Chitra Soundar

Four wry new trickster tales from the creators of Mangoes, Mischief, and Tales of Friendship draw on Hindu mythology and the rich tradition of Indian folktales. Clever Prince Veera and his best friend, Suku, are back in a vibrant new collection of stories riddled with surprises. When the prince's great uncle, Raja Apoorva, invites the boys to the summer festival in Peetalpur, Prince Veera and Suku are excited to compete in the games. It's no easy feat to make the peahen sing (when peahens can't sing) or defeat the country's champion wrestler, but Raja Apoorva's riddles prove the ultimate test of the boys' wit and wisdom. Who owns the tree that provides the palace figs? What intruder dared pull the Raja's beard? And what are the secrets of the holy man and the astronomer? Packed with glorious trickster tradition, wise-cracking dialogue, and gemlike illustrations, these festive tales of two fast-thinking friends will captivate readers of all ages.

Big Cat Phonics for Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised has been developed in collaboration with Wandle Learning Trust and Little Sutton Primary School. It comprises classroom resources to support the SSP programme and a range of phonic readers that together provide a consistent and highly effective approach to teaching phonics. Reese has lost her glow, and she has no idea how to find it! She's looked high and low, from the woods to the sea, and still this fairy can't shimmer like her other friends can. But she won't give up ! Follow Reese in this magical adventure and help her find her glow, it might have always been closer than she imagined…

Big Cat Phonics for Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised has been developed in collaboration with Wandle Learning Trust and Little Sutton Primary School. It comprises classroom resources to support the SSP programme and a range of phonic readers that together provide a consistent and highly effective approach to teaching phonics. All Whiskers can think about is the mouth-watering cheesy smell coming from Stilton Castle. Watch as this ingenious mouse overcomes the obstacles in her path to reach the cheese with the help of her donkey friend, Barley. Will she manage to tuck into that tempting cheese or will the giant who lives in the castle catch her red-handed? Find out in this nail-biting adventure!

In this Indian folktale, a young turtle shares a shallow lake with unlikely friends--two geese. But when the lake starts drying up, the stubborn turtle must follow his winged friends' advice, or he'll be left out to dry. With clever text and easy-to-follow panels, Discover Graphics: Global Folktales are perfect for graphic novel fans new and old.

Tara and her best friend, Farida, are experts at the traditional Indian game of Pallanguzhi. But when Tara's family relocates to the UK, Tara has to say goodbye to her best friend. Who shall she beat at Pallanguzhi now? As Appa and Amma get the new home ready, Tara and her brother check in to a weekend retreat, Camp Wilderness. Wow. Do Tara's parents even know who she is? She's more what you'd call an indoorsy person, with her love of coding and maths. To distract herself from all the trees and animals and general wildlife - shudder - she sets out to find a new friend. No one can ever replace Farida, but Tara's determined to find someone almost as awesome. This is the perfect opportunity to test her Friendship Theorem! Maths has never let Tara down before - surely it can help now? But as Tara applies her theorem at Camp Wilderness, could she miss a friendship that is blossoming right under her nose?

"Soundar's clear, concise text provides an excellent introduction to Holi and its significance, as well as a beautiful story about love and forgiveness, making it a great choice for reading alone or sharing with family."--BooklistCelebrate the Hindu festival of colors.Gauri is excited to splash colors on everyone for Holi. But when she doesn't get her favorite color, Gauri gets mad. Will she find a way to overcome her anger and join in the festivities?

In this Indian folktale, a young turtle shares a shallow lake with unlikely friends--two geese. But when the lake starts drying up, the stubborn turtle must follow his winged friends' advice, or he'll be left out to dry. With clever text and easy-to-follow panels, Discover Graphics: Global Folktales are perfect for graphic novel fans new and old.

This story is part of Reading Champion, a series carefully linked to book bands to encourage independent reading skills, developed with Dr Sue Bodman and Glen Franklin of UCL Institute of Education (IOE)Reading Champion offers independent reading books for children to practise and reinforce their developing reading skills.Fantastic, original stories are accompanied by engaging artwork and a reading activity. Each book has been carefully graded so that it can be matched to a child's reading ability, encouraging reading for pleasure.

In this traditional tale from India, the mice and the elephants discover that size is no barrier to friendship after one of the elephants falls into a hunter's trap...This story is part of Reading Champion, a series carefully linked to book bands to encourage independent reading skills, developed with Dr Sue Bodman and Glen Franklin of UCL Institute of Education (IOE)Reading Champion offers independent reading books for children to practise and reinforce their developing reading skills.Fantastic, original stories are accompanied by engaging artwork and a reading activity. Each book has been carefully graded so that it can be matched to a child's reading ability, encouraging reading for pleasure.Perfect for readers aged 5-7 or those reading at book band purple.

Far away, across the deep seas and the tall mountains, there is a little kingdom called Samanpur. In the kingdom there lived a prince called Prabir and a poor boy called Arup. Prince Prabir had everything a boy could want, and yet he was unhappy. But then Arup hears of the queen's competition to cheer up the unhappy prince, and the big reward that comes with it! But how will he come up with something to impress a royal prince? All he has is a broken kite and a mouse from a wise man... A Kite for a Prince is part of the Astro range from Rising Stars Reading Planet. Astro books are ideal for struggling and reluctant readers aged 7-11. Each book is dual-banded so that children can improve their fluency whilst enjoying exciting fiction and non-fiction relevant to their age. Astro books for Earth/White band are also highly-decodable so ideal for extra phonics practice. Reading Planet books have been carefully levelled to support children in becoming fluent and confident readers. Each book features useful notes and questions to support reading at home and develop comprehension skills.Interest age: 8-9 Reading age: 6-7 years

Book Band: Grey, ideal for ages 8+An exciting detective story from Chitra Soundar, author of over 50 children’s books in the UK, India and the US.Sindhu and Jeet are the best detectives in town: they solve all their cases with a dollop of observation, a dash of imagination and a whole load of legwork. And when they travel from India to England for a holiday, the detective work doesn’t stop! This page-turning story is accompanied by black-and-white illustrations by Amberin Huq.The Bloomsbury Readers series is packed with book-banded stories to get children reading independently in Key Stage 2 by award-winning authors like double Carnegie Medal winner Geraldine McCaughrean and Waterstones Prize winner Patrice Lawrence. With engaging illustrations and online guided reading notes written by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), this series is ideal for home and school. For more information visit www.bloomsburyreaders.com.'Any list that brings together such a quality line up of authors is going to be welcomed … Bloomsbury Readers are aimed squarely at children in Key Stage 2 and designed to support them as they start reading independently and while they continue to gain confidence and understanding.' Books for Keeps

In these four interlinked stories about Nikhil and Jay and their family, there's always fun and mischief. Grandad and Granny come to visit from India and show the boys that the best way to eat mangoes is in the bath! There's a Star Birthday for Nikhil, with a special Indian Feast. Another day the family all go for a banana picnic in the park. Everyone is sad when it's time for Granny and Grandad to go back to India, but Nikhil and Jay promise to send letters and pictures. The Nikhil and Jay stories are perfect for children moving on from picture books to longer stories, helped by Soofiya's lively and characterful illustrations.

In these four interlinked stories about Nikhil and Jay and their family, there's always fun and mischief. Jay wants to do things by himself on his birthday, but sharing with Nikhil turns out to be more fun. They all go to visit Grandad and Nana, but where is the story dragon? Then it's Pancake Day, the day when Amma makes yummy dosa, Indian pancakes. And last but not least, Nikhil and Jay help to lead a campaign to save their local library from closing. The Nikhil and Jay stories are perfect for children moving on from picture books to longer stories, helped by Soofiya's lively and characterful illustrations.

Book Band: Gold (Ideal for ages 6+)A funny, magical story, ideal for children practising reading at home or in school.Manju's stuck at home and she is BORED. Looking for entertainment, she summons the genie. When he turns up with a terrible cold, the genie can't hear any of Manju's wishes properly and his magic is even more strange than usual. Can Manju help him sort out the muddle? The characters from Manju's Magic Wishes return in this quirky comedy from Chitra Soundar, perfect for Key Stage 1 (KS1) children who are learning to read by themselves. It features illustrations from Verónica Montoya and hilarious mishaps that children will love._______________Bloomsbury Young Readers are the perfect way to get children reading, with book-banded stories by brilliant authors like Julia Donaldson. The series is ideal for both home and school, with gorgeous colour illustrations, tips for parents, and fun activity ideas. Online guided reading and teaching notes, written by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), are available at bloomsburyreaders.com. 'Every child needs a Bloomsbury Young Reader.' - Julie-Ann McCulloch, Teacher

This story is part of Reading Champion, a series carefully linked to book bands to encourage independent reading skills, developed with Dr Sue Bodman and Glen Franklin of UCL Institute of Education (IOE)Reading Champion offers independent reading books for children to practise and reinforce their developing reading skills.Fantastic, original stories are accompanied by engaging artwork and a reading activity. Each book has been carefully graded so that it can be matched to a child's reading ability, encouraging reading for pleasure.

This story is part of Reading Champion, a series carefully linked to book bands to encourage independent reading skills, developed with Dr Sue Bodman and Glen Franklin of UCL Institute of Education (IOE)Reading Champion offers independent reading books for children to practise and reinforce their developing reading skills.Fantastic, original stories are accompanied by engaging artwork and a reading activity. Each book has been carefully graded so that it can be matched to a child's reading ability, encouraging reading for pleasure.