Tips on How to Write a Great Book Review

With the boom in book publishing, the availability of diverse kid lit, and the soaring popularity of reading devices like the Kindle, the average parent is often spoilt for choice when it comes to buying quality books for their children. A well-written book review is key to helping someone make a decision on whether they want to buy a book or not. So naturally, it is critical to cover all the important points while writing one. Here are some tips on how to write a good book review.

Don’t summarize the story

This seems to be the most common mistake people make while writing reviews. Very often, especially in children’s books, the stories are so short that summarizing them tends to give away the entire story. The element of surprise still needs to be there for the reader once they buy the book – also, people may not want to buy a book if they know the what happens in the end! Instead, mention in a line or two the premise of the story.  For instance, if you were to review the book Monkeys on a Fast, you would say something along the lines of, “A determined monkey chieftain tries to get his tribe of monkeys to diet in this hilarious story – this story is as much a children’s book as it is a glimpse into the common grown-up preoccupation with resisting carbs”.

Mention other key aspects

Write about other aspects of the book that stood out to you that a reader would not be able to tell just by looking at the thumbnail image of the book’s cover on an online retail store. Did you like the illustrations? Were they done realistically, or does the artist exaggerate the characters for comic effect? What was the typography like? Was it easily readable or a font that looked fancy but was not legible?  Does the font change colour depending on what is being said, and does this help or hinder the reading experience? And is it done with a specific pattern or does it appear to be random? For example, in a review of our book Farmer Falgu Goes to The Market, Kirkus Reviews writes, “…the concise onomatopoeic sounds are in bigger and colour-coded type, which provides additional emphasis and is perfect for read-alouds.”
What is the price point like? Is it too expensive or good value for money? Is it the author or illustrator's debut book? If so, it is worth mentioning that.
If the book is a part of a series, it would be a good idea to mention this as well.

What sets the book apart?

What does this book have that most other books out in today’s market do not? Is there a disabled character in it? Is he or she portrayed with sensitivity yet without being patronizing? Is there a character from a minority community that is not usually represented in children’s literature? Does the story deal with any topics that are taboo in society?

Talk about the book’s cover

Was it eye-catching enough to make you want to pick it up and read it? Yes, like mentioned in the above paragraph, a book’s cover would be visible to anyone who sees the book in an online retail shop. But you have the added benefit of having read the story, so you can judge the cover based on that. Does it give you an idea about the tone or mood of the story? Is it a fitting cover or does it give a skewed idea about what the book is about? Is it a hardback or a paperback? In rare cases some books have two covers if it is a two-way book. Mention this and how the covers differ from each other. 

The writing

Naturally, one of the most important parts of any book. But rather than describe the writing as ‘good’, ‘bad’ or ‘marvellous’, elaborate on what you enjoyed about the writing. Does the story flow well or does it have random jumps to different scenes? Is it written in prose or in verse? Does the level match the age group it is targeted at or is it far too simple or far too advanced?

Avoid superlatives

And lastly, try to avoid saying things like ‘this is my favourite book’. A person reading your review would not know what kinds of books you like or what your taste in books is for it to be your favourite book. Describe what you like about the book instead. For instance, “…the watercolours that are mostly in pastel shades lend the illustrations a gentle, peaceful quality.” If it is your favourite story, you can make it a starred review, or give it 5 stars on 5, rather than explicitly say so.

Fresh, Yet Familiar: Tanvi P.S.’s Tryst With Karadi Tales

Tanvi P.S. interned with Karadi Tales in the month of December 2017.

It was on a bright, cozy December morning that I stepped into a quaint building to see a big cut-out of a brown, cheerful bear smiling at me, pointing towards glass doors that held behind them an array of books. From all these books, the same kind-natured Karadi beamed at me. It was as if I had stepped into a new tale, with an old friend.

Picture a young child holding a book in her hand, waiting to read along with a bear that told her stories through a cassette. I was this child when I was around 7 years old. I loved Karadi Tales’ audio books. Sometimes, I even had an itinerary ready for when I came back from school: first I would read The Blue Jackal, then The Four Friends, and then save my favourite for the last, The Monkey and the Crocodile. As you can surmise, my childhood was built on a steady diet of fables and fantastic music, courtesy of this musical bear.

With every audio book that I picked up, I started off on a brand new journey. I would elatedly sing and dance along as soon as ‘Karadi the Bear’ welcomed me to his jungle. I would wait eagerly for the ‘tak-tadak’ sound that told me it was time to turn pages and let the story unfold. What a glorious twenty minutes I had with every new tale!

Now, over fifteen years later, after joining Karadi Tales as an intern, when I was asked to pick a book and reflect on my journey with Karadi, my hands immediately reached out to pick up The Monkey and The Crocodile. It has been a long time since I last read (and listened to) this audio book adaptation of the Panchatantra classic, but by the second page I was humming along as the story serenaded me. I found that Ratna Pathak Shah’s evil cackling as the cunning crocodile, Mrs. Jagged Jaws, still sent chills through my spine.

After all this time, Karadi Tales still manages to awaken that little kid in me by bringing together two of my passions – music and stories. All these years I only marvelled at the magic of the books, but now I get to glimpse the magic that goes into their making.  It’s been less than a week since my internship began. However, seeing that my days are filled with working on children’s books, and the road ahead seems tremendously promising. Dear Karadi, thank you for the journey so far. Here’s to many more days spent reading and listening to your wonderful stories. 

Flapping Fins with Lavanya Karthik

When Lavanya Karthik was a little kid, all she wanted to do was make up stories and draw pictures. Now that she's a slightly bigger kid, that is pretty much all she does. She lives in Mumbai, where she writes and illustrates children's book and takes a lot of naps. She also makes comics and writes speculative fiction for adults. For Karadi Tales, she wrote and illustrated The Lion’s Feast, as well as our newest title, Fly, Little Fish!

 
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What inspired you to write Fly, Little Fish?

My own efforts at writing, drawing and long-distance running, actually.  But it applies to pretty much anything you love enough to want to get better at, right? You never stop trying, however impossible the task might seem, or how slowly you seem to be progressing. You keep flapping your fins, keep jumping . . .

How did you get into writing for children?

I was always a voracious reader, and I’ve been writing stories and doodling pictures for as long as I can remember. So even as a kid, I remember wanting to be a writer when I was older. But it wasn’t until I became a parent that I started taking those childhood dreams seriously. I started with writing down the little stories and rhymes I made up for my daughter, then began sending them out to various publishers of children’s books.  I also began illustrating children’s books, which was, and remains, a terrific learning experience. After a lot of failed attempts (or, should I say, flapping of fins) my book The Lion’s Feast was published by Karadi Tales.

In addition to writing and illustrating children’s books, you write comics and speculative fiction for adults. Do you find the process of writing for adults and children very different? If so, why?

I see it less as writing for a specific age group, than as telling a story the best way I can. So, the process is much the same – endless writing and rewriting (or redrawing), ruthless editing, more writing, much wringing of hands, pulling of hair and eating of chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate. And eventually, it’s done.

What do you like to read? Did you have a favourite picture book as a child?

I read everything- books of every kind, street signs, bus tickets, labels on pickle jars. You never know where your next idea could come from! But the genres I read the most are middle-grade and YA fiction. I don’t think the concept of picture books even existed way back when I was a kid – in fact, I probably did not see a picture book until I became a parent myself. What I do recall being very attached to was a stack of beautifully illustrated books from the erstwhile USSR, including the classic, When Daddy was a Little Boy by Alexander Raskin. 

Finally, could you give us any hints about what you’re working on at the moment?

I am currently working on a picture book for Karadi Tales, and the third instalment of the ‘Ninja Nani’ series published by Duckbill. Meanwhile, simmering slowly on the backburner is a middle grade fantasy set in a little town in the Himalayas.

With Flying Colours

One of our newest titles is Fly, Little Fish!, a charming little tale by Lavanya Karthik about an intrepid little fish who wants to explore the skies. Ashwathy P.S. took on the challenge of illustrating this story in a unique style inspired by Indian folk art, and helped give Little Fish her colourful, unique personality! Here’s a short interview with Ashwathy, where she discusses her experience with illustrating for Karadi Tales.

Ashwathy P.S. is an artist and graphic designer, who graduated from Stella Maris College with a degree in Fine Arts.

You can find Fly, Little Fish! on our website here: https://karaditales.com/catalogue/picture-books/fly-little-fish/

And One Dark Cloud here: https://karaditales.com/catalogue/picture-books/one-dark-cloud/

KARADI TALES: When did you first realize you wanted to be an artist and designer?

ASHWATHY P.S.: My penchant for art developed at a very early age — as a child I would sketch random things and find inspiration everywhere. Even in school I loved doing all sorts of arts and crafts, much more than studying other subjects. My art teacher from school was a great influence. He’s the one who made me realise that I could do something in this field and create something of my own as an artist or designer.

KT: What medium do you prefer working with?

APS: I prefer oils any day. I love blending and mixing colours. Oil is not a very easy medium, but once you get the hang of it, you will fall in love. My second favourite is photo ink. The bright colours just make me happy.

KT: Is there any particular artist who inspires you, or who has had a big influence on you?

APS: I find inspiration in many places. Whether it’s a work by a 10-year-old or by Picasso I find something to take back with me. As I mentioned earlier, my art teacher has also been a big influence. Four years of art history in college also exposed me to so many different art movements that have left an impact.

KT: You worked on the counting book One Dark Cloud for Karadi Tales. What was this experience like?

APS: Working as a junior graphic designer for a publishing house like Karadi is a dream come true. One Dark Cloud was a whole new experience and my first ever collage book. This book was made entirely by cutting and pasting different kinds of materials, ranging from cloth to different textured papers, depending on the feel of the elements portrayed. Figuring out what material works where and painting the first few background layers was time consuming. Working on this book was an exercise in learning more about different materials and how to conceptualize different elements of the book. It also made me think like a child, and wonder about how a child would imagine all of these. This book was designed completely in-house with the assistance of our intern, Anusha Sundar. Overall, it was a fun-filled experience of learning and exploring different mediums.

We made a tactile version of this book as well, which made it to the top 10 of the National Tactile Book Competition, Typhlo and Tactus.

KT: Tell us about the illustrations in your upcoming release Fly, Little Fish!

APS: Fly, Little Fish! is technically my third book for Karadi (the first being Karadi Rhymes 3). Our publisher asked me, quite unexpectedly, to sketch a fish in the Gond (an Indian folk art) style. When I showed her my work, she really liked the style and the way I conceptualized the fish. She asked me to illustrate the book using a storyboard that had been created by the illustrator Satwik Gade.

I took over from the story board and started my work, spread by spread. The art from Fly, Little Fish! is inspired by the Gond style, an ancient art form that emerged from central India. It is characterized by fine lines, dots and dashes. The illustrations in this book use this technique along with bright acrylic colours. Every element in this book is hand drawn and hand painted. Little Fish is my favourite character, and it will always be close to my heart.