April is a time when summer or spring comes knocking at your door in the Northern Hemisphere and in the Southern, winter starts to peep with autumn doing a somersault. In India, we welcome our traditional new years along with many other countries like Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. New Years have so many names just like a frog has varied names in different languages: qingwa in Mandarin, kb in Thai, bang in Bengali, mendak in Hindi and we could go on and on. The reason we talk of frogs is because some even observe April as the National Frog Month. You can read all about it by clicking here.
But frog stories aside, we would like to wish you all a fabulous new year this April, a traditional new year. Here we always celebrate with the glamorous Ms Sara. So, Ms Sara what do we have this time?
We have a fabulous collection of poetry, stories and essays about so many things that happened between March and April!
Poetry
In keeping with the theme of frogs and variety is a rainbow. And here is a young man who talks of tasting one! Seven-year-old Savvya Gupta talks of the flavours.
Taste The Colours Of The Rainbow
By Savvya Gupta
I tasted the colours of the rainbow.
Red told me to be slow,
Blue gave me a taste of the sky,
Indigo was very shy.
Yellow was very dear,
Green colour did not fear,
Orange told me to be sweet.
But Violet didn’t want me to eat!
Thirteen-year-old Nazera Sheikh from Dahod, Gujarat misses the rains and the hot snacks that are perfect for the weather and she has put it all in a poem!
Missing The Rains And The Hot Snacks
By Nazera Sheikh
Raindrops falling down
All around.
From high up in the sky
Touching the ground and saying bye.
Missing the rains and the hot snacks,
There is water everywhere
Some say it isn’t fair.
Children come out with their boats
And wear their raincoats,
Throw water on each other
Whether they are friends or neighbours.
Missing the rains and the hot snacks.
Mothers trying new cooking hacks,
We all love eating hot snacks!
Rain rain come again!
How nice! Eleven-year-old Dhriti Keni from Chennai dreams big and wants to follow it to the end.
Following My Big Dreams
By Dhriti Keni
You are the driver of your destiny
Passengers none
Dreams are held deep inside us
Better to fail by faith
Then not do anything by fear
You are a shining star
High in the sky
Glowing like a legend
Following My Big Dreams
Wishes come true
If you work hard
And believe in yourself
Following My Big Dreams
Try and Try
Until your dreams come true
You may fall down
But you have to get up
Show courage and faith
Stories
Aha! Now we start with stories. Nine-year-old Ishani Ghosh, a Bookosmian from Kolkata writes a heartwarming tale of two girls who meet a homeless girl and help her find what she was looking for.
Making An Unexpected New Friend
By Ishani Ghosh
It was new year’s day of 2019.
I woke up, brushed my teeth and went downstairs for breakfast. My parents then surprised me by telling me that my best friend was coming over to celebrate the New Year’s day with us.
When she came over, we had lunch and then after some time, we went to the park. We went on the swings and then to the sandpit.
My parents then took us for a ride on a beautiful white horse called Milky. I went first and had just got off the horse when I noticed a little girl standing near the horse.
She was wearing ragged, torn clothes and was very skinny. My friend got off too. I showed her the girl. She told me that it looked like the girl wanted to ride the horse too but had no money to do so. We both told my parents about the girl.
We asked the people giving rides on the horse and found out that she was poor, homeless and had no parents. We were terribly sorry for her when I got an idea. I told my friend first and then my parents.
I suggested that we talk to my aunt Nora and arrange for the girl to move to her house. My aunt was very lonely. She lived all alone in her house and came to visit us often.
My parents thought it was a great idea and talked to my aunt about it. She was delighted and so was the little girl when we asked her.
We found out that her name was Judy and she immediately said that she would love to live with my aunt.
Now she is living happily with my aunt and is also one of my close friends.
Twelve-year-old P.N. Hitaesh from Chennai imagines a scenario where naughty little dragons play near a volcano.
Adventures Of The Dragon Family
By P.N. Hitaesh
Once there lived a family of dragons named Draco, Mushu and Drogan. Draco was the father, Mushu was the mother and Drogan was their son.
One day, Drogan went to play in the forest with his friends. All dragons were warned not to play near the dangerous volcano but Drogan and his friends were curious so they went there.
As they went there, the volcano erupted! The dragons ran to safety but Drogan, unfortunately, got stuck in a place where his father’s enemy lived.
When Drogan was not home, Mushu and Draco searched but he was not to be seen anywhere. Then Draco’s enemy came and said “Your son is with me. You need to fight with me and my group if you want him back.”
The fight started in the evening and it was a hard fought one. Finally, Draco and Mushu won the fight and Drogan came home.
Ten-year-old Annaya Aggarwal from Delhi tells us a lovely story of three sisters and how the shy sister, Star, finally learnt to express and communicate better.
The Day Star Overcame Her Shyness
By Annaya Aggarwal
Once there were three sisters – Sun, Moon and Star.
Sun and moon were snobbish but popular in their kingdom. Star was shy but kind-hearted and a lovely girl but she wasn’t popular among her people as she hardly spoke.
One day, they got an invite for high tea from their aunt and uncle (Lightning and Thunder). They had never met them and were very excited.
So, when the day came, they got dressed and went in a beautiful carriage to the party. At the party, they were having so much fun that they lost track of time and were late for their dinner with their mother.
At home, their mother Galaxy was getting worried. Soon, she heard the sound of the carriage outside the palace and heaved a sigh of relief.
Mother galaxy thought that her kids would be as hungry as her. So, she asked them to set the dining table but Sun and Moon didn’t care much about their mother’s feelings. They went to sleep but Star saw tears in her mother’s eyes.
She joined her mother at the dinner table and told her all about the party. Her mother was very happy. Star realised that talking about what you feel is not so hard after all!
After that day, Star gained confidence and started helping her mother with work. She made an effort to speak to everyone and soon, she became the town’s favorite princess.
Essays
Time to think of travel? Well, once the world is rid of the pandemic, maybe we can visit this safari park called Kabini.
Let us for the time being find out about what eleven-year-old Yohaan Marda from Kohlapur, saw during his safari.
Meeting A Tiger And Sloth Bear At Kabini Safari
By Yohaan Marda
I was six when we saw this magnificent sloth bear with her cubs. We actually had stopped to see a Brahminy kite. But the sloth bear turned up out of nowhere!
It was an amazing moment and the first time ever that I had seen a sloth bear. Seeing the sloth bear with her cubs was very rare because sloth bears are shy animals and tend not to bring their cubs out so much. As we were seeing the sloth bear, the guide yelled “Tiger! Tiger!”
We all looked around and there she was! We were all very excited. Then as soon as the tiger saw the sloth bear she went charging towards the sloth bear.
This trip to Kabini was a family trip and about 55 of us went. Kabini is a wildlife sanctuary in Karnataka, about 200 kms from Bangalore. It is an amazing place for nature lovers with activities like safari, trekking, boating and plenty of animals and birds to see. We did not expect much when we booked the safari but we were lucky to see these majestic animals. At the time I thought seeing a sloth bear is not a big deal. I thought it was a common animal but how wrong was I!
And now let us move on to the festivals we celebrated in March and early April. First let’s talk of Holi… which was a bit muted for nine-year-old Aarshiya Agarwal from Kolkata because of the pandemic.
An Organic Holi With My Loved Ones
By Aarshiya Agarwal
Holi is a festival of colours.Holi is celebrated because of the death of Holika, Hiranyakashyapu’s evil sister.
She was killed by her nephew, Bhakt Prahlad. Every year according to the Hindu calendar, it is celebrated but on different dates. It is usually celebrated in March in the spring season. One day before the festival, there is a puja or prayer held called Holika Dahan.
On the day of Holi, we play with water and colours. We throw water balloons and put colour on each other. We also play with water guns. After playing, when we go for our bath instead of using soap on our body, we apply a body scrub to get rid of all the colors.
We eat sweets with our friends and family. This year it is going to be my 2nd holi with my little brother. Nowadays, some people make colours which have bad chemicals. These ruin our skin and cause infections and irritations. So that’s why people have started using natural and organic colours.
I celebrated Holi with my parents, little sibling, grand and great grandparents and cousins. This year because of the coronavirus, we were not celebrate fully. I reused my old water guns because it is not safe to buy new ones from outside. I hope you all had a very happy and safe holi!
And the other festival in the time period some countries celebrate frog month, is Easter. Eight-year-old Riddhima Mishra from Kalyan, Maharashtra, tells us more about the festival with rabbits (not frogs) and chocolate eggs!
Why We Celebrate Easter
By Riddhima Mishra
Easter is a festival that is celebrated by Christians all over the world. This festival is always celebrated on Sundays between March 22 and April 25 every year. The festival is also known as Easter Sunday; or resurrection Sunday.
The word, Easter, was derived from the word “Eastra” which means goddess of springs. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ which occurred on the third day after he was crucified on the cross.
Forty days prior to Easter, Christians follow lent, which is supposed to be a period of prayer, penance and fasting. The week before Easter is known as the holy week.
Jewish Christians were the first who celebrated Easter around the middle of the second century in Jerusalem. Churches are specially decorated on Easter day. On this day, prayers are done for the welfare of the whole world in the church. Along with this, candles are lit in the church and at the same time candles are lit in homes.
Chocolate-filled eggs or brightly painted eggs with sweets inside (Easter eggs) are common gifts exchanged on Easter. Churches and homes are decorated with white lilies also known as Easter lilies.
The symbol of Easter is ‘the Easter bunny’ depicted as a rabbit bringing Easter eggs. The day also witnesses lavish feasts and a variety of traditional dishes being cooked and served.
Hope all of you had a happy Easter!
And with that we come to the end of the Bookosmian adventures. Hope you all have a fantastic month. Here is wishing all of you a wonderful start to all your new years in April!
( This section is hosted by Bookosmia)
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