The Book Point - For Book Lovers in Bangalore:Shweta Sharan

By Shweta Sharan

Reading with your child can be fun but everything depends on the books that you choose.  After months of trawling for the best books across bookstores in the city and coming out disappointed, I came across the perfect find -- The Book Point. I was seduced by the window display of children's books. It is a small, sparkling little shop in Koramangala, one of those book stores that you can peer through the glass and see the books even when it is shut. It stocks books that are very beautiful and most importantly, have a handmade feel to them, and this, I think, is why even adults are so charmed by children's books. This is the first step to parents enjoying reading sessions with their children. This is a book store that doesn’t just throw in the popular books or the scenery-chewing ones but takes its stock seriously.

The window display had a lot of books by Eric Carle, who is a pretty well-known children's writer. My daughter and I have read and enjoyed his 'The Hungry Little Caterpillar'. She is three years old and has outgrown it. I am not a big fan of the illustrations in books by Eric Carle but children respond so differently to books than adults and my daughter loves all his books and the unusual illustrations, which do not have the usual fluent strokes that adults are so used to seeing. It tests a child’s sense of linearity.

I saw a lot of PD Eastman board books that were very nominally priced, unlike those shoddy paperback ones that even depict the wrong colors. 

The Ladybird books are perfect finds. They are age-specific, tell simple but entertaining and enriching stories and their illustrations are colorful, beautiful and glossy.

There is also this collection called Fantastic Stories for 2-year-olds from Igloo Books. They are age-specific too and are delightful.

Possibly the best find in this book shop is the Read-Along books. These books come with audio CDs. Obviously my daughter is too young for this but I play the audiobooks in the car and she loves them. The books are beautiful, colourful and have simple, conversational stories. I bought JJ Rabbit and the Monster, Mrs. Hippo’s Pizza Parlour and Moose and Mouse.

The owner was very enthusiastic when I recommended authors like Anna Dewdney, Julia Donaldson and Quentin Blake. And yes, the book store has a beautiful little Pug who was lying down in the corner.  The Book Point also has book for adults but really, I was hardly interested in the autobiography of Steve Jobs when such amazing books for children, kids and teenagers lay before me.

I didn’t enjoy reading with my daughter before, and I attribute this completely to the wrong choice of books. Thanks to Falak of My Little Chatterbox, and the input on this web site, I got to know how to compile books for my daughter’s collection. It is exactly like curating an artist’s gallery.

I am not an expert but if you find reading with your child to be a tedious and dull experience, you can do what I did:

1. Look for detailed recommendations by other parents. Some kids may like the Berenstain Bears, some may not. It is all a matter of what works for you.  I would suggest Falak’s list as a good start.
2. Go to bookstores like the Book Point. They do not just throw in bestselling books but those that are both beautiful and valuable.
3. You can never go wrong with rhyming books, like Llama Llama Red Pajama and The Cat in the Hat. They are fun to read out and the rhythm will hook children and adults alike. Children will also pick up phrases quicker because rhymes are easier to remember, because they are all about music.
4. Look at the collection of books that you want to stock for your kids as a pure collection, a work of art, a collection that you can look at and be proud of, like growing a garden. It is not something you would sell or possibly exchange. It must have that sense of completion. It is your project with your child. Treasure it and respect it. It may not be obvious now but this collection will enrich your child’s personality greatly and give them moral courage, which is greater than grades or how many goals they scored. 
5. Do look for books by Indian writers. Tulika has an online store and Flipkart stocks these books too.  Look for new, upcoming children’s publishers and review and recommend them to your peers (other moms or teachers).
6. Trust your instincts. Do not sit and analyze what book will work best for your child. If you love the sight of a book or its summary at the back, go for it. Your excitement rubs off on your child.
7. Look for textures. Texture does not merely mean the feel of the book but the colours in the illustrations and how layered and interesting they are, not just shoddy, overwrought, glossy pictures meant to lure. The texture of a ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ is vastly different from Snoring Shanmugam but these textures are of high quality and calibre, and not just cheap ruses to get the child to look at them 
8. No collection is complete without books by Dr. Seuss.  Start with A,B C and the Birthday Book. We adults need them as much as our kids. 

Now excuse me while I go pick up my Flipkart arrival – a new book for my daughter!