Goodnight stories for rebel girls

There are good books, there are great books and then there our books which touch our lives in a very special ways. They tell stories which inspire us, make us happy, tales which we instantly connect with, stories which make us pick the book up again and again.

Today, I'm writing about one such book which I recently came across. The title of the book was appealing enough for me to pick it up for my little Z. What I didn't know was that the stories in the book will touch my heart as much as they inspire my daughter. The book is called Goodnight stories for Rebel girls. It's written by  Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo. It has illustrations by 60 female artists  from across the globe. 

I made Z pick up her abosolute favorites and she did give me a long list after a lot of drama, according to her, "how can I pick only a few. I love all the stories." Anyway, her favorites include Margaret Hamilton, Brenda Chapman, Ann Makosinski, Coy Mathis, Maria Montessori, Jane Austen, Cleopatra, Julia Child, Simone Billes, Ashley Fiolek, Nelly Bly and Malala Yousafzai. I can't blame her for picking so many of them.

We have read these stories once and we are reading it once again... I know it definitely isn't the last time she is (sorry we are) reading it. I love the message in the beginning of the the book as well; "To the rebel girls of the world: Dream bigger, aim higher, fight harder, and when in doubt, remember you are right."

I wish I had Goodnight stories for rebel girls, when I was a little girl. 

Please do not think twice and pick this up for yourself and your kids.

The Trap

Picture this:

A nice warm Sunday morning and all you want is to stay in bed for just a little longer. Usually, I start thinking too much, throw the covers and get up without even letting my mind relax. That Sunday was different, it was a Sunday, which made me lazy and just stay in bed for a little longer. Since, my husband was snoring away, which was pretty unusual (no not the snoring bit, but the staying late in bed bit), I thought, I would enjoy my Sunday. After contemplating for half an hour, trying to enjoy, I got up. As I stepped out of the room, I see my 6 year old sitting there, reading The BFG for the nth time. Now, if you know Z, you'd say that's not unusual, I agree. What was unusual was she was all dressed up... teeth brushed, changed, ate breakfast and combed her hair. 

I, for one, don't want her to grow up too soon, I want her to feel like a baby... I tried to ignore the sight as a 'one-off' and sat down with my chai and mobile... She gets up, goes in my house help's room and says "Mumsy uth gayee hai, breakfast banate hain" (Mumsy is up, let's make breakfast). She takes my house-help to the kitchen and gets breakfast ready. Half my breakfast is 2 slices of toasted whole wheat bread and at least she prepared that. I see her get the plate from the kitchen. I try, not to look up, and she says, "Excuse me Mumsy, breakfast is important."  I pout, keep my phone away and take the plate. Once I'm done she takes my plate and I'm back with my phone (I usually avoid phones on Sundays, but the scene in front of me was super scary).

I feel like someone standing in front of me, AGAIN. I look up, she has a The BFG: Plays for Children in her hand. She says, "I did everything for you, and you forgot your promise."

Ahhh! Blackmail, I like that.

Me (my smile which had faded away back on my face): "Yes Z, tell me" I throw my phone away.
Z (now, she is pouting): "You promised you will read the 'whole book' with me"

My smile fades away a little... one part of my brain says "What? You promised to read aloud a 120 'pager' in one day... are you nuts?" another part is constantly saying, "A promise is a promise, besides she did so much for you in the morning."

My smile broadens and my eyes twinkle, "Let's do it"

Z has a broader smile and a brighter twinkle in her eyes, "Yes!" she said... As if saying, "You fell in the TRAP again"

Score: Mumsy 000 Z 100

Post that 1 and a half hours were filled with completely crazy book-a-licious fun.

Actually

Score: Mumsy 100 Z 100

After I read the last page, I turn to Z and say, "Next time, just tell me to read, avoid the drama."

She smiles...

A Sunday well spent.

Book Review: Thank You, Mr. Falker

I'm a huge fan of Patricia Polacco, and Z is slowly catching up. Thank You, Mr. Falker, is the first book by Polacco she has read. 

The book is about a little girl Trisha, her family, especially her grand dad is really excited about the fact that Trisha will soon start reading, as she is about to enter big school. Trisha loves books, and she wants to read, but how much ever she tries, she is unable to read. 

Trisha and her granddad

In the middle of all this, her grandparents die and she moves cities (and schools) with her mom and brother. In the new school, her problems increase, her classmates call her dumb.

Enter Mr. Falker and he not only helps Trisha learn to read, he changes her life as well. He gave her life a direction.

What Z and I loved about the book, besides the beautiful story, was the fact that Trisha's story is the real life story of Patricia Polacco, yes; and the difficulties she faced in school. I also loved the way how the word 'dyslexia'* is not used once in the book and without being too preachy she put forth her story in such a beautiful manner.

Trisha and Mr. Falker

This story brings tears to my eyes whenever I read it, and when I read it to Z, she said nothing, she just hugged me.

This book unfolds a beautiful story, a page at a time. I struggled while reading as a child and that is the reason, today I teach kids to read and to love books. I understand Trisha's frustrations and how she feels helpless. My problems were nothing in front of this girl.

This book has to be a part of every children library and every classroom. Teachers have to read it out loud to the class and believe me, you will be surprised at the way children will react.

As a treat, you can see this beautiful narration of my favorite story:

*Polacco struggled a lot in school because of an un-diagnosed dyslexia, You can watch this video about her struggles here. Her life changed at the age of 14 years when she met the real Mr. Falker.

Book Review- Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School

There are many reasons why we picked Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School for Z.

Z will be entering class I next year, Z loves her hair, and of course, the central character has a very very special first name :).

I was eyeing this book for a long long time, and finally I got it at a great discount on Amazon.The book is written by Laurie Halse Anderson, and is beautifully beautifully illustrated by Ard Hoyt. Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School is a book about Zoe Fleefenbacher, her entry in big school and her hair which have a mind of their own.

Zoe loves her pre-school and her teacher. Her teacher let Zoe's hair help her carry out a lot of tasks in the class. Things change when Zoe enters 1st grade. Where her teacher, Ms. Trisk, says "Her hair needs to be tamed, First Grade has rules". She tries everything to tame Zoe's hair, Zoe hates it when Ms. Trisk tries to tie her hair, but she cannot say anything, First Grade has rules you know!

Will Ms. Trisk be successful in taming Zoe's hair? Or will she fall in love with them like Zoe Fleefenbacher's Kindergarten teacher. 

You will have to read it to know what fun is in store for you. 

According to Z "Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School is the best book I have read this month Mumsy, I just cannot stop laughing. I am just like Zoe Fleefenbacher"

Book Review - Your Turn Now

Your Turn Now - Heartening Stories of Everyday Kindness inspired by the Little Blue Card, is a simple yet beautiful book published by FunOKPlease. It is penned by Lubaina Bandukwala and illustrated by Shraddha Pimputkar. 

Frankly, when I read about the book, I was a little apprehensive about it, I wondered if Z would appreciate it. The reason was, I usually do not pick up moral or inspirational stories for Z. If she learns a lesson from a fun story, it is alright, but I steer clear away from moral stories. The thing is, my little girl reads for fun, she enjoys reading like nothing else, I don't want to take that away from her.

Anyway, I picked up the book, just to try it out. It is clearly meant for slightly older kids, but I was ready to explore the book with Z. And did we love it or what????

Both of us were totally in love with the stories and Rushabh Turakhia's global initiative Your Turn Now. You can read more about it here.

The book was an eye opener for me as a parent, I didn't realise, in today's fast paced life we are leaving humanity, kindness and love behind. It was a simple book, which touched me at many levels. For a little girl, who isn't even 6 yet, this was a big book with lots of stories, stories she wants to re-visit and discuss with her friends, her parents, her teachers et. al. 

In Z's words, "The book is just so good Mumsy, I think I will read it again. I loved the kindness cards I received with the book, I will be kind and share it with my friends."

I have ordered a copy for the library as well, and looking forward to purchase Your Turn Now-2 

 You can pick a copy of Your turn now from the Flipkart link below:

Book Review - Brave Irene

Brave Irene

I love the read-aloud videos on storyline online website, when I heard/saw Al Gore read Brave Irene by William Steig (http://www.storylineonline.net/brave-irene/). I had to buy this book, and I'm glad I got two copies (one for Z and one for the Reading Room).

I love books with strong characters (female characters). These books are loved by Z as well, and we discuss about these books which talk about nice strong girls after reading them. Z created her own story, 'Brave Zoe' after reading this gem.

The story and illustrations by the award winning William Steig (he received the Caldecott Medal for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble), are beautiful. This is another gem by Steig.

The story is about a young little girl Irene, who loves her mom, she will do anything and everything to help her mother.

The relationship Irene and her mother share, the language, Irene, the illustrations and the narrative, I love everything about this one. It is a very simple tale but will definitely touch a cord somewhere in your heart and your little one will love it. I always get a big bear hug from Z when we read this one, can I ask for anything else?

Book Review - Mirette on the high wire by Emily Arnold McCully

"Mirette on the High Wire" won the 1994 Caldecott Award and I can easily see why. It is such an amazing read, after reading it, Z's reaction was "Mumsy, I want to walk in the air." I picked up this one for The Reading Room and Z borrowed it from there. The book amazes me at many levels, and I get a similar response from my 4.5 year old. 

Being a mum of a little dreamer, I have a huge responsibility of not only letting her dream; but also telling her that when you fall you can get up and become stronger. I love books with intelligent, strong, smart female characters, and Mirette is that and much more. Mirette has so much about herself, but she is also someone with whom little girls will connect with easily.

The story takes place in Paris more than a 100 years ago, Z is obsessed with Eiffel Tower & Paris... I knew she'd love it. Mirette is a little girl who's mum runs a small boardinghouse, and Mirette helps her mum with chores. The boardinghouse is filled with different performing artists, jugglers, actors, mimes, acrobats etc. One day, a famous tightrope walker named Bellini comes to the boardinghouse. All he wants is privacy, Mirette watches him practice in the backyard and she instantly wants to learn Bellini's art. Bellini takes Mirette as his pupil after a lot of convincing from Mirette. Once a great tightrope walker, Bellini is scared now. Will he overcome his fears and walk again??? Well, you'll have to read the book to find out. 

The book teaches us to believe in our-self and it is not preachy at all (that is another thing I love about it).

The illustrations are pleasing to the eye, and they do justice to the amazing story of Mirette & Bellini.

Just a girl who loves to read (Besides lots of other things)

Genius... Child Prodigy... 'She's something else'... These are the kind of things I hear when I post about Z reading. I'm a Mom who loves capturing Z's reading moments most of all, because she is super happy with books. Still when I hear the words mentioned above I get scared, I get irritated, I get offended to some extent. Why?

Well the answer is pretty simple, when you throw such huge words on a normal child it is tough for the parent and for the child. Z was not born reading, she started reading at 3.5, so did many other kids out there. It's just that, 'normally' this doesn't happen, that doesn't mean it never happens.

I have seen many kids start blending at 3.5 - 4 years. Every batch of ours has at least 1 child like that. Keeping this in mind, Z is not a genuis or a child prodigy... So thank you for your compliments ... But no thank you.

She started reading because, she loves books, she has been read to or she has read for at least an hour a day, every single day... This has NEVER been forced.

She started reading because, her school and I were on the same page. She learned her sounds in the correct manner.

She started reading because, she was blessed with a good visual memory and good ear for sounds.

Most of all... She started reading because, SHE WANTED TO READ ON HER OWN SO BADLY.

She still skips words, reads too fast at times, doesn't know anything about expressions while reading... And she'll get that... We aren't in a hurry.

She does understand what she reads though, if she doesn't... She will read again and again. Or she will ask us a 1000 questions.

Maybe she learned to read as she was lucky to be surrounded by books and to have adults in her life who take out time from their lives on a daily basis and read to her.

And here's a message from the so called 'genuis' or 'child prodigy' herself (well these are my words, but if Z would've said them, she would've said the exact same thing) "Don't weigh me down with these huge words... I don't even understand them. Let me just be, and enjoy my book. Don't think I need to be praised for what I love doing. Yes, oh yes, Mom is proud of me, when I read nicely and understand the words I read. She gets super irritated when I skip a word or two. She never says no for a book for sure, but its not the same case for many other things. I'm lucky to have my books and I can also borrow them from the Reading Room. So, whether I knew how to read or no... I  would've enjoyed my books as much."

Book Review - The Book With No Pictures by BJ Novak

The Book With No Pictures by BJ Novak is one of the best book we have picked for Z and for the Reading Room recently. We fell in love with the book when we saw a video (see below) of  BJ Novak reading the book out to younger children. It was such a laugh riot. I have always believed, for Z, the illustrations and story line are equally important. 

Here was a book staring at us, which only didn't have any pictures, but also was very plain 'just to look at' with white cover and white pages and mostly black text.

Here was also a book which didn't have a 'story' to tell. Yes, for my daughter who has fallen in love with longer story lines and fiction, you might have thought, this one could have been a no... but, you forgot a little thing about us at Being Zoe's Mom. We have to read books everyday, and when we can get a new book, which looks 'yummy' (yes, books are yummy)... why won't we read it.

This book is all about how you read it out. Your voice, your expressions, your tone, taking your listeners along with you (whether their is 1 or 100) on a hilarious journey. If it comes to you naturally then you and your child/children will love it. If you are someone who believes in adding a lot of yourself into what you read you  to get your hands on this one.

If you are more of a "Once upon a time....... blah blah blah" (read in your most boring voice) person, then this gem by Novak is not for you.

We at BZM love this one, for the super concept, the laughter, the reading adult making a complete fool out of herself/himself and of course the "Blork" "Bluurf" "I'm a Robot Monkey", "Boo Boo Butt".... etc. Z loves it. 

I have read it for kids in the book club, I keep on reading it to Z and every read aloud is a super experience.  

Bookalicious Tuesdays: Rainbow Fish

Name: Rainbow Fish
Author: Marcus Pfister

Z, like most kids her age, can be a bit selfish at times. She went into this "my space, my books, my toys, my parents" zone sometime back. I immediately thought of the Rainbow Fish. A beautiful book by Marcus Pfister, a beautiful story about a sparkly, multicolored fish, which is a little selfish. He loves his sparkly scales and doesn't want to share them with anyone. Till a wise octopus shows him the right path.

Will the Rainbow Fish mend his ways and make some friends?

In Z's words: I like it because the blue fish has so many special shiny scales, they are glittering. I also like it because I like sharing, just like rainbow fish… (this second sentence is not entirely true). The book was listed in the must read list Z shared recently.

BZM Thumbs up:

• The story(simple, beautiful)
• Illustrations
• Any child will connect with the Rainbow Fish
• Adults will love the story too

BZM Thumbs down:

• None

BZM gives Rainbow Fish a perfect 10

See this amazing read aloud here:

 

Bookalicious Tuesdays - Ismat's Eid

Book: Ismat's Eid:
Author: Fawzia Gilani-Williams
Illustrator: Proiti Roy

 

Z has liked very few books published in India, but she loves Ismat's Eid. The story is an adaptation of a Turkish tale (I guess I read it in school). I love the hilarious tale of a shoemaker who gets pants for eid, they are 'four fingers too long'. Everyone seems too busy to help him, everyone has something to do for the big day tomorrow. The tailor, Ismat's wife, Yasmeen; his mum, Habiba and his daughter, Mahjabeen have their respective chores to attend to.

This tale is super funny and Z loves it.

In Z's words: I love Ismat's eid because it makes me laugh... A lot.

BZM Thumbs Up:

• Love the story, simple and funny
• Love the narration
• I also like the fact, that Fawzia Gilani has explained a few Urdu words which kids and many parents might not understand.
• It is repetitive which works very well with kids, they start connecting with events.
• It teaches kids about making small adjustments and being happy in a very subtle (non-preachy) way.

BZM Thumbs Down:

• I like the book a lot, so I don't have any issues whatsoever.

BZM gives Ismat's Eid 9/10 stars. 

Bookalicious Tuesdays Amelia Bedelia Collection

Book: Amelia Bedelia Collection (we have 4 books in Z's library and 5 in our Reading Room, this post revolves around the books Z has)

Author:  Peggy Parish (for budding readers) and Herman Parish (for budding and independent readers)

Z and me love funny stories, and Amelia Bedelia is one of the funniest ones we have read. It is a book I read while growing up, and I passed the love for Amelia Bedelia to Zoe. The books are perfect for budding readers and besides being funny it builds your child's vocabulary as well.

**Some Wiki-Trivia "Amelia Bedelia is the protagonist and title character of a series of American children's books written by Peggy Parish until her death in 1988, and by her nephew Herman Parish beginning in 1995." I like both the versions, the later is are available also as chapter book for independent readers.

Books Z has

Peggy Parish's Version

Herman Parish's Budding Reader's Version

Herman Parish's Independent Reader's Version

In Z's Words: "I love Amelia Bedelia because she does all funny things, like she makes no baby food and she gives ketchup to babies." **referring to her latest read Amelia Bedelia and the Baby.

BZM Thumbs Up:

• Love the fun quotient
• The illustrations in both the versions are adorable
• Stories are funny yet simple

BZM Thumbs Down:

• Parents of boys might not pick this one because the protagonist is a female, I suggest please rent it and read it... you wouldn't regret it a bit.

Funny story which is totally repeatable, you will feel sorry for poor Amelia Bedelia and love her to bits. A perfect score

Bookalicious Tuesdays Before I was your Mother

Book: Before I Was Your Mother
Author: Kathryn Lasky
Illustrator: LeUyen Pham

Mothers Day is just around the corner, and I had to review this book. What better occasion than doing it for Mothers Day. The story revolves around Katie and her mum. For Katie, her mother is just her mom. Things change when Mamma takes Katie into her world, before she was a mother. The times when she bossed on her brothers, practiced ballet and wore boots to bed. Mamma talks about her best friend and her dog, also about how they put a circus up in their backyard.

I love the fact that the author has shown a mom can be much more than being a mum, she can be as normal as anyone else. She can do silly things, have dreams and aspirations.

In Z's Words: "I love when Mamma says, I was not always your mamma"

BZM Thumbs Up: 

• The conversation between the mother and Katie is very similar to what happens between Z and me.
• The text is simple, yet it is magical
• I love the dash of humour throughout. 
• Overall I love the narration and story.

BZM Thumbs Down:

• None

An amazing story about the beautiful bond between a mom and child gets a perfect 10/10

Bookalicious Tuesdays The Magic Paintbrush

Book: The Magic Paintbrush
Author: Julia Donaldson
Illustrator: Joel Stewart

This story talks about a little girl Shen and her magic paintbrush. Things Shen paints with the brush comes to life. We at BZM love books with strong female characters, and Shen is one such character. She's true to herself, smart, loyal and intelligent.

We love how the story is rhyming. The illustrations, though different from any Donaldson book, are super cute. 

In Z's words: "I love how Shen draws things with her paintbrush,  and they become real".

BZM Thumbs Up:

• Love the story, simple words and a very beautiful tale.
• Illustrations are beautiful
• We love Shen

BZM Thumbs Down:

• None. 

A perfect score for a beautiful tale 10/10 BZMs

You can purchase your copy here:

Bookalicious Tuesdays - A peek into my childhood as a reader

This post is not the regular 'Bookalicious Tuesdays' post, because, I'm not doing any book review, instead I'm taking you through my growing up years ... let us talk about my 'romance with books'.

In the early years of a person's life, parents (family) and school plays a huge role. I was blessed with a set of parents who bought us lots of books. AJ (My dad) used to get books back from his trips abroad, because, in India, back in the 80's, we didn't have access to so many good books. I remember, our parents, never forced us to read, both mom and dad, as well as my older sister used to read and it just became a part of my life. In fact one of the TV shows we were totally excited about was Faerie Tale Theatre, which used to come on DD on Sundays, the other favorite was Jungle Book (both are based on BOOKS).

I started reading pretty early, imitating my older sister. I took all her books, all her books became 'OUR' books when I was born. So basically a lot many days from my childhood were spent surrounded with books.

I spent early years of my childhood in La Martiniere Girls school, Lucknow. Reading was a part of our daily school life. I did a lot of theatre in school, and when we were younger, a lot of our plays were based on famous books. 

As I grew, my love for books became stronger. I was never told 'Don't you have anything better to do?'  My demands for books always met with a big 'YES'. You know what I used to do when I got my books, smell through the pages. I love the smell of a new book. I still do that... as I rip apart the package the first thing I do is smell the pages.

I married someone who loved reading as much, he introduced me to some of his favorites, which were Awesome, and which became one of the best I have read. The Kite Runner, Tuesdays with Morrie, Not Penny More Not Penny Less... the list goes on.

After becoming a mum, what I found again, was  how much I love Picture Books and how I have missed them in all these years. Since, I can't become a child again, I decided... 'what the hell' why do I have to be a child again to fall in love with Picture books. I fell in love with picture books one page at a time, as I explored them with Z. That is when I started MLCB.

A Bookalicious Tuesday : Zoe and Beans: The Magic Hoop

Hello People,
We have changed the format of our Bookalicious Tuesdays. The reviews would be more detailed now. Do let us know what you felt about the format.

Book : Zoe and Beans: The Magic Hoop (Part of the Zoe and Beans series)
Written and illustrated by Chloe and Mick Inkpen

The series revolve around a girl called Zoe and her dog - Beans. This particular book talks about a Magic Hoop, that Zoe has found. This hoop has the power to transform things. Zoe would like to see the magic turn true, and who can be her best guinea pig? Beans of course. The story tells us what happens when Beans transforms from a dog to a rabbit and crocodile and towards the end an elephant. What happens when the big fat Beans gets too big for the hoop.

In Z's words (After our book reads we discuss the books and this section tell us how a 4 year old looks at the book): I like the book and the pictures, it is a funny book. Zoe should jump in the hoop and see what happens.

BZM Thumbs up:

• The relationship between Zoe and Beans is portrayed nicely.
• The illustrations are beautiful and real.
• Zoe is very real.
• It is pretty gender neutral book and kids between 2-5 will enjoy it.
• Kids will like it because the humour is extremely childlike. 
• It also in a way emphasizes on the importance of being your self.

BZM Thumbs down:
Nothing in particular, but I prefer the other books in this series, this is very simple. I keep this one below Pants on the Moon! and Zoe's Christmas List

BZM Meh!:

The story is fairly simple, though fun. Chances of repeated readings are less.

It isn't no ordinary hoop, but we would give it 8/10 BZMs

You can purchase your copy here:

A Bookalicious Tuesday : The Paper Dolls

Book:  The Paper Dolls
Author: Julia Donaldson
Illustrations: Rebecca Cobb
For ages: 3-6 years

 

Why we picked it and what was our reaction: I heard about this on a group on Facebook. Since we have to pick a Julia Donaldson book by default, we had to order this one too. I LOVED it the moment I saw its cover. I used to make paper dolls as a child and I loved the fact I can introduce the concept of Paper dolls to Z. It is a very simple book, but it is a book you will immediately connect with. I love the story and the illustrations by Rebecca Cobb are simple but stunning at the same time.

BZM Take: We love it, we also have a song. We read and sing the book. Z has to read it every alternate day. This book beautifully portrays the relationship between a mom and daughter. Z actually says, the little girl in the book is 'Mumsy' and her daughter in the end is Z.

BZM gives The Paper Dolls a Perfect 10 (can we give more)

A Bookalicious Tuesday : Alphabet Dressup ABC

Book:  Alphabet Dressup ABC
Author: Nalini Sorensen
Illustrations: Shraddha Pimputkar
For ages: 3-5 years

Why we picked it and what was our reaction: I usually do not pick any Indian publications, just because Z and me haven't taken much liking for them as yet. Books by Fun OK Please are an exception though. I loved the illustrations and concept, hence I picked the book up immediately. The fact that Z is a huge fan of dressing up herself also helped. She doesn't need a costume, she fetches something from around the house and uses her imagination. That is exactly what the book promotes and we love it.

BZM Take: The first thing that we noticed were the super cute illustrations by  Shraddha Pimputkar. This book is super creative and so much fun. 

Being a phonetic trainer, I don't pick many books which use alphabets, because they do not give importance to sound... I can't just tell Z, X is for xylophone for example, just yet. This books is phonetically correct as well. We love the fact that the illustrations in the book are pretty gender neutral. This was a huge plus for me as a mum. 

You can play as you read, one needs to find hidden sounds on each page. There is another game in the end, which adds up to the fun.

The book is associated with The Cuddles Foundation, which works with children whose life has been affected by cancer.

BZM gives Alphabet Dressup ABC an 8/10

BZM Bookalicious Tuesdays - Corduroy

Another book I read as a child and now I'm reading it to Z. I love reliving my childhood with Z.

Book:  Corduroy
Author: Don Freeman
For ages: 3-5 years

Why we picked it and what was our reaction: We had to, I never miss a chance of reading a book I enjoyed as a child to Z. I was just waiting for the right time.

BZM Take: I have loved Corduroy and Z likes it as well. I tell her a little story after every page we read in the book and Z loves it. I have so many memories associated with the book. The book has lovely 'old school' illustrations, the story is simple yet beautiful. What I love about the book is its honesty and simplicity.

BZM gives Corduroy a 9/10, its not Z's absolute favorite (I wanted to give it a perfect 10, but let us be fair)

BZM Bookalicious Tuesdays - Madeline

Book:  Madeline
Author: Ludwig Bemelmans
For ages: 4+

Why we picked it and what was our reaction: Childhood memories... lots of them attached with Madeline, I had to introduce this one to Z. I wish, I had the book I owned as a child. I have still not outgrown Madeline, still enjoy it as much.

BZM Take: We love Madeline, I want to introduce other books in the series to her as well. Z has recently learned about Paris and Eiffel Tower, she loves the book all the more now. Some people say its for girls, I would beg to differ. I have seen boys enjoy it as much. Z says Madeline is just like her and I believe so too.

BZM Madeline Moment: As many of you might be aware, Madeline gets operated and proudly shows her scar, I showed Z my scar (I got from the Cesarean), Z said "Oh! Mumsy, you should have let me be in your tummy. This must have hurt so much."

BZM gives: Nothing, but a perfect 10!