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.
Dear Readers I am super pumped to announce that I will be appearing on the Reading With Your Kids Podcast on www.readingwithyourkids.com. The podcast will be recorded and shared – look out for updates. Please subscribe to the podcast to listen. There are some amazing interviews on the popular podcast including interviews with amazing authors, insights, tips. interesting stories and so much more. This Podcast was an IHeartRadio Award Nominee and has been rated a top podcast by Bookriot, Feedspot, Podcast Magazine, CHICAGOPARENT.COM, and so on.
Fry Bread Author: Kevin Noble Maillard Illustrator: Juana Martinez-Neal Publisher: Roaring Brook Press There are so many things I love about this book. The prose is lyrical, gentle, nostalgic. The illustrations make you feel warm and happy. The content is thought-provoking. The back matter is rich and the quality of the physical book is top-notch. And I always love a good book about food! When I read the book, my six-year-old held it for a long time, felt his fingers over the pictures, and declared this book was his new favorite. The next day he… Read More »Book Review: Fry Bread
This season’s isolation has proven to the most introvert of us how much we need each other’s company. Coupled with the bad air quality in some places of the country, keeping spirits up is not an easy job. But humans adapt, especially kids. So what if you are stuck indoors again robbed of another day in the sun? So what if you are stuck with your family, just the four of you, again? When the sky turns pink and then grey; when the orbs of light on the street turn-on; when shadows come to play… Read More »REMEMBER TO DANCE
This is such a powerful book written by David A. Robertson illustrated by Julie Flett and published by High Water Press, a Canadian Press. Next week, on October 12th, we observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day. I thought what better way to highlight and celebrate than by sharing a relevant picture book. Children’s books are such an amazing way to introduce history and important conversations in a very non-pedantic way. In the book, a little girl asks her Grandma, her Kokam, why she dresses a certain way, why she wears bright colors, why her hair is long,… Read More »BOOK REVIEW: WHEN WE WERE ALONE
UPDATE: I am so thrilled to share that I was one of the winners in this contest. I am looking forward to the critique from the generous Erin Siu @erinsiu. Can’t thank @KaitlynLeann17 and @LydiaLukidis enough for organizing this! I chanced upon the #Fallwritingfrenzy hosted by @KaitlynLeann17 and @LydiaLukidis on Twitter. Participants are to choose one of 15 images to be inspired by and write something #kidlit in fewer than 200 words. Because I LOVE writing to prompts, I couldnt resist! It was hard choosing and I actually ended up writing two pieces. After much… Read More »#Fallwritingfrenzy 2020 Winner!
This morning my six-year-old logged in early to his class. It was their pre-class chat time. The time where pre COVID, kids would have stood in line outside class and bonded with each other. The kids have adapted to this virtual link-up time. They logged in one by one sharing little updates. One wanted to share where they were eating dinner, another wanted to show a pumpkin, a hat, a song, a greeting…the volume began to rise. Until noone could understand what anyone was saying. Then, above the cackling, a little girl spoke, “When we… Read More »IT’S LIKE AAAAHH!
How many seeds in a Pumpkin by Margaret McNamara, illustrated by G.Brian Karas: I found this gem in the library while hunting for books about pumpkins for my son’s class. I loved the story, the characters, the counting lessons it packs in, and the message the book has for young and adult readers. Mr.Tiffin, the teacher has presented a small, medium, and large pumpkin to the class and asks them to guess how many seeds there are in each. Everyone makes a guess, then they dig into the pumpkins, separate the seeds, and count by… Read More »Book Review: How many seeds in a Pumpkin
“Your Name is a Song” by Jamilah Thompkin Bigelow is a celebration of unique names. Her prose flows like music turning into poetry. The illustrations by Luisa Uribe makes the story come alive and sing on the page. As I read this book to my kids, we couldn’t help singing the beautiful names in the book. The first day of school is difficult for one little girl. She realizes her name is unfamiliar to the class, even the teacher struggles with it. “It got stuck in her throat,” she says. Her Ummi (Mamma) encourages her… Read More »Book Review: Your Name is a Song
The air quality in my neighborhood was recently affected by the wildfires. For days, there were no blue skies; a pall of smoke hung stubbornly in the air. One morning I looked out and wondered how we came to this. I thought about viruses, fires, heatwaves, and summer snowstorms. I thought of our current politics, the extreme polarization of our views that paralyzes us into petty arguments and lofty discussions, but no action. And most of all I felt the longing build inside me. The longing to be able to walk, see the mountains, feel… Read More »Saving Pando
Published on KQED (NPR) Perspectives Sep 3, 2020 https://www.kqed.org/perspectives/201601140236/sandhya-acharya-all-better When the first day of school rolled in, the teachers had a surprise planned for the first graders. We stopped at school to wave and say a socially distanced hello and collected a plastic box full of tissue wrapped packages. The kids were instructed to only open it with the whole class a full four days later. We kept the box in the car to make it easier for the six-year-old to stay away. Several times a day he came and asked how many days were… Read More »All Better
Ocean Haiku An ocean simmersToes wiggle and wait ashoreWaves whisper welcome – Sandhya Acharya
I am dealing with a problem this summer. I am sure a lot of you are too. In the absence of our usual travel plans and summer camps, the kids are at home – the entire time. And every few minutes during the day, the sultry air is punctured with this poignant phrase, “Mamma, I’m bored!”
A few years ago I came to the University of Notre Dame to do my M.B.A. The first week there we were invited to view the July 4th fireworks. I had just gotten to know my roommates and together we walked up the green lawns to find a spot to view the fireworks. I didn’t know what to expect. New experiences were so multifold that it took me several years to process them all. In fact, there are still vacant moments when a little incident might pop up demanding to be examined, internalized, and processed.… Read More »First July 4th
Under the shade of the tall Redwood,⠀Young saplings grow their roots.Gently as the wind enters the wild,⠀They sway together, Father and Child. – Sandhya Acharya