Story books for children

Persuading children to put down the TV remote and to pick up a book can be a tiresome and often heart-breaking task. In the age of video games, television, and the Internet, trying to get children interested in reading, is extremely difficult. However, it is very important for children to be introduced to books at an early age. After all, it is probably one of the best habits that a child can develop.

Everyone has their own tastes and preferences when it comes to literature. So it would be unfair to enforce upon a child, who enjoys comedy and humor, a very serious and somber book. It might even deter them from developing their reading habit. So choosing a good book is important. Here are some ideas about books that children might enjoy.

I was first introduced to the world of literature through Ladybird books. This wonderfully illustrated series is an absolute gem. The timeless tales are written in clear, concise language. Fairytales are always a favorite amongst youngsters, and the Ladybird books feature many well-known fairytales. The Ladybird series has story books for children of all ages.

Comic books are often looked down upon and many people do not even consider them to be proper books. However, if you are trying to arouse interest in a child, comic books are definitely going to get you positive results. Some of my favorite childhood books include comics such as "Tintin" and "Asterix". Comic books are colorful, engaging and humorous. It is perfect for children who love to read but need a little help with their creativity and imagination. There are a variety of comic books available in the market for children of all ages.

Every child is familiar with Disney's cartoons and characters such as Bambi and Snow-White. Children will love the Disney's cartoon story books. They are illustrated with actual scenes from the cartoons and are written in simple, lucid English. The stories are well-known and the little ones will simply adore the bright images of their favorite characters.

When it comes to children's literature, Enid Blyton is the undoubted Queen. She has written an enormous number of books for children. Her "Famous Five" and "Secret Seven" books have captured the hearts of millions of children worldwide. For younger readers she has written books such as "The Fly-Away Cottage" and "The Enchanted Forest". If it were somehow possible to materialize pure enjoyment, it would surely come in the form of an Enid Blyton story book!

And finally, I am afraid I have to mention Harry Potter. There is simply no denying the fact that Harry Potter is the latest craze amongst children across the globe. If nothing else will convince a child to read, Harry Potter will surely do the trick. These books are surprisingly very popular amongst children of all ages. I have seen youngsters, who can barely read, trying to decipher a Harry Potter book. It is also widely read by older children and the books definitely have something for everyone to enjoy.

By Ayesha S. Mahmud

Independence day quiz competition at Radiant International School

Radiant International School, Dhaka recently organised a special Independence Day Intra-School Quiz Competition on the occasion of the Independence Day 2005. The competition was held on 27th and 28th March with the active cooperation of students, teachers and the school staff.

Though the actual competition was to be held on 27th and 28th March, the whole school started throbbing with activity right from the first week of March. After a month long preparations and waiting the day at last arrived. The competition was divided into four rounds -- i.e. Qualifying Round, Quarterfinal Round, Semi-Final Round and the Final Round. There were twelve teams initially, all having the names of different colours. From among them finally eight teams qualified for the Quarterfinal Round. The Quarter Final was held between groups of two teams chosen at random and out of which four teams succeeded in reaching the Semi-Final Round. The Semi-Final was a tough round and the two teams having been eliminated were just as good as the two teams qualifying for the finals.

At last the Final Round was held between the Green and Indigo teams, and at the end of the day the team Green emerged as the champions. The members of this team were Rounak Siffat, Mehrab Zahid from class VIII and Tanzeem Hossain from class VI.

The Qualifying and the Quarterfinal rounds were held on 27th March and Semi-Final and the Final rounds were held on 28th March. At the end of the competition both the winners and the runners-up were applauded and congratulated by the whole school. The Vice Principal Mrs. Shaheda Sohail accompanied by a number of other teachers helped the students organise the said quiz competition at her own initiative. The quizmaster of the competition was Rafiqul Momen. A group of active volunteers also helped to make the event a success. When asked about the outcome of the event, the Vice Principal enthusiastically replied that without even knowing all the students learned a great deal about their country, what they had not learnt from 45-minute long History or Geography classes. They learnt it all in the heat of the moment in order to win to competition.

The best part was that a number of foreign students also took part in the competition and they also learnt a lot of facts about the country they are staying in currently. She also added that this is the best way to make students learn without making them aware of what they are going to learn. So, she is going to try this method more frequently with new themes every month at our school, which is indeed worth appreciating.

By Pushpita Saha
Boisakhi mela at Scholastica

Scholastica has a long tradition for organizing and presenting large-scale and colorful events, which usually enjoy massive turnouts. This time the management, teachers and the students of Scholastica organized a Boishakhi Mela to celebrate the starting of the Bangla New Year, 1412. Once again, as is usual with many Scholastica events, this was a charity affair. All the proceedings obtained from the mela were donated to the Society for the Welfare of the Intellectually Disabled (SWID Bangladesh) & the Ahsania Mission Cancer Hospital.

The mela was held at the Senior Section in Uttara and students only from Class V to XII were invited. The mela was divided into two sessions, the first one was for the students of Class V to VII and the second session for the senior students. Begum Zakiuddin inaugurated the first session while Ms. Suraiya Murshed inaugurated the second one.

The entrance gate was decorated with colorful flowers, artwork and various handmade objects so as to recreate a Noboborsho mela. Inside the building all the classrooms were transformed into stalls adorned with various collections of objects that you would not find in a usual Boishaki Mela. Amongst the stalls the most crowded ones were the Games stalls which the organizers furnished with PS2, X-BOX and even PC games.

After the games stalls, the food stalls were the main attraction. All types of food were available in the stalls starting from 'Panta Bhat and Bhorta' to brownies and pastries that were equally a great treat to the taste buds. The teachers were more attracted towards the boutiques and those stalls selling decorative objects.

The most talked-about events of the mela were the cultural show and the magic show in which both the teachers and the students participated. In the cultural shows the students and teachers sang some of the famous Bangla songs of Boishakh while the dancers mesmerized the audience with their awesome folk and classical dances. But the magic show proved to be the event of the day as Fahim and Fahmid Chowdhury allured the audiences with their magical tricks. While the audiences enjoyed every bit of the tricks, they showed little interest in learning about the history of magic that the show's host shared with the audience at intervals in the magic show. The magic show came to an end with Fahmid's solo musical performance where he sang some well-known pop songs of contemporary Bangla bands.

The raffle draw was the last event of the day where prizes were handed to the winners that made their Noboborsho celebrations even better. All in all this was a great day for all the Scholasticans since they had the opportunity to observe the beginning of the New Year in such a wonderful and safe environment.

By Sudipto Bari

Ode to Boishak

Ever since we were born we have heard of 'Pohela Boishakh' (the first of the month of Boishakh) the investiture of the New Year in our native calendar. We have seen people celebrate the inauguration (14th of May) in boisterous crowds, singing and dancing; the women dress themselves in white saris saturated with broad red borders and decorate their hair with fragrant and attractive flowers while the men wear kurtas and pajamas. And although we may not celebrate 'Pohela Boishakh' as extravagantly and enthusiastically as our older generation, we have come to acknowledge and accept the significance of the event in our lives, celebrating it in our own respective manners.

Although the 'Pohela Boishakh' presents an opportunity for the hardworking people in our society to take a break from everyday life and enjoy themselves for a change, it holds a far more important position in our culture, inaugurating the birth of a new year with a reason for everyone to start over anew. Boishakh bears witness to spring, flaunting ethereal flowers and trees and birds and extravagant butterflies that contribute to that perfect environment, the manifestation of Mother Nature's best. Further more the month heralds the imminence of the KALBAISHAKHI, a tropical storm preceding monsoon that brings happiness and purification into the hearts of numerous people emancipating them from the scorching heat of the sun. Although to most people, the KALBAISHAKHI is just a reason to have fun in the cool and refreshing rain and scramble around in the aftermath, underneath a flamboyant rainbow to collect mangos that have fallen during the course of the storm, to others such as farmers, the rain brings new hope and rekindles old ones as it naturally irrigates their fields leading to bumper harvests and some good months' food in advance on their tables.

Boishakh brings a sense of awakening and hope among us all, helping us imagine better times and perspire towards their fulfillment. A month that injects happiness and ecstasy to the hearts of all kinds of people, rich or poor, providing them with incentives to move forward in life fighting the various obstacles in their path to achieve a more rewarding and better living, for the present and for future generations to follow.

By paper/plastic