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.

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.