BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

                                 BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

Children’s literature consists of an exciting and wide range of books, published and written especially for young readers. In the years before printing was invented, people ‘heard’ stories from good story-tellers, because there were no books. They retold these stories to their young ones in the form of lullabies, songs, nursery rhymes or ballads.

One of the first picture books for children was a textbook in Latin called the Visible World in Pictures.

In 1697, a collection of eight stories was published for children in France. Of these eight, ‘Cinderella’, ‘Puss in Boots, ‘The Sleeping Beauty’, and ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, were greatly loved by all.

In 1860, an English painter by the name of Edward Evans brought out children’s books with illustrations in color. These books were known as ‘Toy Books’ as they were a collection of nursery rhymes made for the very young. 

Given blow is a list of some of the best books which are recommended for 10-11 year old children.

Annie and the Old One: An Indian girl tries to prevent her grandmother’s death and learns a beautiful lesson.

The House of Sixty Fathers: The valiant search of a small boy and his pet pig for his family in war ravaged China.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH: Rats learn to read, write and think in the course of a laboratory experiment. 

Dragonwings: A young Chinese Boy helps his father to build a flying machine.

James and the Giant Peach: Young readers are transported to fantasy land inside a peach, with the hero of the story, James.

Pippi Longstocking: the adventures of a 9-year-old girl who lives with a monkey and a horse.

The Wind in the Willows: A humorous tale of river life.

A Wrinkle in Time: Three youngsters are transported to a remote planet.

 

WHY IS CHINESE WRITING SO UNIQUE?

WHY IS CHINESE WRITING SO UNIQUE?

MAN=人	FOREST= 森林	MOUNTAIN=月亮
	BRIGHT=亮
SUN=太阳	WIFE= 妻子	TIGER=虎
MOON=月亮	GOOD=好	TREE=樹
1.    The Chinese written language is not based on alphabets as used in English and other languages of the world. It is also not based on the sounds of the spoken language.
2.   Instead, it is based on pictures or characters. Each written word has its own special sign called an ideograph. This system of writing has been used throughout China for many thousands years, and it is understood by the Chinese in all parts of the world.
3.   There are more than 40,000 different characters. All these characters are not often used. However, in order to read a newspaper, a person must be aware of at least 3000 to 5000 characters.
4.   Attempts have been made by the Chinese Government to make the written language simpler. They have adopted a system of making the characters easy to write, by reducing the strokes that are required to write them.
5.    The use of alphabets as in the English language has also been introduced.
6.   School children these days; learn both the characters as well as the alphabetic spellings of a word.
7.   Mandarin Chinese is the official language of China. Many Chinese leaders are of the opinion that once everyone in China speaks the official language, the use of characters will be done away with. However, it has its disadvantages because, then, nobody will be able to read the language of Ancient China.

VOLCANOES

                                                          VOLCANOES

           The mantle of the Earth contains molten rock known as magma. Since the pressure inside the Earth is very high, the molten magma and gases are sometimes forced to escape through cracks or openings on the Earth’s crust. Such cracks or openings form volcanoes.

           Volcanoes are usually in the form of conical mountains. The molten magma and gases escape through a vertical tunnel called a vent. Once the magma reaches the Earth’s surface, it is called lava. The bursting of the magma from the vent is called an eruption. As the lava flows, it cools down and hardens to form solid rock. When it hardens around a vent in the shape of a hollow bowl, it forms crater.

Depending on the nature of their eruption, volcanoes can be either extinct, dormant or active.

TOUCAN BIRD FACTS

                             TOUCAN BIRD 

1. Toucans are members of the family Ramphastidae of near passerine birds from the Neotropics. The Ramphastidae family is most closely related to the American barbets.

2. The toucan’s oversized, brightly marked and colorful bill has made it one of the world’s most popular birds.

3. Toucans are native to Southern Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean region. They generally live in tropical and sub-tropical regions.
Toucans nest n tree holes. They usually have two to four eggs each year.
They are primarily frugivorous (fruit eating), but are opportunistically omnivorous and will take prey such as insects and small lizards.

4. Their bodies are short (of comparable size to a crow’s) and compact. The tail is rounded and varies in length, from half the length to the whole length of the body.

5. The neck is short and thick. The wings are small, as they are forest-dwelling birds who only need to travel short distances. 

6. The toucan’s bill is very light, being composed of bone struts filled with spongy tissue of keratin between them. But the toucan’s bill is useful as a feeding tool.