My Science School

Simple and relatable

R.K. Narayan is the one of the indian authors I love. I enjoy reading his Malgudi Days in which he has woven together different stories from the depth of his own imagination and created the imaginary town of Malgudi. His language is rich and beautiful and he writes with sheer simplicity. Another author I admire is Ruskin Bond. At the end of every page, he leaves me with the feeling that there should be more to the story. His books are intriguing and appealing. I also love reading Sudha Murthy. She writes in simple English and in a down to earth manner. Her stories are realistic and all of us can relate to them. She teaches us important lessons such as ethics through her books.

Adventures ahead

Three Indian authors whom I like are Satyajit Ray, Ruskin Bond, and R.K. Narayan. When it comes to thrill, adventure, and suspense, Ray's books are my first preference. Ray has the ability to keep readers engrossed throughout the entire book. His art of keeping the suspense intact till the end and his contextual choice of words and phrases is extraordinary. On a different plane is R.K. Narayan, whose stories are based on real-life situations and human reactions to day-to-day happenings in the imaginary town of Malgudi. His protagonist Swami is loved by all. To a city-grown kid like me, Narayan excellently projects the interesting life in the villages. Last, but not the least, I love Ruskin Bond for opening my imagination to the beauty of nature. Bond's stories bring alive the spirit of mountains, landscapes, seasons, and the simplicity of hill-folks, who form the prime characters in his stories.

Gopi, Mini and mystery

The three Indian authors I enjoy reading are Sudha Murty, Ravi Subramanian, and Nandini Nayar I like Murty's "The Gopi Daines" because it is an amazing adventure of a dog. It tells the story of how Gopi came to live with Murty's family. I like Ravi Subramanian's 'The Mystery of School on Fire", which is a fascinating mystery. It has lots of twists. Towards the end of the book, the three protagonists solve the problem smartly. I also liked Nandini Nayars "Mini" books. I enjoyed reading about Mini's summer holiday with monsters. I felt it was an extremely creative and interesting story for young kids.

Unique writing styles

The three Indian authors whom I enjoy reading are Sudha Murty, Ruskin Bond and Rudyard Cipling. I like Sudha Murty's stories because many of them are based on real life experiences. He stories inspired me a lot.

I like Ruskin Bond's stories because they are descriptive and interesting to read. He has a knack for describing places, people and things so well that I feel like I am one of the characters. I like Rudyard Kipling's stories because he writes from the perspective of animals. His stories press the thoughts, feelings and emotions of animals. Animal lovers would love to read his books.

Ray, Premchand and Bond

The three Indian authors I like are - Satyajit Ray, Premchand, and Ruskin Bond. Firstly,

I like Satyajit Ray's book "The Adventures of Feluda". Rays keeps the stories short yet funny, and informative. Also, he weaves in lesser-known facts into his work. For example, in one of his stories Ray mentions that most people choose number 7 if asked to pick from 1 to 10. His stories do not drag unlike other novels in which the detectives often have a tendency to lecture the readers. On the other hand, Premchand's stories are based on people's daily lives. He tries to teach us morals through his stories. Some of my favourite stories from Premchand are the "Old Mother' and the 'Tale of Two Cows". And lastly, I like Ruskin Bond's books. They are full of adventures, and sometimes also include evil spirits and animals. Some of my favourites are "The Blue Umbrella", "The Adventures of Rusty" and "Burning Bright' his new book on Jim Corbett. All of these authors hold a special place in the world of literature.

Different styles

Three Indian authors I enjoy reading the most are Ruskin Bond Sudha Murty and R.K. Narayan Ruskin Bond has a unique style of writing and his way of describing-especially nature-makes scenes and the backdrops very vivid. His books always have bits of humour, which make you laugh even in an otherwise serious story.

Sudha Murty's stories, on the other hand, are simple and interesting with an Indian flavour added to them. Most of her books make us appreciate the unique culture that our country has. I will always keep her book, The Magic of the Lost Temple to be among my favourites.

Though in contrast to Sudha Murthy's style of writing, R.K. Narayan, too, has the same way of narrating Indian heritage, especially village life in his books. Unusual friendships and emotional endings make his stories memorable.

Ruskin Bond, R.K. Narayan, and Rabindranath Tagore

The three Indian authors I enjoy reading are Ruskin Bond, R.K Narayan and Rabindranath Tagore. I have been reading their stories from a young age and their works have had an impact on me. Ruskin Bond's stories are unique because they can be light-hearted and at the same time some will leave you searching for answers. A lot of his stories are set in Northern India - mostly in Mussoorie. Shimla and Agra and the stories often revolve around his childhood. Reading them is always a memorable experience. When it comes to R.K. Narayan. "Malgudi Adventures" is one of the first books I read. Set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi, the characters are quite charming. Swaminathan and his friends immediately found a place in my heart as their childishness was something I could relate to. Rabindranath Tagore's short stories like "Kabuliwala" and "Postman" are quite emotional and touching.

Historical fiction and real-life stories

Three Indian authors who I like reading are Kalki Krishnamurthy, Sudha Murty and Ruskin Bond. Kalki is well known for his amazing historical fiction novel "Ponniyin Selvan". His books have vast imagination and creativity. And his description of a place makes us relive them. Through his selective choice of words, he makes his books a better read. Sudha Murthy's stories always enrich life values. Her stories are based on incidents in her life and they are filled with emotions. Her stories teach us how to act in certain situations. Ruskin Bond is a famous author whose stories also feature some of his life stories. His works are interesting and they develop a curiosity. These three authors have a unique style of writing and I feel such story writers are important for this world.

A mixed bag of stories

Ruskin bond, Sudha Murty and R.K. Narayan are my favourite Indian authors. They have unique styles of storytelling and that's what I love. Ruskin Bond's "The Children's Omnibus" is a book that deals with folktales, scenes from his life and many moral stories. I still remember laughing out loud while reading "My Failed Omelettes".

Sudha Murty's "Grandma's Bag of Stories" is a very nice book, which has moral stories and they taught me many things. Her classical stories are the ones everyone will appreciate. And I am also a huge fan of R.K. Narayan's "Malgudi Adventures" which has 17 stories revolving around the town of Malgudi. One of the stories "A Tiger In The School" which is about a tiger entering an empty school - is of my favourite stories by the author.

Uncle Pai, Bond and Ray

I am a fan of detective stories, so I love reading Satyajit Ray's "Feluda" series. The way Feluda solves mysteries are amazing. The stories are so thrilling that the books are really unputdownable.

Ruskin Bond's stories are often about beautiful friendship and human-animal interactions. I like his stories as they are interesting yet simple and create a desire in me to live a life like his. It is so amazing to see how he uses simple words and detailed observations to make everyday stories exciting. Anant Pai is the creator of Tinkle", a magazine that I love a lot. His stories are so funny it makes my sides ache with laughter. Characters like Ramu and Shamu, and Kapish, are the ones he created. He has also written the "Amar Chitra Katha" series which brings Indian mythology to life.

Kalam, Murty and Narayan

Sudha Murty is a great author. I read her books as they are very interesting. While reading her books it makes me feel that I am one of the characters in the book. She also teaches moral values in her writings. R.K.Narayan's writings revolve around the daily lives of common people. Malgudi is created by him, as a place where the stories occur. The stories are humorous and realistic. We feel that it is happening in our presence. I enjoyed reading books written by A.PJ Abdul Kalam. He writes with clarity and it is easy to read. I have read his autobiography and it is really inspiring.

He was a great scientist and became the president of India and yet remained a really humble person and a great soul.

Of mythologies and nature

I usually like reading books by foreign authors such as Jeff Kinney, Dan Brown, Agatha Christie, and Enid Mary Blyton. But I liked the books by Indian authors as well.

One of three Indian authors I like the most is Amish Tripathi. He is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. He started his writing career with the "Immortals of Meluha", the first novel in the "Shiva Trilogy". It's my favourite. Tripathi usually writes mythological novels with his own twist. I hope he will keep writing books to enrich our mind.

The second-best Indian author I like is Ruskin Bond. According to me, he is the one of the most famous Indian authors. Bond is of British descent. He started his career with "Room On The Roof' in 1856, which won John Llewellyn Rhys Prize in 1957. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1992 for "Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra".

Rasipuram Krishnaswami lyer Narayanaswami, commonly known as R. K. Narayan is my third favourite author. He is from South India. His book "Malgudi Days" is set in the fictional village Malgudi. He is one of the greatest authors ever in Indian history.

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"The Polar Express"

What's Christmas without watching the incredibly moving film, The Polar Express". The 2004 film, about a special bond between a little boy and train conductor as they ride to the North Pole, is a feast for the eyes. But did you know it was based on a children's book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg? The book is set partially in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the authors home town, and was inspired by Allsburg's memories of visiting the department stores as a child during Christmas.

A writer and an illustrator, Allsburg has made significant contributions to the world of children's literature. Allburg has written and illustrated 21 books. His major works include "Jumanji" and "The Polar Express, both of which he wrote and illustrated. His art has also been featured on the covers of an edition of C. S. Lewis's series The Chronicles of Namia".

"How To Train Your Dragon"

Dreamworks Animation adapted Cressida Cowell's children's book, about an unlikely friendship between a young viking and a dragon, to the silver screen in 2010. The protagonist Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III finds inner courage after befriending and becoming the trainer of a rare dragon. Spectacular animations and celebrities like Jay Baruchel and Gerard Butler breathe life into the tale.

As a child, Cowell often spent time in Scotland during her vacations. The natural beauty and history of the region inspired Cowell to come up with the "How To Train Your Dragon" series, which consists of 12 books. Currently, three of the books have been made into films, more are in the pipeline.

"Charlotte's Web"

E.B. White's classic children's book about a pig and his friend spider was made adapted to the silver screen twice. In 1973, the iconic animation studio Hanna- Barbera was the first to make an animated film based on the classic. Later, in 2006 it was made into a live-action film starring Dakota Fanning, Julia Roberts and Oprah Winfrey. White, who is known for his handbook of grammatical and stylistic guidance for writers, forayed into children's writing in his 40s. His first children's book was Stuart Little", was published in 1945, and "Charlotte's Web" followed in 1952.

"Shrek"

One of the highest grossing animated film franchise of all time, the "Shrek" films are popular with one and all. The adventures of the hilarious green ogre, Shrek and his faithful companion, Donkey, voiced by comedians Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy, will send you rolling on the floor with laughter. But did you know that the films are based on a children's book? William Steig's "Shrek!", released in 1990, is the source material for the films. An American cartoonist, Steig started his career with The New Yorker. He has contributed 2,600 drawings to the magazine. He started writing children's books when he was 61!

"The Jungle Book"

One of the most famous animated adaptations of a children's book is 'The Jungle Book". Based on Rudyard Kipling's work, "The Jungle Book” has been adapted to screen multiple times. The 1967 film was the first animated adaptations of the book by Disney. Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, it was the last film to be produced by Walt Disney, who died during its production. The plot follows Mowgli, a human raised in the Indian jungle by wolves. In 2016, Disney released a live-action epic adventure with Neel Sethi as the man cub. In this version, celebrities like Idris Elba and Christian Bale voiced some of the main characters.

 

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Do you love stories of talking animals, singing portraits and chatty kettles? If yes, then you are a fan of anthropomorphism.

A literary device, anthropomorphism (pronounced anthro-polt-more-fizz um) is used by authors to attribute human traits to animals or inanimate objects. This is done to make non-human characters more relatable and entertaining to readers and viewers. You may have seen this in stories and films that depict animals who can talk behave and feel emotions just like us. Children's classics such as "Dr. Dolittle", "Charlotte's Web", "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", and "Chronicles of Namia: The Lion. The Witch, and the Wardrobe all feature anthropomorphic characters.

While animals are commonly shown as anthropomorphised creatures, this technique is also used to bring inanimate objects to life by assigning them human-like qualities. Disney-Pixar films often use anthropomorphism - bringing clownfish and toy space-rangers to life as the beloved Nemo in Finding Nemo" and Buzz Lightyear in "Toy Story".

The term ‘anthropomorphism’ was coined by the Greek Philosopher Xenophanes after observing the physical similarities between people and their Gods.

Anthropomorphism vs. Personification

It is easy to confuse anthropomorphism with another similar literary device called personification. But the two are starkly different. Personification is a figure of speech in which a thing, an animal or an abstract notion is ascribed human qualities. For instance, the sentence, "Nature unleashed its fury through thunderstorms," is an example of personification, because nature can't be "furious" as it cannot feel human emotions. However, saying that nature can feel anger and fury emphasises the harshness of the storm. On the other hand in anthropomorphism, the non-human objects literally behave like human beings.

POPULAR EXAMPLES

• "The Beauty and the Beast": The fairytale as well as its Disney adaptation is packed with anthropomorphic furniture such as clocks and wardrobes that sing, dance and talk.


• Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland": Humans and anthropomorphic characters such as walking rabbits, smiling cats and even talking playing cards exist together in this fantastical story.


• J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter series: The magical world of Harry Potter is full of anthropomorphic characters. For instance, the talking and sometimes singing portraits hung inside the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The centaurs of the Forbidden Forest, who are half human, half-horse and skilled at Divination, are other examples of anthropomorphism.


•  "The Secret Life of Pets" film franchise: Wonder what your pets – cats, dogs, or even rabbits - are up to when you leave the house? 'The Secret Life of Pets" films show pets as socialising, watching telenovelas, raiding the fridge and even rocking out to heavy metal music when humans are not around.


• Richard Adams' Watership Down: In his debut novel. "Watership Down" (1972), Adams featured rabbits that could talk in their own distinctive language (Lapine).


• "Doctor Dolittle": Hugh Lofting's series of children's books portray a doctor who can talk to animals in their own languages. The books were adapted into highly successful films, starring Eddie Murphy as the main character.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Giving hurricanes human names is also a form of anthropomorphism. It is done because a human name is simpler and easier to comprehend than a scientific name, and makes us more receptive to information.


• In religion and mythology, anthropomorphism is the perception of a divine being in human form, or the recognition of human qualities in these beings. Greek deities such as Zeus and Apollo are often depicted in human form exhibiting human qualities such as beauty, greed, hatred, jealousy, and uncontrollable anger.


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Family matters

A bitter-sweet tale of the March family, Lousia May Alcott’s “Little Women” will fill you up with the warmth of friendship and family. A semi-autobiographical book, “Little Women” is loosely based upon Alcott’s family – she was the second of four daughters. Despite being published in 1868, the coming-of-age story of the four March sisters – Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy – remains timeless and universal. It tells of love and loss, aspirations and dreams that the sister’s experience on their journey to adulthood.

Over the years, the classic has been adapted into many films and plays. The 1994 film adaptation is one of the most acclaimed version with Winona Ryder as Jo and Christian Bale as Laurie. In 2019, Greta Gerwig’s adaptation was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Winds of change

Kenneth Graham’s “The Wind in the Willows” has been adored from generation to generation. In this enduring classic, we meet his splendid animal characters: Mole, Rat, Mr. Toad and Mr. Badger, and revel in their adventures on the banks of the River Thames. Told in Graham’s gorgeous lyrical prose, readers will be transported with tales of Toad Hall, the Wild Wood. This book is an endearing treasure. Grahame wrote this classic after retiring from his job as a bank secretary and moving to Berkshire. He spent much of his time next to the River Thames and got the idea to expand the bedtime stories he used to tell his son Alastair.

An English summer

From the “Famous Five” and “Secret Seven” to the “Malory Towers” and “Adventures of the Wishing Chair”, Enid Blyton has a story for every age group. But her ‘The Faraway Tree’ series is one that has universal appeal. Jo, Bessie and Fanny come across an ancient tree in the middle of an enchanted forest. The tree is so gigantic that its top reaches clouds that hold magical lands! Together with the tree’s unique inhabitants such as Moonface, Saucepean Man and Silky the pixie, the cousins explore different worlds on top of the tree.

Adventures of Anne

Between 1908 and 1939, Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote seven books about an imaginative, talkative, high-spirited girl named Anne Shirley. Set in the 20th century, in a fictitious town of Avonlea on the tiny Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, “Anne of Green Gables” is the most popular book in the series. And no wonder. It is pure joy to read. It follows the adventures of Anne, a sweet-natured and cheerful girl with bright red hair. An 11-year-old orphan, she is mistakenly sent to live with the Cuthbert family, who had originally intended to adopt a boy. Anne has a quirky imagination and a vivacious manner, which makes her a likeable character. As she gets into hilarious mishaps and merry mischief, you will find yourself rooting for this red-haired girl!

An unlikely friendship

Published in October, 1952, “Charlotte’s Web” is one of the most popular children’s books by E.B. White. A young Fern Arable saves the life of a newborn pig on her father’s farm. She names him Wilbur and nurtures him lovingly. However, when she grows up, she is forced to sell Wilbur to her uncle who intends to slaughter him for food. That’s when Charlotte, a barn spider, who can read and write come up with a way to save Wilbur’s life. With the help of other farm animals, Charlotte convinces the Zuckerman family that Wilbur is actually quite special by weaving words and short phrases in praise of Wilbur into her web. The book weaves a heartwarming tale of an unlikely friendship.

HEAR, HEAR

• Here’s a list of some of classics that are now available for free as audio books:


• “Frankenstein”, written by Marry Shelley and narrated by David Dobrik


• “Great Expectations”, written by Charles Dickens and narrated by James Langton Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Bronte and narrated by Sarah Coombs


• “Persuasion”, written by Jane Austen and narrated by Cynthia Erivo

 

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