’’It’s too hot outside, and you shouldn’t go in the hot sun immediately after lunch. Wait till its about 4:00 and then you all can go out to play!!!’’

That was the ultimatum issued by

our grandmom, on a hot summer afternoon. It made perfect sense, as it was about 12:30 in the afternoon and the sun was blazing. But to us, a bunch of 5 hyper active kids, it spelt DOOM. 4 hours indoors, no way, what are we supposed to do indoors. Monopoly was the only answer. But a game of monopoly meant 90% of the time spent fighting and 10% actually playing. Snakes and Ladders -- too kiddish!
It was on one of those lazy summer afternoons that my cousin introduced me to Tinkle , a popular comic book. Till then the concept of reading was alien to me, but after reading that issue of Tinkle, I was hooked. Wow, reading is fun too!! And that’s how my love affair with books started, with my cousin playing the cupid!
Here, in this review, I list some of my favourite childhood books.

Tinkle : the first book I ever read. Tinkle succeded in doing what no one could do, making me sit in one place for more than 10 minutes. Tinkle was not just a comic book, it had a lot more to offer. Apart from the short stories told as comic strips, it had articles like It happened to me where readers wrote their experiences, funny witty and interesting. Then there was a whole page dedicated to riddles and quiz called Tinkle tricks and treats . Another favourite was Mooshik , a beautifully presented (in just 3 frames) cat and mouse story with the mouse always emerging the winner. Tinkle will always be close to my heart as it is the first book I have ever read and also because of the responses I got by writing to them. Most of the ideas that I sent for Mooshik were rejected, but I always got an encouraging response from Uncle Pai the editor.

Amar Chitra Katha : The most entertaining history teacher. This book came from the same people who made Tinkle. While Tinkle was an out and out comic book, ACK was a great story teller of mythological and historical tales. All these stories were told in an interesting manner without getting boring or dry. These books are available today as value packs. ACK books are a must read for kids as well as adults too. They give you useful information about our history.

Chandoba : This is the Marathi edition of the popular childrens magazine, Chandamama. This is probably the first National magazine, as it was available in a vareity of languages. I started reading Chandoba when I was in the 3rd class. My mom felt that I should also read some Marathi books in addition to English books, and so thats how I started reading Chandoba. Chandoba had some interesting stories, the most interesting and an all time favourite among them was the Vikram-Vetal series.

Tell Me Why series : Tell Me Why... The name says it all. Books designed to spark interest in science in the childrens minds. This book answers most of the curious questions asked by kids. Why does an egg sink in water, why does a chameleon change its colour, Why Why Why..... Gaining knowledge was just one of the reasons I enjoyed reading these books, the other and an importent reason was - I could impress the others at school!!!

Tintin : The story of an inquisitive reporter cum detective. Tintin with his faithful Snowy are the heroes of many mysteries. They overcome dangerous sitiuations to come out on top. Tintin’s most trusted companion, after Snowy is Captain Haddock , the foul mouthed sailor. Other caracters include, Professor Calculus, Thompson and Thomson.
Other favourties include Asterix - The smart Gaul who took on the Roman Empire, Noddy - The hero of toyland and Superman

Soon I graduated to Famous Five, Secret Seven, Hardy Boys etc. The book that I read in my childhood helped in developing the reading habit. Books are a great way of developing a kids imagination, I get my hyper active wild imagination from books ;) My funda is ’’ Give a kid a Toy and he is quiet for some time, give him a book and you will succeed in keeping him glued to it for a life time’’
Books - the Ideal gift and a smart investment!



- Thanks for reading this review -