Toka Box India

20/05/2022

May is all about Food🥙🍟🥗at Toka Box - We explore in unique ways with the help of some fabulous children's books👆🏽

We also explore Food origins this month, & how some foods we now consider Indian, infact came from elsewhere! For instance, did you know - the Samosa (a deep fried potato-filled snack) originally called Sambhusaq & was imported from Central Asia! It was infact a meat-based dish, till the potato was introduced by the Portuguese!", as elaborated by Krish Ashok of !

The Toka Junior Book Pick features Tsomo and the Momo written and Illustrated by Niveditha Subramaniam. A mouthwatering story in which the steaming hot momo comes appetisingly alive! Watercolour pencil illustrations softened with subtle brushstrokes conjure up scenes sure to tickle the tastebuds, satisfy hunger pangs and stir up a song.
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Have friends and family outside India who would be interested in a box? Tag them and subscribe now!

www.tokabox.com

20/05/2022

We at Toka Box are thrilled to reveal the cover of a new book by one of our favorite authors, Vaishali Shroff ! Vaishali's 'Batata, Pao and All Things Portuguese' is a new graphic novel for children. It takes the reader on a journey that spans 500 years when India was under Portuguese rule! The book is illustrated by Suha Riyaz Khopatkar.

While we only speak about the British Raj and the Mughal invasion, no one speaks about what happened in India after the Portuguese colonised it.

But people and places in India still remind us of an era gone by. Says Vaishali, "I look around in Mumbai and right from the East Indians to the baobab trees to churches to my favourite vada pavs, all remind me of Portuguese origins. This book serves as an eye-opener for kids who are absolutely unaware of Portuguese India between 1498 and 1961."

Today is May 20 and 524 years ago on this very day, Vasco da Gama first landed in Calicut (now Kozhikode) in Kerala, India. What better day to reveal the cover than on 20 May.

The Portuguese had no idea they would stay in India for over four centuries after arriving at India’s west coast on 20 May 1498. But what exactly happened during that time? Watch places, monuments, ruins, and random objects come to life as you read this book. A caravel recounts Vasco da Gama’s first trip from Lisbon to India. A hidden temple shares how Da Gama met the Zamorin of Calicut. A printing press reminisces how the Portuguese made Goa its headquarters. A cannon describes everything from bloody battles to pristine beaches. A memorial narrates the story of how the Portuguese left India.

But wait! What do batata and pav have to do with their history? What can one see in this bird’s eye view of Estado da India?

Experience and understand history from very different perspectives only to form your own. Join us on this exciting and grand voyage from Portugal to India.

The book is historical fiction and a graphic novel with comics, maps and activities. It is for the 9+ age group and is published by People Place Project, Mumbai. With Vaishali Shroff - Author and The People Place Project.

Readers in India, you can pre-order the copy from the People Place Project website:

https://peopleplace2018.mojo.page/batata-pao-and-all-things-portuguese

27/03/2022

Toka Box was at the FloMont World School Carnival yesterday!

Let's rewind a little. Over the years, we have had many questions if Toka Box ships to India and if we will ever be starting soon.
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While we are not there yet, we did set up our first ever pop-up bookstore in India!

Our editor, Shweta Sharan, was there at FloMont yesterday! It was lovely to see the response from parents and children. Toka Box curates incredible children's titles from South Asia and our collection yesterday is just a preview of the gems we have on our inventory list. Thank you Shahista Ismail and FloMont for giving us the opportunity to take our books to India!

It was a thrill to see so many parents and children, out and about, playing, reading, eating, and shopping. We hope to see you again soon! In the meantime, check out www.tokabox.com and keep buying those books and boxes 😍

12/01/2021

Happy and ! Here are 10 amazing children's books on this wonderful harvest festival. From a picture book about kolams to

https://www.tokabox.com/blog/7-must-read-books-for-pongal-and-makar-sankranti

05/12/2020

We all talk about play as being a great way to sharpen the brain. Pretend play, in particular, is very powerful and often therapeutic. Here's why it is such a great teacher.

https://www.tokabox.com/blog/pretend-play-kids

Pretend play is a powerful tool for children. They love it and underneath the fun, it has such an arsenal of fabulous tools to help a child's personality.

26/11/2020

Is your child on the path to reading chapter books? This is a great pick to start!

In Asha Nehemiah's The Grand Chapati Contest, the king's beloved Chapati Cook leaves to become a holy man, causing the king to become extremely unhappy. The palace tries to find a new cook but no one can live up to the Chief Chapati Cook or can make wonderful chapatis the way he did.

The palace holds the Grand Chapati Contest, promising the winner a grand prize and a position as the Chief Chapati Cook. Many famous cooks come to participate in this contest. Who will win?

We absolutely love this book and all its delightful elements. We love that the queen is a designer and a problem solver. We also love the different kinds of chapati makers, including the elephant! This book entertained my daughter and she read it in one go. It is the perfect book to introduce a child to chapter books because it has illustrations and is longer than a picture book but it isn't a full-fledged chapter book.

https://www.tokabox.com/blog/indian-childrens-picture-chapter-books

19/09/2020

Have you read Perumal Murugan's latest picture book for children? It is called 'Poonachi: Lost in the Forest.' The illustrations by Priya Kuriyan. Here's why we think your child will be drawn to its charm and power.

https://www.tokabox.com/blog/perumal-murugan-poonachi-priya-kuriyan

01/09/2020

We love cats. Toka Box's in-house cat Sammy is his very much his own person, thank you very much, and he heartily approves of Thank God It's Caturday: A Collection of Cool Cat Stories. Published by Red Panda, this is a new collection of fabulous stories that feature cats in different roles.

The book starts with a delightful story, 'Along Came a Wild Thing,' by Lavanya Karthik. Pharaoh Itinramen considers all cats to be 'sneaky and unreliable.' When a rakshasa enters the Pharaoh's kingdom and starts eating the gods, an unlikely person comes to the rescue! We laughed out loud when we read this story and we think it will make a superb read-aloud.

Shabnam Minwalla's 'The Yellow Cat' was also a quick, fun read about the ghost of a yellow cat that is believed to haunt the halls of a school. 'Billo and Her Famous Friends' is partly based on an incident in history. It is narrated by a cat named Billo, who finds herself living with some very famous Indian historical figures! We also loved Vaishali Shroff's lovely story about a cat who finds an unusual friend in a boy named Adi.

There are so many other wonderful stories by famous Indian writers like Neha Singh, Nandini Nayar, Lalita Iyer, Nalini Ramachandran, Nalini Sorensen, Lavanya Karthik and Harshikaa Udasi.

We also love the funny cat puns and jokes that are sprinkled across the book. Our favorite? How is cat food sold? Answer: Purr can!

Read about the book here!
https://www.tokabox.com/blog/indian-childrens-books

19/08/2020

Happy Birthday, Sudha Murty! Last year, Toka Box met Ms. Murthy and spoke about her incredible book, The Gopi Diaries: Coming Home. Here is a picture during our interview. Do check out the book here!

https://www.tokabox.com/products/the-gopi-diaries-coming-home

12/08/2020

Happy ! Don't miss this stunning book on an elephant's disappearing world. Lai With beautiful photographs and a lovely tale that also tells us about deforestation, Lai Lai the Baby Elephant is a bilingual picture book written by the famous wildlife filmmaker, Shekar Dattari.

The author Shekar Dattatri is a wildlife filmmaker with a special fondness for elephants. He has spent a lot of time observing and filming them in the jungle. A beautiful English-Hindi bilingual book that explores the world of wild elephants through stunning photographs and informative text in English and in Hindi, with lovable elephant cartoons.

Like a time machine, this book takes us to view the life of Lai Lai from Day 1 to when he is more than 7 yrs of age. Lai Lai, the cheerful little elephant wanders forests of South India with his mother and aunts, who protect and guide him.

https://www.tokabox.com/blog/lai-lai-the-baby-elephant-tulika

19/07/2020

Rupa Ram is a clever tailor but has one unfulfilled dream! He wants to sew beautiful things for his family too!

The author Srividhya Venkat has adapted this book from a European folktale.

When he receives a gift of a beautiful saafa, Rupa Ram is so excited that he wears it everywhere and wears it off. When the saafa is completely worn out, he realizes he still has some cloth left from the saafa to make his wife a odhni! Out of the Odhni comes a Kurta for his boy and out of the Kurta comes a Gudiya for his girl and what comes out of the Gudiya?

A lovely cumulative story that will work fabulously for read-aloud! We loved learning new Hindi words with the story!

The illustrator Nayantara Surendranath brings in the colors of Rajasthan from colorful bandhinis in yellows, pinks, and blues! I loved how Rupa Ram's wife goes to chai with friends and school and sometimes helps Rupa Ram instead of being depicted as cooking in the kitchen!

Sometimes a little can go a long way is a great message to take away in these times of excess!

16/07/2020

With Raksha Bandhan coming up in August, you should grab this beautiful book by Bhakti Mathur, author of the acclaimed 'Amma' series.

A promise to love and to protect
Is sealed by the special thread of Rakhi.
Learn how this lovey tradition began
With Amma, Klaka and little Kiki.
How Vishnu taught arrogant Bali a lesson;
A story about Indra, the God of lightning.
Learn the power of this special thread and how
Tagore used it to stop brothers from fighting.

26/06/2020

We love nutritious snacks so we give you this filling, yummy, protein-rich recipe for or the Avocado ! Fun fact - we've added steps for your kids to make this with you. Enjoy!

https://www.tokabox.com/blog/avocado-sandwich-toka-chef-recipe

22/06/2020

Mum and Toka Box Founder Preethi Chandrasekar recommends some fabulous books for Father's Day and International Yoga Day. One of her recommendations is a fabulous book by Rabindranath Tagore and a stunning picture book on Yoga that our children absolutely love!

10/06/2020

Da dhin na dha dhin na dhin na-- oh how my daughter and I loved this book by Sandhya Rao, illustrated by Priya Kuriyan and published by Tulika Publishers!

This picture book is about the great tabla maestro Zakir Hussain. It narrates the story of his childhood, his love for music, and his passion for the tabla. We delighted in the illustrations, which perfectly capture Zakir's exuberant style. The picture of little seven-year-old Zakir playing the dhol in a mela near his house, with a mischievous grin plastered on his face -- priceless!

Reading about Zakir and his father/guru, Ustad Allarakha, I was reminded so much of my mother's stories as a Carnatic musician and her anecdotes about her famous gurus.

Zakir and Ustad Allarakha were collaborators in a sense, apart from being guru and shishya. They also shared many happy fun father-son moments, including feasting on treats like dahi batata puri!

I am happy that a picture book can capture such moments and make them accessible to my daughter's generation. Now they can her life too. I must add that we both loved reciting the tabla bols.

Get your hands on this delightful book now!

www.tokabox.com/blog/our-book-picks-this-week

08/06/2020

Be it summer days or weekend breaks, art is one of the best and easiest ways to keep young kids engaged! So, here you have a super fun and easy summer activity to work with patterns - Making your own stamps!

Making your own stamp is very simple, you can get creative with many shapes and as many mediums from acrylic paint and fabric paint to ink and any surface like paper or cloth. Have fun!

https://www.tokabox.com/blog/diy-stamps-fun-activity-summer

05/06/2020

Toka Parent received an advance copy of '10 Indian Champions Who are Fighting to Save the Planet.' Written by Bijal Vachharajani and Radha Rangarajan, this book talks about 10 famous Indian conservationists who work in different ways to save the planet.

My daughter's favorite story from this book is about a conservationist and wildlife buff who does something amazing and unusual to 'draw' attention to the environment. :) Read on to find out!

The book is published by Penguin Random House, India. And Happy Environment Day to you, dear readers!

04/06/2020

When Niyatee Sharma - Children's Author, the author of 'The Tomato Flood,' wrote to me about her book, she introduced it as a 'garden story,' and that immediately drew me in! A garden story sounded charming and different, somehow.

My daughter thought so too, as we sat down to read this beautiful little picture book. She absolutely loved it because of a few interesting reasons. Find out why we think it will be a great book for your preschooler!

https://www.tokabox.com/blog/book-review-the-tomato-flood-tomato-thief

We review two beautiful picture book for preschoolers by Niyatee Parikh Sharma -- The Tomato Thief and The Tomato Flood! Both are part of her exciting and magical Tomato series, garden stories about Veer and his sister Ananya.

13/05/2020

Have you and your kids read 'Grandmother School' by Rina Singh? This picture book is based on the true story of a community of grandmothers in India, courageously fighting the shame of illiteracy and subsequently affirming the life-changing power of education.

Every morning, a young girl walks her grandmother to the Aajibaichi Shala, the school that was built for the grandmothers in her village to have a place to learn to read and write.

The narrator beams with pride as she drops her grandmother off with the other aajis to practice the alphabet and learn simple arithmetic. A moving story about family, women and the power of education, when Aaji learns to spell her name, you'll want to dance along with her!

https://www.tokabox.com/blog/picture-books-on-grandparents

29/04/2020

It is and we love this book by Richa Jha, published by Pickle Yolk Books! 'Dance of the Wild' is a stunning and evocative picture book about a girl, Shilu, who loves to dance naked, much to her grandma's chagrin. But Shilu doesn't see why it's wrong. After all, Pirate the cat doesn't wear clothes. This is a beautiful book that really makes a child come up with positive and individualistic responses to their bodies and their identities!

https://www.tokabox.com/blog/book-review-dance-of-the-wild-by-richa-jha-illustrated-by-ruchi-mhasane

28/04/2020

Dear Parents,

Don't miss our amazing STEAMTASTIC Friday videos. Every week, we work on a simple yet fabulous folk art project. The latest is a Block Printing tutorial. Don't miss it!

27/04/2020

Parenting your child can be a tough balancing act. How much is too much? What about their freedom? This mom has a wonderful way to differentiate between a reaction and a response to a child’s behavior. Read on!

https://www.tokabox.com/blog/parenting-with-toka-making-the-commitment-to-respond-to-conflict

Parenting your child can be a tough balancing act. How much is too much? What about their freedom? This mom has a wonderful way to differentiate between a reaction and a response to a child’s behavior.

21/04/2020

Tomorrow is and we give you 10 wonderful books to read to celebrate this beautiful blue planet that we all love so much!

https://www.tokabox.com/blog/books-to-read-on-earth-day

12/04/2020

Happy ! Have leftover Easter eggs or even plastic eggs? Use them to create a herb garden!

09/04/2020

Happy Hanuman Jayanti! Here are some wonderful children's books on one of our favorite Indian Gods!

https://www.tokabox.com/blog/hanuman-books

02/04/2020

Happy ! Looking for books on the Ramayana? Don't miss this one-of-a-kind bilingual and interactive board book on Rama's story! Plus many other gems. With T4Tales

https://www.tokabox.com/blog/14-childrens-books-ramayana-diwali

24/03/2020

Staying at home does give us the time to get our health back on track. A balanced diet with proper physical activity is the key to good health.

Tell your child all about the food pyramid with Toka Box's wonderful MyPlate, which tells you all about how to select your food.

https://www.tokabox.com/blog/balanced-meal-concept-myplate

23/03/2020

Gudi Padwa is coming up and I am glad we are at home, reading books and staying safe. To keep the reading momentum going, we suggest this beautiful book by Kutuki titled 'New Years of India!' It is simply magical!

https://www.tokabox.com/blog/two-beautiful-new-picture-books-from-kutuki

20/03/2020

It is and Chitra Soundar gives us 5 Fabulous Tips to Storytelling, including how to pick a story and using the ace up your sleeve to hook your listeners. Don't miss this!

https://www.tokabox.com/blog/five-tips-to-fabulous-storytelling

It is World Storytelling Day! Chitra Soundar, the well-known author of the Farmer Falgu series, gives us five tips for fabulous storytelling.

17/03/2020

These are tough times for the world but we can always seek refuge in our children and our families! Work on a beautiful and unusual puzzle Madhubani ! It is both fun and challenging in a great way. Stay safe! .