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The Magic of Memories and More…

Another post rescued from the archives, dusted up, and reinvented just a bit for the today and the now. Doing this activity every once in a while (bringing these old posts back to the forefront, that is) does show me the magic of memories and more, in one way! I look at these posts and it does take me back to great places and sweet books.

The Magic of Memories

For ABC Wednesday’s letter H, here it is, a little late: H for a glimpse of the Harihareshwara temple in Harihar, Karnataka – this was one of those wonderful weekend trips taken during our summer trip to India. A trip that brought back memories of childhood, of visits to this ancient and beautiful Hoysala architecture as a girl with my mom. For some reason, even though the visits here were not often, they stood out in my memory and never fail to fill me with peace, with a happiness within (even though my visits to temples now and then were less spiritual or religious and more of a visit to the temple to reacquaint myself with it, to sometimes socialize, to just be there).

Also, for the letter H is another glimpse into the humble adai with a side of ridge gourd kootu (gravy curry). 

Magic of Reading

I read these books sometime ago now and recently reviewed them after rereading them. 

V is for Vegan

I am a vegetarian and embrace being one as well. ‘Veganism’ is something I admire though I am not sure I could follow a vegan diet. This book highlights the concepts of being vegan not just in food habits but also in other aspects of life – including clothing and other lifestyle habits as well – in an easy to understand fashion with rhyming words and bright illustrations.

My main peeve with this book – it takes promoting the vegan to a couple of degrees too much for a kid’s picture book – kind of like in those commercials where one brand promotes itself by showing how the other one is bad. (Kind of contrary to the title of being kind).

Rating: C/B- (but for my peeve, this book would have been a B)
Reading Level: Ages 3-7
Reread Level: 3/5
Disclaimer: Thanks to Edelweiss for a digital copy of this book for review.

Magic Words: From the Ancient Oral Tradition of the Inuit 

Gorgeous, detailed, colorful illustrations that lend to the reader’s imagination, that tell stories proving a picture tells a thousand words (since the words in this book are sparingly few), that show insight into an amazing culture – these illustrations are the highlight of this book.

It definitely made me more curious to learn about this culture, it opens the reader to explore what the few words and the detailed illustrations are actually saying, and is a must-have just for it’s illustrations. Since it is translated from it’s original, that might account for the really few words and making me wish for something more at the end of the book (maybe a few details about the culture). That accounts for the four stars instead of five.

Rating: A- Reading Level: Ages 5-10 Reread Level: 4/5
Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley for an ecopy of this book.

The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies (Kindle Edition)

Adorable, Beautiful, Charming, Delightful, Effervescent, Fairies…(Can go on with the rest of the ABCs): This is adorable in the way it uses delightful illustrations that are a charming combination of art and photography to engage fertile imaginations and weave magical fairytale worlds in our backyards. This book guarantees more time outdoors for the little ones and that alone makes it a pick-me-up!

Rating: A Reading Level: Ages 5-8 Reread Level: 4/5
Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC of the book

Linking these books to What are you Reading? From Picture Books to YA at Teach Mentor Texts and What are you reading? @Book Journey

And for Musing Mondays at Should be Reading, http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/ – a reading habit that I should have as a book blogger/reviewer – that I hope to actually make into a habit by the end of this month – write the review of the book as soon as I read it, while it is fresh in my mind so I do not need to work my brain or reread (like above) the books to review them

And Now, the End of This Post

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