JOIN USEccentric PALS!
MR. OLIVER'S DIARY
AUTHOR: RUSKIN BOND
PUFFIN RS.150/- PP.121
Ruskin Bond returns with a fresh, brand new, rollicking tale to charm young and old alike. Mr. Oliver arrives in Simla to teach a new batch of active and hungry boys at the Prep School. On the way to school, Mr. Oliver and his boys get to know each other and form an understanding while spending a sleepless night together in the train with the imperishable Miss Babcock snoring away. Mr. Oliver's daily diary records a host of eccentric characters and their hilarious escapades. Everyone wakes up late and misses morning P.T. because no one rang the school bell. The bell is finally traced at the bottom of the khud at noon, with a sticker on it saying April Fools. Mr. Oliver has Tota the parrot to keep him company. He hopes Tota will help him in breaking the ice with the lovely Miss Anjali Ramola. But despite bribes of fresh chillies, Tota has a resistance to learning new things. He will not learn to say 'Kiss, kiss," to her. Later, Tota follows Mr. Oliver to class, shrieking' bottoms up!" in the midst of a lesson on Charles Dickens. A fire, a missing gun-toting Headmaster and runaway students ensure there is never a dull moment at school. A homicidal barber, a hungry leopard and around a hundred frogs on the loose make this the craziest, funniest school in the world. With his runaway wig, pet shrew and endearing sense of fun, can Mr. Oliver manage to help his boys safely complete the school term? And can he win the heart of Miss Ramola? This lovely book will take a well deserved place among Ruskin Bond's classic treasures.
OUR TOXIC WORLD: A GUIDE TO HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES IN OUR EVERYDAY LIVES
SCRIPT: ANIRUDDHA SEN GUPTA
ILLUSTRATIONS:
PRIYA KURIYAN SAGE PUBLICATIONS
RS. 395/- PP.161
An interesting story and pages filled with lovely illustrations make this book a fun way to understand how toxins are polluting our world. Taking a close look at hidden dangers around us, this book guides us on making choices that can make our own lives and the world around us a little cleaner and safer. The story of the Sachdeva family of Delhi shows us how pollution can affect people like us. Young Anamika Sachdeva is always tired and weak, suffering from the effects of poisonous lead fumes from the paints used in her home when she was a baby.
Anamika's brother Prasad, an architect, learns how "buildings made by simply placing together cement, mortar and steel are emerging as one of the most important contributors to the global environmental crisis." As Prasad's senior says; "We need to look at green buildings that … are constructed for efficient use of energy and water."
Everyone, from Prasad to Bindu their maid suffer from pollution in some way. Prasad's asthma worsens as he breathes Delhi's polluted air while taking the Metro to work. Dust is like "the theme of Bindu's life, lying like a shroud over every facet of it…The dust from the construction sites where her husband worked had ruined her husband's lungs and insides." It is now causing bronchial infections in her young children. Even the traffic constable on their street will soon develop cancer and die from constantly breathing noxious fumes, leaving behind a widow and small children. The book contains many facts and practical suggestions which can help us all to live a cleaner and happier life.