01
It Might Be an Apple
Shinsuke Yoshitake
This book challenges all pre-conceived notions and makes one think of all the different avatars a simple apple can take. It makes us realise that a child’s imagination is limitless, and we adults stand to learn a thing or two from kids. Read this book to tap into your creative self and think outside the ‘apple’ or proverbial box.
Buy it here.
02
Oh, The Places You’ll Go!
Dr. Seuss
A classic that should be read by people of all ages – this is an inspiring tale of following your dreams and passion, taking risks, and not getting stuck simply ‘waiting’ for things to happen. Whenever you need a bit of inspiration to seize the day, turn to this book.
Buy it here.
03
The Snail and The Whale
Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
A tiny, seemingly insignificant, snail explores all parts of the world with the help of a whale and ends up saving him from certain death. This is the perfect story to awaken your inner child who once dreamed of being an adventurer.
Buy it here.
04
Mouse Soup
Arnold Lobel
A super fun and exciting story about a mouse trapped by a weasel, and about to be turned into soup! Using his wit, he manages to get out of his sticky predicament, while causing the weasel more trouble than he bargained for. While as a child, you may not have picked up on the mouse’s genius, as an adult, read this book to realise that being quick-witted isn’t as hard as it may seem.
Buy it here.
05
Where the Wild Things are
Maurice Sendak
This short and seemingly innocuous tale of a boy dressing up as a wolf and going on a wild imaginary ride to an island full of wild beasts is popular with young children. However, when you read it as an adult it can be a lesson in Freudian psychology. Incidentally, Obama has called it one of his favourite books.
Buy it here.
06
The Wonderful Things You Will Be
Emily Winfield Martin
This story teaches children that if they understand their own potential, they can really be anything they want – a gardener, a doctor or even a robot! It would do adults well to read and remember this as adults often choose to become what we feel we ‘should’ and not what we ‘want’ or ‘can’.
Buy it here.
07
The Giving Tree
Shel Silverstein
This controversial book is often debated upon as to whether it has a positive or negative influence on a child’s development since the ‘boy’ in the book can be viewed as selfish. However, if you read it from the tree’s perspective, you’ll realise that it teaches you the joys of being selfless and giving whole-heartedly to the ones you love.
Buy it here.
08
The Panchatantra
Visnu Sarma
There are many versions of the Panchatantra stories and many translated editions available today. While they are considered classic children’s stories, adults can learn a lot from reading them, especially when it comes to intelligently solving problems, seeing the good in everyone, and living peacefully with one’s neighbours.
Buy it here.
As a young boy, Nirbhay had the annoying habit of waking up at 5 a.m. Since television was a big no-no, he had no choice but to read to entertain himself and that is how his love affair with books began. A true-blue Piscean, books paved the path to his fantasy worlds- worlds he’d often rather stay in. Nirbhay is the co-founder and publisher of The Curious Reader.
You can read his articles, here.
