10 Great Vacation Reads For Children

- by Ramya Pandyan

Much of a person’s attitude to reading depends on the books they’ve experienced,
especially early in life. I was fortunate enough to meet a number of stories, early in my
childhood. I think the best thing my parents ever did for me was to surround me with a
lot of books. They opened up my mind, shaped my thinking and in general, made me a
better person. Here are some stories that kept me happily entertained for hours, in my
growing-up years.

1. One Thousand And One Nights
A Sultan believing that all women are unfaithful, takes a new wife each
night and has her executed the following morning. One of these wives, is
Scheherazade, the daughter of his Vazir, who offers to entertain him by telling
him a story. Her tale intrigues him enough to pardon her for another night,
provided she has another story to tell. And thus begins a ritual where each story
buys Scheherazade another day of life. When she finally runs out of stories,
nearly three years later, the Sultan pardons her and installs her as his queen.
Scheherazade’s stories are compiled as Alif Laila, more popularly known as
the Arabian Nights. The collection includes classics like Ali Baba, Aladdin and
Sindbad. I was also intrigued by stories of the wise Caliph of Baghdad, simple-
minded Abu Sir and his greedy friend Abu Kir and several others. Any child really
should be introduced to the colourful, exotic world of the Arabian Nights.

2. The Just So stories – Rudyard Kipling
I received this short story collection as a gift and I assumed that it had been
given to me as ‘meaningful reading’. So I was pleasantly surprised to find it full of
nuggets like ‘How the leopard got his spots’, ‘How the camel got his hump’, ‘How
the alphabet was made’ and ‘The butterfly that stamped’. What’s more, the
book was interspersed with beautiful illustrations of the stories. Each picture was
accompanied by a caption, half a page long, which described the picture but also
a conspiratorial note from the author on why he drew it in a certain way, what
he was thinking and where the pencil slipped, causing mistakes. This last will
tickle children who are constantly dodging the perfect world of adult admonitions
to ‘stay within the lines’

3. Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne – Upendrakishore Roychoudhury
Upendrakishore Roychoudhury created the tale of two struggling musicians,
ostracized because their music annoys everyone else to distraction. Goopy Gyne
and Bagha Byne, have since crept into contemporary folklore through songs
and dramatic enactments of their stories. Roychoudhury’s vibrant story was later
made into a film by his grandson, the noted film-maker, Satyajit Ray. I found an
English translation of this book, well into my adult years but I immensely enjoyed
meeting Goopy and Bagha.

4. Swami and Friends – R K Narayan
R K Narayan’s tales of a quaint, fictitious little town called Malgudi situated on
the banks of the Cauvery river have charmed Indian audiences for many years.
Those who grew up in the 80s will remember the television series based on
Malgudi Days (featuring Anant Nag). Swami, one of the most popular characters
of R K Narayan’s quaint universe, is a 10-year-old boy growing up in British Raj
India. He dodges bullies in the school playground, leaves a special offering to
God before his examinations, listens to his grandmother’s stories and tries to
avoid school and his father’s scolding. Even with the historical setting, Swami’s
endearing antics make his stories relatable and thoroughly enjoyable.

5. The Wind In The Willows – Kenneth Grahame
A serious Badger, an earnest Mole, a laidback Rat and a troublesome but lovable
Toad are the four characters that make up this funny story of friends. Toad is
the richest of the four and most inclined to fall into problems but never learn
from them. The other three embark on a quest, led by Badger, to reform Toad
of his bratty ways. It’s usually a young children’s book that uses animals as key
characters. However the characters, their relationships, conversations and the
episodes in their lives are so human that this story is extremely relatable, not to
mention entertaining for much older readers.

6. Heidi – Johanna Spyri
From the Swiss Alps, comes the story of Heidi, a five-year-old girl left in the care
of her gruff grandfather. The early chapters of Heidi depict rural life as seen
through the eyes of a child. Later, Heidi is taken to Frankfurt to be a companion
to a rich, crippled girl called Klara. Heidi grows to love Klara but struggles with
the city life, so different from her past. Eventually she returns to her home, her
grandfather and her shepherd friend, Peter. Heidi is a simple tale of childhood,
of friendship, of fear and loss. The beautiful descriptions of the mountains of
Switzerland and the bustle of European cities leave the reader spellbound.

7. Tom Sawyer – Mark Twain
Whether you read this in original or an abridged pocket book (like I did), Tom
Sawyer’s antics will appeal to the little rascal in every one of us. The most
famous anecdote in this young scamp’s story involves Tom convincing other
boys to pay him (in sweets, marbles, knobs, dead insects and other objects of
strange curiosity to the boy-child) for the honor of doing his chores – painting
the house fence. Tom is constantly in trouble with his strict (and harried) aunt,
resents his good-boy brother, falls in love with the new girl in town, defies the
town convention by befriending social outcast Huckleberry Finn (who has a book
of his own), fakes his death and does everything and anything that a naughty boy
possibly could.

8. Tales Of A Fourth Grade Nothing – Judy Blume
Judy Blume writes some of the most popular books for young people today. Her
stories are set in urban/suburban America but have a certain universal appeal
because the stories are about sibling rivalry, playground bullies, school problems
and adolescent friendships. Peter Warren is the narrator of all the ‘Fudge’ books.
In Tales Of A Fourth Grade Nothing, we meet nine-year-old Peter who lives in
New York City with his parents and his younger brother ‘Fudge’ (who Peter says
is his biggest problem). Fudge swallows Peter’s turtle, ruins his school project,
misbehaves in public and embarrasses Peter. Anybody who has ever had a
sibling will relate to Peter’s troubles and love how he approaches life.

9. Pippi Longstocking – Astrid Lindgren
I met Pippi in an excerpt in the Childcraft books. I must have been roughly nine
(Pippi’s age) and my mind was instantly filled with visions of living in a mansion
by myself and having a horse on the back porch just like the young heroine
herself. Pippi loses her mother at birth and then her father, a ship captain is lost
at sea. He leaves her a suitcase full of gold coins, a monkey named Mr.Nelson
and shoes twice her size, for her to grow into. Pippi is also the strongest girl
in the world so she can lift her horse into the dining room when she feels like
company, defeat the strong man in the circus and do many other wonderful
things. But Pippi having spent most of her life at sea, is unfamiliar with local
norms and social customs. A comedy of errors ensues; her adventures followed
by her neighbors Tommy and Anika. The high-spirited Pippi is part super heroine
and part comic relief in her own story which will appeal to young readers of both
sexes.

10. The Little Prince – Antonie St.Exupery
My sole saving grace about the start of school, was a new English textbook.
Among the many memorable stories, I was captivated by a young artist who
drew a picture of a elephant inside a boa constrictor, which was mistaken for a
hat by the adults. Years later, I worked with the college magazine. Its editor, the
Literature professor gifted me this book for my efforts. When I turned the page,
sure enough there was the picture of the elephant within a boa constrictor. In
the story, the child artist becomes a pilot who, on crashing into a desert, meets a
solemn lad who demands that he draw him a sheep. The Little Prince goes on to
regale the author with stories of his own life on a tiny planet with three volcanoes
(which he cleans out meticulously every day), baobab trees and a single rose.
The Little Prince is a class fairytale, layered with many meanings. Read it as a
child and enjoy the sunset world of the Prince. Or read it as an adult when you
need a little perspective on life, love and inspiration.

Also posted at http://ideasmithy.wordpress.com/friends-of-books-10-great-vacation-
reads-for-children

Ideasmith is a pseudonym for Ramya Pandyan, a former number-cruncher, always panipuri-lover and currently a novelist-in-progress. She blogs at The Idea-smithy and XX Factor. Follow her on Twitter at @ideasmithy