Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav

Dr Abha Dixit - Professor
Lucknow, India

My compliments to the author for developing rich and novel content in an area that still lies underexplored. With so little information available on body language in the Indian context, I can imagine how much hard work
would have gone into creating a book like this. This book is beautifully crafted in terms of quality content and relevance in the current context.

Sanskriti Singh
Founder - Bluesparrow Science & Principal - Gyan Peethika School

Dr Monica Khanna’s new book ‘Kyra’s Return Flight’ dwells deeper into the age-old societal challenges of colour differentiation amongst humans. Through a simple life story of a crow, she brings to the front the problem that we have of self-pity and self-doubt that dark coloured people face through the generations. As a school principal, I definitely recommend Monica’s books in all school libraries and encourage parents to share a copy with their kids.

Zarin Virji
Principal Universal School, Tardeo, Mumbai

Katie Bagli has two interests, nature and children. She has two talents, writing and drawing. As a story teller, she engages children with her colourful puppets and other visual aids, bringing to life the characters in her books.

Kainaz Jussawalla
Best-selling author, Celebrity Talk Show Host and
Columnist

‘Sunny Side Up’ is a delightfully wicked book! A complete treat for kids of all shapes, sizes and taste; those who fuss around their meals and those who devour their food. A visual treat for the eyes that moistened my curiosity palate, as I turned each page to follow Sunny’s exciting culinary adventures. An astonishing finale, that enhanced some beautiful childhood memories.

Meghna Pant
Author and Journalist

‘Sunny Side Up’ authored by Dr Monica Khanna is a slice of delight with just the right bite.

Usha Iyer
Professor of Film and Media studies, Stanford University, USA

Kyra’s Return Flight conveys through a delightful story the very important message that there is great joy and power in accepting ourselves as we are,and not falling prey to harmful social prejudices about what is attractive or good. I greatly recommend this wonderful book about loving oneself!

Onkareshwar Pandey
Founder & Editor-in-Chief - INDIAN OBSERVER POST (English) & BHARAT OBSERVER POST (Hindi), New Delhi, India

One may speak good English, bad English, good Hindi, bad Hindi, a mix of Hindi-English or 'Hinglish', Spanglish, Pig-Latin, Gibberish, Mumbling or Double-speak, the sub-text that one's body speaks is just ONE -- CREDIBLE or NOT CREDIBLE! Be aware of your body language. You can lie in your words, but the body never lies. We communicate through our Body all the time, even when we don't realize it. However, there are very few expertswho can deeply understand, analyse and decode Body Language. Dr Shalini Verma is one of them.

Dr Shalini Kaul
Director, Saraswati Netralaya, Navi Mumbai &Head of Department, Department of Paediatric Ophthalmology Prism Eye Institute, Navi Mumbai, India

A lovely rhyming style and delightful words make this book effortlessly readable. Dr Khanna addresses a vital issue of our times in this allegorical tale of female crow.

Preeti Vyas
President - Amar Chitra Katha Private Limited
(publishers of Amar Chitra Katha comics, Tinkle magazine and National Geographic India; Founder Director of FunOKPlease Publishing Pvt. Ltd.

Kudos to Books33 for coming up with a separate segment of Children Books under its imprint Alpha Zone. Your initiative will definitely make parents and teachers understand the importance of inculcating reading habits in your kids right from their young age. I appreciate Dr Monica Khanna for her bookSunny Side Up’ and love its ‘kahani mein twist’ which made it all the more exciting.

Nirmala Naidu
Educationist & Director - Vistara Educare, Thane,Maharashtra, India

This book talks about the fact that beauty has no standards - it’s the way one looks at one own self. I am sure this book will surely attract young readers. I wish all the best for the book.

Radhika Srinivasan
Principal, The Shri Ram Universal School,
Palava, Maharashtra, India

Children’s literature largely trivialises and glosses over such issues such as gender or colour biases. But this book deals with the sensitive issue of our proclivity or preference for fair skin colour. In the context of the Indian subcontinent, such debates and discussions should be encouraged so that children grow up with a healthy self-image and grow up with the right attitudes that skin colour is secondary to inner beauty. Dr Monica’s sensitive handling of this subject deserves to be applauded. Kudos!

Vinod Kohli
Managing Director - QGS Infotech Private Limited,
USA

I’ve absolutely no hesitation in saying that even after working for 30+ years in Manufacturing and Education sectors, I was not able to correlate nonverbal communication skills of a person with his personality and credibility. But after getting in touch with Prof (Dr) Shalini Verma and going through her first book, ‘BODY LANGUAGE: YOUR SUCCESS MANTRA, (2005)’ I immediately fell in love with this beautiful subject and understood that body language is an important personality trait of any person. I am delighted to know that Dr Verma is bringing out a multi-title series of that inspiring book after 15 years, which is surely going to be another ‘hit’ and beneficial for the readers, especially the Gen Z youth, who gravely need the maturity to understand and cope with complex personal & professional relationships to move forward in life.

Nihal Raj (Little Chef Kicha)
One of the youngest chefs in Kerala, Kochi, India

Alpha Zone book – ‘Sunny Side Up’ - shows the variety of food that is present round the world. All of us know the common pizza or burger but there are many delicious dishes out there that many have not experienced. This book encourages us to be curious and to learn, enjoy and experience the art of the culinary skill.

Henry Heilbrunn
Visiting Professor at universities in China, Germany, Italy, India & USA

To be hired in today’s global marketplace, employers demand more than basic ‘hard’ skills. The difference between a frustrated candidate and a sought-after recruit, the long-term worker and a compelling leader, or the stagnant professional and the rising manager can be the ‘soft’ skills each exercises in the workplace. This highly researched book analyses the job environment of today and for the future where ‘soft’ skills become a more critical attribute. The reader gleans valuable guidance on how to acquire and improve these ‘soft’ skills for a more enriching career.

Heeru Bhojwani
Library Media Specialist, Mumbai, India

Through this story, A Wormy Tale, the author Katie Bagli highlights earthworms as a part of the ecosystem. Educators can use this story for crossdisciplinary and interdisciplinary thinking within the national curriculum. Katie’s love for nature is evident in all her books.

Dr Jennifer Pereira
Educator, Thought Leader, K-12 Curriculum designer & Principal at Mainadevi Bajaj International School, Mumbai, India

An instant hit - With colorful illustrations and an engaging narrative, this playful nature book is perfect for curious toddlers. A Wormy Tale..an engaging, simple yet extraordinary new story from Katie Bagli, number one bestseller and fastest growing children’s author in the country

Dr Paramita Mukherjee Mullick
Scientist, internationally acclaimed and award-winning poet & President of the Intercultural Poetry and Performance Library Mumbai Chapter

‘Sunny Side Up’ is a book of joy for every child. With colourful illustrations and child friendly language this book opens up a world of different kinds of food to the young minds.

Binaifer Chhoga
Ex-Principal, Udyachal Pre-primary and Primary Schools; Executive Member - National Committee, Association for Primary Education and Research (APER)

This book ‘Insect Concert’ by Katie Bagli is another gem from her treasure trove of stories about nature. Through a simple yet novel story, she manages to develop an interest in the animal kingdom and also provide a new learning. There are some activities too which children will enjoy. The illustrations add to the storyline and make the book more interesting for the young reader. I wish Katie more power to her pen.

Reena Aggarwal Sociologist and Storyteller & Co-founder of Storyexpress

Katie Bagli’s stories are filled with wild imagination yet grounded in facts.She brings to life the mundane and often overlooked facts with wit and humour, in her stories, as also in ‘The Insect Concert’. Her characters are driven by a moral so subtle that children may hardly realize the important life values they are imbibing just by reading her books. Her stories are lessons in science and art as each panel bursts into vivacious colours and tickles the imagination of the young reader. Truly delightful and a must read for all.

Sree Nandy CEO & Editor-in-chief, SAEVUS Member of IUCN; CEC President of Rotary Club of Mumbai Kalakar Member; Rotary Friends of Environment

Katie Bagli’s new book promises to bring back the concert we have missed ever since the pandemic hit us. She beautifully weaves science and fiction, urging her young readers to learn about the techniques used by the wetland musicians - the grasshoppers, the katydids and the hawkmoths. Then there are the subtle values and undertones that make for great learning for children the vacation in nature, the loving aunt, the dutiful bee, or even the love for the garden insects.

Pradnya Gaitonde
Molecular Biologist & Genetic Counselor with special interest in children’s literature

The well-crafted, colourful illustrations of the enthusiastic musicians among insects – grasshoppers, katydids and hawkmoths, the frogs with their crafty expressions and the thoughtful busy bee, make it a lively read. Woven into the story are the fun facts of each insect, making it educative and inspiring too, thus inculcating the love of nature to early readers.

Asha Narayanan
Principal, Lodha World School, Thane, India

Dr. Monica Khanna has come out with one more offering for you all. Such a wonderful and endearing story! It takes us to that time of our lives when we believed that everything around us is black or white. Childhood is so much fun and so full of innocence. The characters in this story are so believable, with human-like qualities. Kind, gentle, witty, intelligent, sharp, sly and so on... Each young reader will enjoy reading this story because it is so relatable. You can find people with such qualities all around you.

Dr Radhakrishnan Pillai
Author, Chanakya books and creator of Chatur Chanakya character

This lovely book teaches you to think smart and not get carried away by appearances. Best wishes to Dr Monica Khanna for her amazing creation.

Valerie Mascarenhas
Principal, St Dominic Savio High School, Mumbai, India

A Wormy Tale is a delightful picture story book that offers the curious mind of a child the perfect blend of fun and relatable characters, vibrant illustrations and significant learnings that seep in with simplicity and are finally sealed with the array of activities it offers. This is a book with a wholesome experience, so read on!

Ritu Kapur
Principal, Lokmanya Tilak International School, Navi Mumbai, India

This picture book is such a delight to read. The book is beautifully illustrated with a good story line and strong vocabulary. I liked in this book is using the relations like ‘chachu’, ‘mamu’ and others which the kids are missing due to nuclear family... I must say the author has touched the chord of the heart with the sweet language used in the book..It’s a must read book for all the young kids.

Dr Sonali Patkar
Eye Surgeon Director, Clear Vision Clinic, Navi Mumbai, India

Little Chimpu’s adventure through the jungle wherein she discovers the truth about ferocious Sher Dadu, is a beautiful story about finding friends in the most unlikely of people.

Seema Bakliwal
Vice Chairperson Bakliwal Foundation College & Wonderkids Preschool

Stories are the best way to come closer to children and Dr Monica Khanna is doing fabulous work in that sense. It’s always mesmerizing to read the stories she creates. Not only the kids, but even parents enjoy every bit of them.