Here is why you should read

  Holidays are round the corner? Don't know how else you can entertain the kids? TV is not an option; Reading is becoming a punishment of sorts. Writing? No way, the kids scream! When you still want them to do something constructive, choose origami.  This age old art of paper folding is therapeutic and of course keeps the children entertained. This beautiful origami kit by Brian Soonho Yoon is a definite investment into your home library. All you have to do is just stop at the closest stationers or dollar store and buy a whole lot of origami paper. Some safe scissors too. And a waste paper basket! And you're set!  This beautifully illustrated book offers clear pictures and explanations of every fold and cut that you need to make to get that perfect end result. There are beautiful, little projects to delve into and this book ranges from the Apprentice stage to the Specialist, progressing meticulously in skill level.  All you need is - precision, patience and practice....

  The first thing that caught my eye is the cover of this book! How lovely to have put imagination into pictures! This book is so apt for ages 8-12; a time when the mind wanders into caves and forests, climbs high mountains and towers and of course there has to dragons - the friendly ones and the fire-spitting ones! As a teacher and advocate of speaking, writing and thinking good English, I found this an important book for a school or even a family to possess. With AI taking over all our skills, I still believe, it cannot completely conquer minds and imaginations of youngsters. That is where, writing prompts are such a necessity. It is important to take away every ounce of doubt that an idea is not good enough. I love how the Introduction of the book explicitly explains what genre is and why writing prompts are so important and encouraging. And this is something I teach my creative writing class - keep writing. In the author's words, "Aim to write for five minutes at a time fo...

  I had read this book many years ago, but the fear that it incited in me has stayed. The sheer heartache of losing one's identity, stuck in a foreign and hostile nation, is unimaginable. This is the true story of Betty Mahmoody. Many years into her marriage and a daughter later, agrees to finally visit her husband's family in Iran. Unknowingly she walks into a trap of sorts. A society that devalues women. Reduces her to nothingness. Imagining this to be only a temporary situation, Betty is looking forward to the end of the trip and is desperate to get back to America with her daughter Mahtob. Things get out of hand. Her husband is convinced, brainwashed by family and society members to stay back and give back to society. So, no one is going anywhere! What follows this is horrendous. One cannot even begin to imagine! The culture shock, the domestic abuse and of course now the forced staying in an alien country with no way out is the new norm for Betty. But, she wakes up every s...