Category: Kidsbooks

NEW BOOK RELEASE!

On By Mahvash K. M.In bookworm, childrensbooks, kidlit, Kidsbooks, poetry, verse, womenwriters, writing2 Comments

“QUIRKY CREATURES, AN EGG, A FRUIT AND A STAR“

Putting my children’s-book-writer hat on for a bit to introduce my third book in the Curious Animals & Quirky Creatures series: QUIRKY CREATURES, AN EGG, A FRUIT AND A STAR.
From the little bee with the huge head, to the mischievous dragonfly trying to steal ladybird’s spots, to the extra bright little firefly, there are ten little stories in this collectible about delightful and funny creatures.
Every poem tells of a little act of courage, humour and kindness as each of the little creatures saves the day in its own little way.

IN SRI LANKA: The book is available at Sarasavi, Pendi, Expographics, Seyln, Barefoot and The Jam Fruit Tree bookstores.

IN PAKISTAN: It should be on the shelves in Liberty Books and Readings at the end of July 2023. It will also be available with my aunt Mrs. Nayyar Liaqat.

IN DUBAI: July onwards, you can get your copy from my sister Zarmina by sending her a WhatsApp message.

A big thank you to my illustrator, Chrish Vindhy for the beautiful artwork of the book.

It’s been a fabulous journey with my children’s literature over the last 2 years with over 700 books sold. So thank you to all who have bought, read and gifted them 💕
Here’s to #raisingreaders

KIDS BOOKS | CHUBBY CHEEKS AND GROWING PAINS

On By Mahvash K. M.In bookworm, childrensbooks, kidlit, Kidsbooks, verse, womenwriters, writingLeave a comment

Theme: Growing pains with the arrival of a new brother or sister

“I don’t want a little sister!
And I don’t want a brother too!”
Said Adam with his cheeks puffed out
He was angry at the news 
He did not want to share his toys 
Nor share his mother and father
With another child who would 
Live in his home forever

And so he stomped and huffed and puffed
And said “Nooo! The idea stinks!”
His parents looked at each other 
And quietly tapped their chins
What were they to do they thought 
With their one and only child 
Adam never behaved like this 
So angry and so wild

“Darling son, it is but natural 
To have a balanced family 
With a brother or a sister 
Who can grow up and be 
Your best friend, your playmate 
Someone you can love 
And you will always be our Adam
Our precious, oldest one” 

But Adam still felt moody 
And went up to his room 
He couldn’t find his happy smile 
So he wore his maddest frown
He looked at himself in the mirror 
His reflection stared right back 
His pouty face looked so silly 
Hahaha! Hoohoo! He had to laugh! 

When little Amara came into the world
And his parents brought her home 
Adam looked at her for a while 
At her cheeks and her tiny nose
He touched one small chubby hand 
And when she held his little finger 
He laughed his happy laugh and knew
That he already loved his baby sister.
Image: Isabella Potgieter

KIDSBOOKS | THE HAPPY SUBMARINE

On By Mahvash K. M.In bookworm, childrensbooks, kidlit, Kidsbooks, writingLeave a comment 
There was once a little sub 
He was called Eleos*-Blue
His daddy had swum in world war One
His mummy in world war two

He had grown up being taught 
That his role was to fight 
To carry sailors in deep waters
Where there was zero light 

His little body had been trained 
To dive in extra deep 
Sharks and squids and anglerfish
Would never make that trip 

But in his tinny tiny heart 
The little sub didn’t like 
The grownup chore that they called war 
He was a happy little tyke

When the admirals saw that he 
Would beam with the purest joy 
Everytime he was visited 
By a little girl or boy 

They took him to the water park 
And put him in the pool
And there he still swims happily 
There never was a sub so cool!
* Eleos: In ancient Athens, Eleos was the personification of mercy and compassion – the counterpart of the Roman goddess Clementia.

KIDSBOOKS | THE CHEEKY GALA

On By Mahvash K. M.In bookworm, kidlit, Kidsbooks, poetry, verse, writingLeave a comment 
There was once an apple 
The Gala variety 
She would preen and pose all day 
For all the world to see 

The other apples told her
To be fruity and be kind 
To watch the world quietly 
But Gala paid no mind 

One day while the apples 
Sat in the produce aisle 
A naughty little child came by 
With a naughty little smile 

They looked at him quietly 
Maybe he’d go away 
But Gala preened, oh she beamed 
She loved being on display!

The little boy saw the apples 
And almost passed them by 
But then as she did a little jig
Cheeky Gala caught his eye 

He pounced on the dancing fruit  
She would be his lunch 
Your imagination should tell you that 
The next sound was a - “Crunch”!

    KIDSBOOKS | THE WONKY TOY BLOCK

    On By Mahvash K. M.In bookworm, childrensbooks, kidlit, Kidsbooks, poetry, verse, writing2 Comments 
    There was once a toy block 
    The kind that’s in a set 
    Of twenty blocks all sharp and square 
    Some blue and others red 

    Bendy Block stood starkly out 
    Because she was quite grey 
    She also had one dented edge
    That made her lean sideways

    While the other blocks climbed up 
    To build a tunnel or a house 
    Bendy would lean back and watch 
    As timid as a mouse 

    She’d straighten to ninety degrees 
    From the surface where she sat 
    But within a minute or two 
    She’d slowly lean right back

    One day the building blocks all heard 
    A loud crash from within 
    The family photo had fallen down
    With a mighty gust of wind 

    The glass was whole but the stand 
    Had broken into two
    The lady tried to mend the break 
    With a tube of super glue 

    But that didn’t work so she looked 
    Around for inspiration 
    She spied the bendy little block 
    And used it for elevation 

    The photo with its smiling faces
    Stands again up on the dresser
    Bendy is the happy prop 
    As the frame now leans back on her.

    KIDSBOOKS | THE LONELY SNOWMAN

    On By Mahvash K. M.In bookworm, childrensbooks, kidlit, Kidsbooks, poetry, verse, writing2 Comments 
    There was once a snowman 
    He had a heart of gold 
    He had stood in that one cold spot 
    For a hundred years or more 

    He had not seen sign or form 
    Of any man or beast 
    And so he had just waited on
    Patient and solitary 

    It was over a century  
    Of his being in the expanse
    That he saw the shadow of … 
    Could it be? Yes, a man! 

    He tried to wiggle his carrot nose 
    But it was frozen solid 
    Just like his eyes and his mouth
    So he focused his energy inwards 

    He thought of jolly polar bears 
    And penguins in the sun 
    And then he thought of ice cream 
    Chocolate seemed like fun! 

    With all these happy musings 
    He started melting inside out 
    The little trickle from his eyes 
    Became a gushing spout 

    The man then saw the snowman 
    And came up close to him 
    He held a little cup up
    And had a little drink 

    Then he took his scarf off and 
    Gently wrapped it around 
    The shrinking neck; it was a thank you said 
    For the kindness he had found.

    KIDSBOOKS | THE SORROWFUL NUMBER SIX

    On By Mahvash K. M.In bookworm, childrensbooks, kidlit, Kidsbooks, poetry, verse, writingLeave a comment 
    There was once a lonely 6
    Who lived with all the 9s
    He was always bullied
    For his minus three design

    The 9s would throw mathematical 
    Enigmas out at him
    “3 times 3 or 5 plus 4
    Will never be your thing!”

    6 would mope around all day
    Adding and multiplying
    Sometimes standing on his head
    In hopes of becoming 9

    But a solid 6 he stayed 
    Not budging to even 7
    Despite using big numbers
    Like 17 minus 11

    Then one day a little girl
    Came and sat at one of the desks
    She was all of 6 years old 
    With 6 curls on her forehead 

    When the teacher asked her to
    Choose her favourite number
    She pointed to 6, and then counted it
    Out on her little fingers 

    That special day the whole class drew
    Pictures of the number 6
    Amid bright flowers and super powers
    On every page he skipped.

    KIDSBOOKS | THE ELEGANT DUO

    On By Mahvash K. M.In bookworm, childrensbooks, kidlit, Kidsbooks, poetry, verse, writingLeave a comment 
    Shelby was a graceful snail 
    Folks said he had blue blood 
    His shell had a lovely turquoise tinge
    He buffed it with wax and gloves 

    From leafy shrubs to the ground 
    He’d slither and he’d glide
    He’d peer at all who came his way 
    With a monocle on his left eye 

    He never spoke to anyone 
    Not the earthworms nor the flies 
    The lady snails and the misses slugs 
    Looked on with great big sighs 

    But master Shelby stayed aloof 
    His heart was not a prize
    To give to pretty girls who would 
    Gaze at him with roving eyes 

    One day while he was gliding along 
    With his monocle and cravat 
    He saw the most exquisite toad 
    With an umbrella and bowler hat 

    He slowly moved his eye stalks  
    In gracious acknowledgment 
    He was a toad with taste, so he made haste 
    To say hello to the gentleman 

    It has now been five years since
    That elegant friendship was made
    Shelby Snail and Toad O’Toole 
    Are still the very best of mates.

    KIDSBOOKS | THE GREEDY MARMOSET

    On By Mahvash K. M.In bookworm, kidlit, Kidsbooks, poetry, verse, writing2 Comments 
    There once lived a marmoset 
    On the edge of the Amazon rain forest
    He was especially friendly,
    He loved all of the tourists

    Mangoes and bananas 
    Would always lure him out
    He would greedily pop these
    Into his little mouth

    His parents often told him
    “Be thoughtful little son, 
    Don’t be such a greedy glut
    With your sisters do share some”

    But Marny and his tummy
    They had other plans
    And so he ate and ate until
    He was three hundred grams

    One day while sitting in a tree
    Waiting for folks with treats
    A harpy eagle spotted him
    And plunged down, ready to feast!

    As Marny scrambled to escape
    His tummy got in the way
    The raptor would have snatched him up
    But his mummy saved the day

    They say Marny is a changed primate
    A sweet, generous furball
    He meets and greets his visitors 
    And then shares his food with all.

    VERSE | RISE

    On By Mahvash K. M.In hope, kidlit, Kidsbooks, poetry, verse, writing1 Comment 
    There was once a blade of grass
    Shining an emerald green 
    It swished it’s bright little head 
    In the gently flowing breeze 

    The other plants stood tall and proud 
    They seemed miles away 
    The little blade grew in its glade 
    In the warmth of sunny days 

    One day a big machine rolled in
    With a mighty roar of a sound
    It scooped up all the twigs and leaves
    Scattered on the ground 

    Then it gathered everything 
    Dead branches, wilted flowers 
    And slowly groaned away crushing 
    Down the blade of grass

    It lay upon its side a while 
    The breath knocked out of it
    But then quite miraculously 
    It straightened up again 

    It wiped away the beads of sap
    That the trampler had wrung out
    It took three long steadying breaths 
    And then bobbed its head about 

    And so it is with life sometimes 
    She seems to come down hard 
    That’s our cue to stop and rest 
    Breathe in and move onwards

    KIDSBOOKS – COLOURS | RAVEN

    On By Mahvash K. M.In bookworm, kidlit, Kidsbooks, poetry, verse, writingLeave a comment 
    Brightened by the twinkle of stars
    I am the shadowy shade of the night 
    I am the colour of the mysterious cat 
    All you can see of her are her eyes 

    I’m the colour of the scuttling beetle 
    Of the bear that lives in a cave 
    I’m the hue of the berries that he eats 
    I’m like the panther, sleek and brave

    I’m the colour of the birds that caw-caw
    And watch you with a beady eye 
    I’m like some of the cars that you see on the road 
    Not red nor blue nor white

    I’m the colour of coffee and chimpanzees 
    Maybe the colour of your backpack 
    I’m deep, I’m dark, I have a magical spark 
    I am the majestic colour BLACK.

    KIDSBOOKS – COLOURS | ACORN

    On By Mahvash K. M.In bookworm, kidlit, Kidsbooks, poetry, verse, writingLeave a comment 
    Almonds and walnuts, cholocate and ginger
    All share the colour that I am
    Woodchucks that chuck wood, baskets and bagels
    I am the colour of a beaver dam

    I am the colour of the moose and the swaying camel
    The ruddy duck and the wolverine,
    Wood and toast, I am the colour of roast
    The garden snail and the centipede

    I am the colour of the giant fin whale 
    And of your sweet little sun-kissed face
    I may even be the colour of the desk on which 
    All your favourite books are placed

    I am the colour of well loved teddy bears
    Bearded dragons and kiwi birds
    I am all around, from beige to BROWN
    I am the beautiful colour of the earth