For the first time, this year, I published my children’s book, Tales from the History of Mathematics. It was a work of love and I enjoyed the process of writing for children. This also inspired me to read many new Children’s books. I could always make the excuse that I was buying it for the kids and that I was reading it out to them. Let me show you some of the books that we enjoyed reading this year:

• Muezza and Baby Jaan – Stories from the Quran by Anita Nair

My husband and I took a conscious decision that we would expose the children to all religions and allow them to discover the unity among them all. While there are numerous books on Hinduism and Christianity, there are not many available on Islam or Buddhism that would connect and resonate with them. Anita Nair has filled this gap by writing this excellent book.

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid – The Meltdown

I can hear your sneers. “Wimpy Kid? That’s not good even for kids and you are reading it!” I can hear you. My elder son loves Wimpy Kid and he pounces on every new one. Initially, after reading the words potty and fart, I was apprehensive about allowing him to read it. Then, I thought that I was being a snob and I should allow him to read whatever he desires as long as he gives other genres and authors a shot too. Recently, when I was in a low phase, I picked up one of the Wimpy kids and within a few minutes, I was laughing my head off. From then on, I’m a staunch Wimpy Kid fan and all your snobbish sneers do me no harm.

• The Shocking Story of Electricity

My elder son is fascinated with science, scientists and technology. He picks up many non-fiction books and reads and rereads them many times. The Horrible Science and Horrible History series are his favourite. Recently, we picked up this one and I loved the paper quality, the amazing and funny illustrations and how the narration is easily readable and entertaining.

• The Puffin Treasury of Modern Indian Stories

This anthology has some stellar contributors like Paro Anand, R. K. Narayan, Satyajit Ray, Vikram Seth, Premchand, Ruskin Bond, Kalpana Swaminathan and many others. There is humour, fantasy, drama, fable and so many different genres and styles in this collection.

• Krishna Loves You

The last book that I wanted to show you is the one closest to my younger son’s heart. I’m fond of Lord Krishna and both my sons have ‘Krishna’ in their names. So, I bought this book on a whim just because the title and cover have Krishna on them. Amazingly, my little one fell in love with the rhyme form in the book and he finds it calm and soothing. So, I’m often asked to read this out loud to him. It is actually a good bedtime read.