter if need be. The only problem is, Googling "A Man of Peace" coupled with "short story" doesn't yield any results, so perhaps I've got the title wrong. I'm still thinking about that fencing story now it's driving ME crazy! On t his website I found this bit about a television drama: It was about a fencing master dedicated to the art of fencing who has a student who only fences for the brutality he can put into his game.
Nimoy played one of Mr. The story was later remade starring James Mason in Mr. Faulkner directed the fencing in this one, and doubled for Mason. This time, the bad fencing student was patterned more along the line of James Dean, as Dean was the reigning "delinquent" at the time. It looks like the story I remember may also have been made into a tv drama. But I don't know if this is related to the solution sought by the stumper poster, or if it will help the detective work.
Lawrence Williams, A Man of Peace , The textbook is out of print, but I was able to find numerous used copies. Someone on one of my loops heard about our query and emailed me. They said this is definitely the book. A possible from online search: First Edition, Hardcover "A man who lives at the edge of the woods discovers that he need not rely on the store for a supply of good things to eat.
F53 food on trees sounds like H6 hungry walk. When his friends goes on vacation and he runs out of food, he finds he can live on the garden food he finds in the woods. The cover of the book is white, though, not yellow, with a picture of a plump balding man with a hat and apron, flipping pancakes while his cat looks on. He's saved and learns his lesson though when it rains and he puts everything outside to get clean at once. What a great site Illustrated by Barbara Cooney. Scholastic, , 4th paperback printing, Trade paperback size, some wear, but a clean copy.
A man wakes up one day without his head. He carves out substitutes from vegetables - I remember a parsnip and perhaps a pumpkin. But everyone laughs, so he rejects the vegetables. He carves a head out of wood, and that's better, but he still wants his head back. So a young boy, who is making a ball out of tightly wound rags says he can get the head back.
He hits the man with the ball, and the man wakes up with his head back. Story is about a man who wakes up without his head, tries a bunch of things as substitutes including a parsnip, which for whatever reason is etched in my memory. Possibly published by Bobbs-Merrill, since my dad used to work for them and get books through them. More on the Solved Mysteries page. Paul Gallico, The Man who was Magic, The title isn't "Adam", but the protagonist's name is, and the plot fits. Searching on Google will get you several synopses. I'm pretty sure about this one.
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Adam appears in the heroine's life and goes to a magicians' convention or similar. He scrambles and unscrambles an egg, and makes a wooden staff burst into bloom white roses. The other magicians turn him away About a writer who's being sued because of the similarity of one of his characters to a woman named Bibbsy Dibbs. It's written in the form of letters. A long-running series with Christian values. The first book is set in , when Mandie is 12 and her father has just died. She runs away to the city and finds her Uncle John, discovering that he and her father are half-Indian.
Her father's friend, Uncle Ned, is full Indian. Lois Gladys Leppard, Mandie series. These sound like the Mandie series, published by Bethany House. Probably more than 30 titles in the series by now, and still in print as far as I know. They're sort of Nancy Drew-type mysteries with an inspirational twist. Set in the NC mountains, although Mandie travels a lot in her adventures. Lois Leppard, Mandie and the Secret Tunnel. I am positive that you're looking for the Mandie books. The series starts with Mandie and the Secret Tunnel.
In that book, Mandie's father dies and she leaves her stepmother and stepsister to find her father's brother. Her Uncle John a Native American who was a friend of her father's, helps her. She eventually finds her uncle and her birth mother, whose name is Elizabeth. Mandie also has a boyfriend-type character whose name is Joe. This is a mystery series.
In later books, Mandie does go to boarding school and eventually, on a trip to Europe. There are twenty-some books in the series. Could this be Mandy? It sound a lot like it. I'm sure you'll get several other responses to this one, but O20 definitely sounds like Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards. Edwards, Julie Andrews, Mandy , , reprinted Really, what does Mandy have to worry about? So it comes as a surprise even to Mandy when a small restlessness begins to grow in her. This lonely ache sets her to wandering farther afield, and leads her to a startling and wonderful discovery over the orphanage wall--a very old, very small, seemingly abandoned cottage.
Embarking on a clandestine domestic fantasy involving gardening tools and soap flakes, Mandy finds herself being less than honest about where and how she's spending her days. Holding her secret closer and closer to her heart, this imaginative dreamer inadvertently endangers her reputation--and her life. There isn't a cottage, but she does get into an off-limits garden and lovingly fixes it up. And she is orphaned. Julie Andrews may be under Julie Edwards , Mandy. The story is similar to that of "The Secret Garden" but without so much death.
I haven't looked at it lately, but it was a favorite of both mine and my sister's. Her 10 year-old daughter also loved it. Julie Edwards , aka Julie Andrews, Mandy. Wow, a stumper I actually know, and a book I love! You're describing Julie Andrews's first book for children. Hope you enjoy it now as much as you did as a child. This reminds me of a book that I have been looking for too. Is there some kind of windowseat with old curtains that she curls up in and reads while she looks out over the delapidated yard?
I think she wrote it for her daughter. I just unpacked my copy from childhood books. Julie Edwards, Mandy, This is a wonderful book, written by the actress Julie Andrews writing under her real name Edwards husband is Blake Edwards. Mandy the orphan finds a deserted cottage in the woods with one room covered in seashells all over the walls and ceiling. She fixes up the house and restores the neglected garden, and ultimately is adopted by the family who owns the land and cottage.
It's a wonderful story. This fits the description, but I seem to recall from another stumper here or elsewhere that there was another book with a similiar theme.
Children's Bookwatch
Worth taking a look at Mandy, though. Mandy is rescued from her cottage when she falls ill, and eventually is adopted by the family whose estate it's on. Then one day, when Mandy climbed over the high orphanage wall to explore, there it was--a tiny deserted cottage in a clearing in the woods. Here at last was her very own, very secret home. She would tidy it up and plant a garden. All through the spring, summer and fall, Mandy worked for--and sometimes "borrowed"--the little things she needed for it.
And to guard her secret, she even lied A girl goes exploring and finds an abandoned cottage. She cuts overgrown folliage back and starts tending to the garden. She steals some soap to clean the dusty place. The fireplace or maybe all the walls in one room are decorated with shells. This is a book about a little girl who fixes up an old house. Don't know if it's the same one or not. I am not positive that this is the right book, but the part about the deserted cottage is correct, and I believe I remember a room lined with shells.
Julie Edwards aka actress Julie Andrews , Mandy. This is of course Mandy, by the actress Julie Andrews writing under her pen name. It's on the Solved pages with more descriptions. Julie Edwards Andrews , Mandy, s. My favorite book of all time! Mandy climbs over the wall of the orphanage and finds this cottage.
Lucky for her, it is owned by a wonderfully nice rich couple who discover her one stormy night when she is tending to her cottage but falls very ill. They take her in and eventually surprise! This one is also a previously solved stumper that i noticed a few days ago. This could be the book Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards.
Long Way Home (Thunder Road #3) by Katie McGarry Book Reviews
Mandy is a girl who lives in an orphanage. She goes exploring on the property next door and finds an abandoned cottage. I believe it has been reissued. Julie Andrews Edwards, Mandy. I have the book on tape read by Julie Andrews Edwards. I believe the book was published in See entry in Solved Mysteries page. She discovers a secret little house and a secret garden and spends time re-doing them both. I'm almost sure the name Marnie is involved somewhere because that is my middle name. This book was probably not published after because I read it before that date.
If you can help, I'd be really grateful! How about Mandy instead of Marnie. Ten-year-old Mandy feels lost among the thirty children who live in the old stone orphange. She dreams of a home of her own, a place where she belongs. When Mandy climbs over the high orphanage wall to explore the outside, she is lucky enough to find a tiny deserted cottage hidden in the forest. With a few "borrowed" items, the cottage becomes a refuge. To guard her secret, Mandy even lies — but when she falls terribly sick, no one knows where she is. No one, that is, except for a special admirer she didn't know she had.
This is probably the book you're looking for Robinson's book "When Marnie Was There," about a lonesome little girl who meets a girl named Marnie, whose real nature remains unexplained? Mandy is an orphan who finds an abandoned cottage in the woods. She cleans up the cottage and brings tools to work on the garden.
Julie Edwards, Mandy A wonderful book about a ten-year-old orphan who one day climbs over the wall and discovers a small cottage and garden. She keeps them a secret, cleaning them and creating a private refuge from the orphanage. Edwards, Julie Andrews, Mandy. All through the spring, summer and fall, Mandy worked for--and sometimes 'borrowed'--the little things she needed for it Sounds very similar "Longing for a place of her own, a ten-year-old orphan creates a secret home in a deserted cottage in the village of St.
Perhaps you've read them both and are remembering bits of each as one book? When Marnie Was There , maybe? Originally published in , and republished several times since. I think that M is on your Solved Mysteries page. Could you be thinking of Mandy, by Julie Edwards Andrews where orphan Mandy discovers an abandoned cottage and spends a lot of time there?
Plot line sounds like the book you are thinking of. Except for the name, this sounds a lot like Mandy It was about a lonely and unhappy girl that climbs over a stone wall and into a forest area where she finds an abandoned cottage. She spends each day sneaking away over the wall to it, and cleans and sweeps it up and plants a garden, I think they were roses.
I can't remember much more than that about it. I hope you can help me because it is driving me crazy. Edwards, Julie Andrews , Mandy. Mandy is an orphan who discovers the cottage in the woods and sneaks away to fix it up. Too obvious, but still. If, instead of climbing over the wall, she might have found a key and gone through a doorway, this could be the one you're looking for. Mary, with the help of her sickly cousin, Colin, and new friend, Dickon, restores the overgrown garden hidden behind a wall on her uncle's estate, at the same time transforming herself and Colin from miserable, lonely, spoiled children to happy, healthy ones.
This wouldn't be Rainbow Garden , would it? A very slightly edgy Christian novel. Single mom realizes daughter Elaine isn't having much of a life in London flat, sends her off to North Wales to board with minister's family. She's shy, gruff and somewhat snooty. The minister's younger children Robin and Frances are nice, but the two older ones Peter and Janet are covertly nasty to her -- they don't even realize it themselves -- because she's not Christian.
While exploring alone, she finds a beautiful forest and an abandoned cottage with a garden which she undertakes to fix up. And this, as Spike Milligan said, is where the story really starts! It's been a year and a half since I posted this question regarding a book that I couldn't remember the title of or the author's name. I just wanted to thank you sooooo much for helping me figure that out, I couldn't have done it without you. Illustrated by Judith Gwyn Brown.
Harper Collins, , , Another suggestion, though the Munro Leaf seems more likely. Robert Louis Stevenson, The Manse. Here is a quote from the story: This book looks likely! Judd, Frances , Mansion of Secrets. A Kay Tracey Mystery. Abandoned house is filled with secret rooms and passages. Manwolf Fantasy novel or set in Middle Ages in Europe. I read the book in or It starts from the POV of a woman in a village where a knight visits.
The knight has a facial disfigurement so he keeps his face covered. She leaves with him and ends up sleeping with him. Rest of book follows their son. My brother got it from his middle school library so I think it was a young adult book. I went there but they do not have records from that long ago anymore.
At one point the son, now a man, gets thrown into a cage and set in the middle of a town. Everyone gathers and starts to throw things at him. Yes Manwolf is the book that I read. I borrowed it from the library and read it and yes it is the book. Thank you so much for helping me locate it. It has been bugging me for a couple months now. I love the site and now know if I have any more book questions where to go to get them answered. P81 - Think this is Paul Gallico's Manxmouse - potter makes a mouse without a tail by mistake, which comes to life.
Potter overtired and possibly drunk makes mouse with large ears but not enough clay for tale - somehow comes to life and has adventures. Thankyou so much for the reply, you truly are a genius! If you do happen to find a copy I'd definitely be interested. Could this be Patricia B. I haven't had any luck tracking down info on Mr. Hedgehog , but appreciate the tip. Lifton, Betty Jean, illus. This fits for date and is an Asian folktale. The plot is similar, except it is foxes.
Perhaps there is another version with hedgehogs, or badgers? However, Chio forgets what animal to be and chooses a chicken instead. They are happy and again pass on to become people again and live happily ever after, until the next life. Instead several things go wrong and they end up as a rooster and a chicken.
I haven't checked in for a while and was thrilled to see a new response. This may very well be the answer. I may have confused that story with Grimms' Hare and Hedgehog tale. I suspect I was eavesdropping, not participating, in the storytelling session! The wife becoming easily confused strikes a familiar note.
No answer, but I have a lead: Seuss story titled "Marco Comes Late. Marco is the name of the boy in a number of Dr. Didn't find the whole poem online, but enough so that I'm sure it's the one I'm after. I would appreciate it emensely if you could help me locate all these books and i am willing to pay! Well, I can certainly help with the "Marco Comes Late" story.
Your response to M Marco Comes Late is not correct. I went that route a few years ago when I was searching for "Marco Comes Late" and spent way too much money on the wrong book. I have been searching for this poem for years because I memorized it for a speech contest as a 3rd grader. A librarian in my family finally got tired of me begging her to help, and used her vast resources to locate the poem.
I am about to order this book, to see if it is really there. Dr Seuss, Marco Comes Late. For the full text of Marco Comes Late, go to this website , and then go to page I cant imagine this isn't protected by copyright, but there is is. I couldn't find any book with the title Marco Comes Late , and and in the Geisel Seuss entry of Something About The Author - which lists a comprehensive list of everything done by an author - this poem is not listed.
Janette Sebring Lowrey, Margaret , ? If this is the right one, it is the book upon which the Annette series of the Mickey Mouse Club was based. I am the one who suggested Margaret might be the solution for this book, but now I think it is Margy by Margaret Smith: In this well-written narrative, the protagonist, thirteen-year-old Margy Stratton, lives with her father in Manitoba. Margy's mother has been dead for four years. When her father is faced with friction between Margy and her stepmother, he contacts Children's Aid to find a home for Margy.
Through the intervention of a kindly neighbour, arrangements are made for Margy to live with her two maiden aunts in Bancroft, Ontario. Although her mother's family was affluent, the depression has left them with few resources. Margy originally suspects that the aunts have taken her in through a sense of "duty", but she and her aunts slowly come to appreciate and love each other. Margy and her aunts are likeable, real characters who are in fact based on actual people. Margaret Smith skillfully portrays the hardships of the depression without melodrama.
I don't think that this book was written that early but I could be wrong. Do you have any further details on what the book was about? I tried to find descriptions of it on the internet, but haven't found anything so far. I remembered something else about this book.
The Writing/Publishing Shelf
The girl Margie or whatever her name was discovers a book of poems by Robert Frost and really enjoys them. They get kidnapped, romance, struggle with being okay and with the new information they learned and what they should do with it, romance, start asking around, romance, police, romance, ask more, romance, got a plan, romance, ride plan out, romance, family, romance. With every struggle, every growth and step back, the plot took a turn. The relationship between Chevy and Violet was the main focus however, and though I enjoyed it, I would have liked to have more on Chevy's father earlier on.
Overall, Long Way Home is a rich, thought-provoking novel that will keep you wanting more. This is definitely a book I recommend! Star ratings in yellow are from our Staff Reviewers. Star ratings in green are reader reviews. Anyone can post a reader review, so post yours today! We have all sorts of YABC buttons for your website. Grab one here and link to YABC! FAQs Advertise Become a member. Editor reviews 2 reviews Overall rating.
Was this review helpful to you? Brilliantly Realistic and Engging! User reviews There are no user reviews for this listing. Already have an account? Log in now or Create an account. Read on for more about McCall and her book, an interview, plus a giveaway! Author Of The Week: Each week we will be interviewing a different YA author and highlighting their upcoming release! We will also be hosting a give Anderson and Eugene Yelchin Release Date: September 25, Publisher: Candlewick Press About the Book: Read on for more about Maggie and her book, plus a giveaway!
Meet Maggie Ann Martin! All Our Broken Pieces by L. Crichton, releasing May 7, , from Disney Hyperion. Before we get to the cover, here's Latest Book Listings Added. A Perfect World in the Moon. The Island of Monsters Spirit Hunters 2. The perfect spooky read for Halloween, this pulse-pounding adventure will Four Three Two One. The Lines We Cross. The Greatest Prison Breakout of the 20th Century. Missing Pieces Hello Neighbor 1.
A short, powerful, illustrated book written by beloved novelist Khaled The Heir Immortals of Indriell Book 4. The Ocean Between Stars. Karen Yingling, Staff Reviewer. I recently found out that across the world, one common fear that children have is of thunderstorms Find out more here. It deals with understanding the unknown. We need natural elements to keep this planet functioning. Some are beautiful events like the Northern Lights or sunrise, while others are scary — be it thunderstorms or volcanic eruptions. I would love children to be able to look up into the sky, marvel at the stars and wonder which ones were broken up from lightning.
Mama Elephant is so strong, calm and wise. Is she inspired by anyone in your life? My mother and her mother-in-law my grandmother were pragmatic women. While they never discounted my fears, they never exaggerated them either. They always explained fearsome things. Can you share one of your childhood fears? If you could tell little Chitra a story so she would stop being afraid, what would it be? I was and am still afraid of pets — cats and dogs.
While growing up, there were many stray dogs on the street and some were quiet but many were hungry and snarling. Long ago I wrote a story called Afraid of Dogs about a little girl who saves a puppy from a thunderstorm. But my vivid memory of being terrified of dogs happened on a night when the entire neighbourhood was plunged into darkness. It was a half-term night. My cousin had come for a sleepover.
Those days — maybe late s, early s — the only shop we had was a minute walk away. I knew the shop and the shopkeeper well, so I bravely volunteered to get the matches. My cousin was a daredevil anyway and he was happy to roam the dark streets with me. We went to the shops, got the matches and on our way back, a stray dog began to follow us.
I started walking faster and the dog barked and started to trot behind us. Now I was in full panic mode — even the daredevil cousin realised this dog meant business. We both sprinted through the streets with the dog in pursuit. We got into our compound, shut the gate and bolted it before we relaxed. The next morning in broad daylight, we were telling everyone the story of the chase. Now I know that we overreacted and got the dog excited. Perhaps it thought we were playing a game. This story is not based on any fable or folktale. But it was written to work like one. I grew up on folktales and I love creation myths — be it from Maori or the First People of the Americas.
One of my favourite stories about the eclipse is from Hindu epics. I wanted to tell an oral story about the thunderstorms — a story that explains poetically the elements just like a creation myth, and at the same time, work as a bedtime book for young children — a book I hope they will come back to, time and again. Which illustration is your favourite? I fell in love with its intricate patterns, the Indian colours, the flowing design. It perfectly complements the story because both the text and the artwork is inspired by ancient traditions, yet have universal appeal.
My favourite spread has to be the one with the lightning breaking into stars. But every time I say that, I also want to mention every other spread. But then I like this one, this one and this one. I love all of it. Do you think children living in Chennai where you grew up and children living in the UK where the book is published will appreciate the story in different ways? I think the key difference is a child in Chennai would have experienced a thunderstorm especially after the devastating flood we had last year and they will have a context and a real fear they might learn to let go.
A child in the UK would not have experienced the scary elements of a thunderstorm in the same way unless they went on a holiday during one of those rainy months. But my nephews who were born here loved the animals in the story — pangolin and loris have become part of everyday vocabulary and they now can tell me more about dragonflies and the great Indian Hornbill. However I know that as a child they would have taken in all of it and when they do visit a place with thunderstorms, they would not be scared — and who knows, might quote from the book.
But the theme of the story itself will apply to any child anywhere. They walk taller, they have more cultural context and they are proud when they tell me their parents are from India too. I always think as a child and as an adult, you need to see role models that you can emulate. And when those role models, be it characters in books or authors who visit schools, are as close to their experiences, it validates their dreams and aspirations.
I wrote a few detailed writing tips for kids here: The cloud that looks like an elephant, the tree that stands like a skeleton — imagine characters and stories for everything and everyone around you. Tell an engaging story — make things happen, create characters who will fight for what they want. And use specific verbs and nouns. Find out more about her other books here.
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