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  • ‘Losing Earth: A Recent History’ by Nathaniel Rich: Book Review

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    Title of the Book: Losing Earth: A Recent History

    Author: Nathaniel Rich

    Publisher: MCD (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

    Publication Year: 2019

    Pages: 206 pgs.

    ISBN: 978-0-374-19133-7

    Age Group: IBDP, AS and A Level and IGCSE

    Genre: Science/Environment/Politics Non-Fiction

    IBDP and IGCSE Subjects Covered: Global Perspectives, Global Politics, History and Sociology

    Review Written By: Fiza Pathan

    Introduction

    Global Warming is not a long-term effect that ‘will happen’ or is something that will be a ‘foreseeable future’. Global Warming is happening as we speak, and anyone who tells you otherwise is undoubtedly a pro who has been manipulating the facts for decades as a ‘master gaslighter’ (go figure!). This is because it is ridiculous to say that there isn’t anything like Global Warming when you are sitting there in your mansion and typing that very sentence on your X (Twitter) or Facebook account in the first place. After all, you could not go out because your city or town was on orange alert because of a simple rainstorm or snowstorm!

    You would not have been sitting there in your mansion typing about there ‘not being global warming’ if there was no orange alert, period. You would be mooching about wasting the remaining part of your existence doing other things like getting more beer for the freezer, fixing your golf club (that incorrigible driver and wedge!), or eating an alligator from the local diner. But the fact that you got scared about your life and wished to stick it out at home rather than risk yourself outdoors indicates that you are aware that something is not right. That everything is not as it was 20 or even 25 years ago. The weather and climate have both changed, and changed for the worse. You don’t need a satellite or two or a rocket to go out of space to tell you that. You can see it in your perpetual rain and snow storms; you can feel it in the never-ending heat-wave of the tropics; you can hear it in the multiple cyclones and hurricanes that constantly follow your path; you can taste it in your disgusting over chlorinated drinking water because your tank water was so polluted that the only way it was fit to be consumed was by pouring a whole lot of disinfectant in it; you can smell it (the garbage) sometimes because otherwise your nose is always blocked because you are perpetually having the flu, Influenza, the viral, Swine Flu, Bird Flu, COVID, Monkey Pox, Malaria, Dengue, etc.

    You don’t need anyone else, like a politician or a famous scientist, to ratify for you about global warming, YOU KNOW IT IS HERE and IT HAS ARRIVED. And you also know that we are too late to prevent global temperatures from escalating by the end of this year to more than 2 degrees Celsius.

    We are already too late.

    But according to many people, especially in the West, they wonder how it ever came to this in the first place. Wasn’t there any warning? Did not our scientists, physicists, astronomers, et al., expect this, and did not they try to stop us from making the planet Earth a massive tomb or coffin for the whole of humankind? The book being reviewed today written by ace-journalist and researcher Nathaniel Rich informs you that those scientists DID warn the Earth and all its many countries about Global Warming not only in the crucial decade of 1978 to 1989, but even way back in the 1940s and 1950s, just when World War II came to a catastrophic end with the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

    They did warn our powers that be, who were representing our interests, but who cared more for temporary short-term gains and their retirement plans than our future. These powers that be, including politicians, directors of major fossil fuel companies, influential millionaires, international government officials, and globally acclaimed scientists, have chosen to ignore the signs rather than implement drastic lifestyle and policy changes to save our planet – our only home, regardless of what Elon Musk may say. Even if Mars or whatever manages to be colonized by humankind one day, it still will not be anything close to our lives here on Mother Earth.

    And we have ruined it, says this well-researched and chronicled book. We’ve ruined our long-term chances of survival for short-term gains, period.

    But who were these stalwarts who tried to talk sense into the masses of powers that be who were holding the reins to our future? What did they do to make sense out of money crazy politicians and to force the hands of international governments to write some semblance of a ‘policy’ towards the clubbed issues of global warming, climate change, the hole in the ozone layer, and the mass extinction of our flora and fauna? That is something tackled by this book, making it not only compulsory reading for every human being on planet Earth, but also for every IGCSE, IBDP, AS and A Levels student who has already been equipped through their IB and IGCSE PYP and MYP courses over their school years about information regarding global warming and climate change and who need to know the truth about the people who messed up their present as well as their future. This book will also teach them about the heroes of this epic saga trying to make the powers that be see reason about this issue – heroes like Rafe Pomerance, Gordon MacDonald and James Hansen, who risked their work, their reputations, their jobs and ultimately at times their sanity, if not their lives, to keep this issue alive which they have successfully managed to do so. That is why we still hear about it today in this post-truth era and the rise of the age of Right-Wing Strong Men Politicians globally.

    We are still getting to hear about global warming and climate change because the syllabus of the IB and IGCSE focus on the same right from the PYP, right through the MYP, making the International Board students climate conscious and aware about the ways and means to effectively prevent the growth of global temperatures and how to make the Earth a more healthier and less polluted place to reside in. Even if state and national government boards wish to downplay this crucial issue, the IGCSE and IB boards will not let that happen worldwide.

    It is imperative that International Baccalaureate (IB) students are updated about the decade that has brought us to where we are in this world, which is experiencing a climate crisis. ‘Losing Earth: A Recent History’ will focus on the science, history, and also the politics related to this particular decade between the years 1978 and 1989, as mentioned earlier in this review. The book is informative, enlightening, highly revealing, and expository.

    History also has to be included as a subject in this category as ‘Losing Earth’ teaches students about a crucial time towards the end of the 20th century that will probably outlive the History of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the fall of Communist USSR, the assassination of PM Rajiv Gandhi and the India-Pakistan Kargil War, et al., because this topic in our contemporary history beats all the others; because it is about a long term consequence which is taking place right now as we speak and read this review in full swing.

    Synopsis/Summary

    ‘How to explain the mess we’re in? Nathaniel Rich recounts how a crucial decade was squandered. ‘Losing Earth’ is an important contribution to the record of our heedless age.’

    –           Elizabeth Kolbert

    (Author of the book ‘The Sixth Extinction’)

    In the book ‘Losing Earth: A Recent History’ by Nathaniel Rich, we first come across a few scientists who are instrumental in the formation of the initial Charney Report concerning Global Warming to be taken up as a Government Issue worldwide and for policy decisions to be made on the same. Furthermore, James Hansen, a nondescript physicist, analyzes his alternative planet world simulations, revealing that by the year 2000 A.D., the Earth’s global temperatures would have risen by 2 degrees Celsius, exceeding the normal temperatures suitable for the planet. Eventually because of this, severe climate changes would ensue along with the rise of flood waters, loss of coastal landmasses, massive environmental hazards like major earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis and all this would needless follow alongside the complete melting of the polar icecaps which would cause a major hole in the ozone layer and worsen the greenhouse effect on the planet leading to severe rise in temperatures. The most disheartening aspect of James Hansen’s predictions is that, despite Western developed countries, primarily the USA, being responsible for most carbon emissions and fossil fuel depletion and use, it is developing and underdeveloped countries that will bear the brunt of the adverse effects of climate change. He, along with Rafe Pomerance and the politician and statesman Gordon MacDonald, attempted to persuade the reigning Western and then global powers that be to initiate a policy addressing this issue, raise awareness, and, first and foremost, implement a carbon emission tax. The US presidents during this crucial period, namely, President Jimmy Carter, President Ronald Reagan, and President George H.W. Bush, all failed to prioritize this issue at their election rallies and respective presidencies to maintain the popular vote. Similarly, in the present time, no President receives the popular vote if theythe people are taxed for something not currently visible but which is going to happen in the foreseeable future or is a culmination of various smaller events. After a series of negotiations, long nights of endless discussions and even some more begging even on the part of fossil fuel companies like Exxon to study the matter further and to at least start the process of carbon emission taxation to deter the addition of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere – eventually, everything fell apart during the reign of US President George H.W. Bush. The book notes that President Bush was initially sympathetic and aware, but later became partially vagrant and wayward in his stance on global warming and climate change. Unlike most Americans of the 1980s, he did not believe in the hole in the ozone layer, and he found it difficult to relate the same phenomenon to global warming and climate change. The book ‘Losing Earth: A Recent History’ indicates that it took the three heroes Rafe Pomerance, Gordon MacDonald and James Hansen a lot of time, effort and scientific jargon made simpler to indicate to Western countries, especially the USA that the hole in the ozone layer and global warming with climate change both were related to one another! Yet, despite President Bush sympathizing with the scientific fraternity fighting for this cause, and these individuals were already being ‘camped’ as the ‘Left Wing’ scientists of the USA, he revealed that he could do nothing much because his hands were tied regarding national policy about something in the foreseeable future which could take longer than even 20 years. President Bush was vague about the claims of Rafe Pomerance, Gordon MacDonald, and James Hansen, but it would be John Sununu who would come in the way of a final deal regarding a cut in US emissions. The book then shows us, in its magnificent and well-crafted yet hard-hitting afterword, how, from the 1950s onwards, scientists and officials from fossil fuel and oil companies were aware that something like global warming was going to take place. Ironically, and indirectly, most US citizens, if not anyone else, were aware of Global Warming and Climate Change because, in quite a few newsreels, movies, and documentaries of the 1940s and 1950s, a reference was always made to the same, especially about increasing temperatures across the Earth. One example of the movie ‘The Unchained Goddess’ was mentioned in the book ‘Losing Earth’, along with the crucial dialogue for the same. Yet, it has been proven, says the afterword, that by negating the existence of Global Warming, we are proving without any shadow of a doubt that we care a tuppence for the lives of our so-called ‘children and children’s children and their children in turn’. It is sad, it is murky, but it is real – the greatest fraud humanity has ever committed – probably the most hair-raising one of all, is that we refuse to believe that actions have consequences. Especially actions against the environment. The end of the book signals for us to change our lifestyle choices for the sake of the planet – not just to alter our habits, but to fundamentally change our way of life, which would even mean to rid ourselves of the conveniences of our everyday existence forever. Otherwise, it is certain that the waters of the Earth will rise and probably like the famous photograph of one of our book’s heroes, Gordan MacDonald from Discovery, we will witness by the year 2030 the horror of seeing the Washington Monument underwater; and probably we’ll at last make that trip to the Grand Canyon, but our sea vessel will be floating over it!

    For more information on what that earlier capitalized FOREVER means about the lifestyles that we should then be forced to adopt as human beings for our survival, please refer to my book review of the 2020 Booker Prize Shortlisted book ‘The New Wilderness’ by Diane Cook on my literary blog, insaneowl.com.

    ‘This deeply researched, deeply felt book is an essential addition to the canon of climate change literature. Others have documented where we are and speculated about where we might be headed, but the story of how we got here is perhaps the most important one to be told, because it is both a cautionary tale and an unfinished one.’

    –           Jonathan Safran Foer

    (Author of the book ‘Eating Animals’)

    Book Analysis

    ‘In this book, Nathaniel Rich demonstrates exquisitely how shallow the debate of a deep problem – the planetary scale and civilizational consequences of climate change – exacerbates the problem. We are still a long way from thinking about climate change in the multi-century frame we need to deal with realistically. Getting there will be a new skill for humanity, if we get there.’

    –           Stewart Brand

    (Author of the book ‘Whole Earth Discipline’)

    ‘I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all. The worldwide ecological movement has already made considerable progress and led to the establishment of numerous organizations committed to raising awareness of these challenges. Regrettably, many efforts to seek concrete solutions to the environmental crisis have proved ineffective, not only because of powerful opposition but also because of a more general lack of interest. Obstructionist attitudes, even on the part of believers, can range from denial of the problem to indifference, nonchalant resignation, or blind confidence in technical solutions. We require a new and universal solidarity. As the bishops of Southern Africa have stated: “Everyone’s talents and involvement are needed to redress the damage caused by human abuse of God’s creation”. All of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation, each according to his or her own culture, experience, involvements, and talents.’

    –           Pope Francis

    (LAUDATO SI’ Introduction 14-22)

    This book, titled ‘Losing Earth: A Recent History’ by author Nathaneil Rich, is a part of contemporary 20th-century history and Geo-Politics with regards to how we’ve got to this stage where it is an inevitability that the Earth’s temperatures will increase by 2 degrees Celsius. Nothing can stop it, because those countries whose statistics can tip the scale are not interested in following a reasonable climate policy for a safe and cooler global climate.

    It was interesting to note among many revealing and informative facts from this book that the countries India, the Philippines, Gambia, Morocco, Ethiopia, Costa Rica and Bhutan are the only countries in the world since the crucial date of 1978 post the release of the Charney Report, who are close to limiting emissions at the level necessary to keep warming to 2 degrees. If we can’t prevent it from rising by 2 degrees, we must ensure it stays at 2 degrees from now on, or we’ll face even worse consequences!

    It was also heartening to note that the only world leader until 2019 who directly addressed global warming and climate change was the recently deceased Pope Francis, who served as Pontiff of Rome from 2013 to 2025. In his 2015 Encyclical ‘Laudato Si’, he categorically calls this heinous act against Mother Nature a sin and, in turn, gave a sort of shout-out to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, also known as the ‘Green Patriarch’ who is the Spiritual Leader of Orthodox Christians. It was Patriarch Bartholomew who first:

    ‘…called on every living person to repent for the ecological damage we have contributed, ‘smaller or greater, to the disfigurement and destruction of creation’……’

    –           Nathaniel Rich

    (Losing Earth: Afterword page 193)

    It was surprising to note that only Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew were the famous individuals who openly, in their form of ‘governments’, tried to make some ‘policy’ changes regarding the way at least the Catholic Church would now tackle the issue of global warming and climate change. It would be equated with sins of a serious nature, and Catholics would be held accountable for their actions in this regard. They would also focus their attention on addressing the issue and trying to lessen global temperatures by heeding the advice and guidance of environmental scientists and other international global warming experts.

    The afterword of the book ‘Losing Earth: A Recent History’ also called out:

    ‘….the unrestrained efforts of the fossil fuel industry, compounded by the ingratiating abetment of the Republican Party of the USA to suppress scientific fact, confuse the public and bribe politicians in their country.’

    –           Nathaniel Rich

    (Losing Earth: A Recent History: Afterward Page 181)

    Author Nathaniel Rich

    Thus, many skeletons from various cupboards were let loose upon the world through this book, and in this analysis giving justice to all aspects of the text is next to impossible for one simple blog post. However, in the context of the IB and IGCSE subjects of Global Perspectives, Global Politics, Sociology and History that I the writer of this review/analysis Fiza Pathan am willing and am being trained to teach at the IB and IGCSE level, here are a few points for analysis that can be explored in depth and can afford for a brief discussion accordingly:

    (1) Because of the increased efforts in the USA since the year 2016 to accelerate the use of the remaining meagre fossil fuels available on this planet in the form of natural gas, coal and oil, the estimate of James Hansen and others and their predictions of the crucial decade of 1978-1989 can be just turned into everyone’s worst nightmare. This is because unlike the earlier estimates, it is evident now that the using up of fossil fuels will happen sooner than expected, that no lasting and issue based (serious) efforts are being made with regards to alternate forms of energy production like solar panels, hydroelectricity, etc, and most importantly that the heating of the earth with the rising of flood water levels along vulnerable coastal areas will take place sooner than ever expected. Sadly, we will probably be witnessing our worst living nightmares – the seas and oceans taking over by 2030, guaranteed.

    (2) Global Politics IB and IGCSE students as well as students of Global Perspectives will take note that in addition to the fact that 1978-1989 was a crucial year in climate change history, it was then the job of scientists and politicians to try and prove whether or not global warming was serious or not -something that will happen now or much later in the future. Now post-2016, the situation has turned into a cacophony of lies where the aim is to deny that the problem ever existed in the first place. American scientists from the Republican side have been systematically brainwashing and disseminating fake scientific information regarding this issue, or the lack of it, to suit the purposes of the big fossil fuel and oil companies, as well as self and public-destroying statesmen in office. In fact, as a Global Perspectives question at the IGCSE, I can see inserts regarding Climate Change, coastal reclamation of land by the sea, and mass displacement, along with issues related to immigration in the USA, being a part of the syllabus and a crucial interconnected question in the Global Perspectives question paper. The Immigration Policy of the USA post-2025 will have a vital effect, according to ‘Losing Earth’, upon several American states, especially the state of Florida. Again, the interconnected aspects of Poverty, draconian immigration laws, rising water levels due to global warming, etc., can be a foreseeable set of issues in a future Global Perspectives IGCSE or O Levels Paper.

    (3) It is not that the politicians and statesmen of today are convinced that there is no such thing as Global Warming. Like Nathaneil Rich states, they have brainwashed everyone into believing that they are confident that there is no such thing as global warming!

    (4) Where Sociology is concerned in IB schools at the IBDP level, it was earlier believed that countries like India and China did not make a real dent in the whole carbon emission cycle business, unlike the USA and other European countries. However, it is evident that with the rise of urbanization and further modernization of these countries, their role in this destructive cycle can be crucial to the overall global temperature figures coming out post-2025. In fact, by 2026, China will surpass the USA as the world’s largest emitter of carbon emissions.

    (5) For those students who wish to add to their Climate Change information base regarding the following:

    1. Aerosol Pollution

    2. ‘World Conference on the Changing Atmosphere: Implications for Global Security’ at Toronto

    3. Vienna Convention of 1985

    4. Montreal Protocol of 1987

    5. The IPCC or the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

    Please refer to the non-fiction book under our study today titled ‘Losing Earth: A Recent History’ by Nathaneil Rich and get a bird’s-eye view of the respective roles of each contributor during this decade who tried to make the future more livable. It will add to your already adequate repertoire of collected information regarding the same during your MYP and PYP classes. This is unique information not usually mentioned in most other books published these days, nor in most online information resources, nor correctly yet on AI.

    Book Review

    I found the book to be unique and revelatory, as mentioned before, especially about the roles of various reports used during crucial climate change and global warming meetings like the 1981 study by James Hansen titled ‘Climate impact of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide.’ I found all of James Hansen’s reports to be enlightening and not exaggerated. The author Nathaniel Rich also managed to compose James Hansen’s words and explanation in a calm and ‘concerned professor-like’ tone, which appealed to me, and I’m sure it will appeal to many readers of the report and research-study portions of this text.

    The essential episodes during that crucial decade like the publishing of the 1981 study on Climate impact of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide by Hansen and others, the release of the Charney Report, the 1985 a joint UNEP/WMO/ICSU Conference on the “Assessment of the Role of Carbon Dioxide and Other Greenhouse Gases in Climate Variations and Associated Impacts”, 1988 the WMO established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change with the support of the UNEP, etc., were handled beautifully and suspensefully enough for the book to read almost like an apocalyptic thriller, but with a workable solution at the end of it rather than just sadistic destruction and chaos.

    The scenes of the many global conferences in that decade, between 1978 and 1989, especially between 1985 and 1989, were crafted vividly, and one could easily picture everything like an HD motion picture with sound effects, etc. That terrible climax to a great decade of hard work gone by, orchestrated by US politician John Sununu, sounded in the book like a death knell worse than the ones heard at state funerals in Europe. It was an anti-climax for the US government to negate the whole idea of global warming and its long-term effects. I could not believe that we were this close to living with our luxuries and other conveniences, maybe for a very long time to come along with our kids, but without beating about the bush (sorry! really!) the last nail on that coffin was sealed by Sununu with the Republican Bush Government take it or leave it. At least I give President Bush credit for admitting that he believed in the cause and the issue, but his hands were tied.

    The sad thought from President Bush is beautifully summed up by the author in this book, who notes that the seriousness with which US Presidents address the Global Warming issue spans as long as two Presidential terms. President Barack Obama, to play devil’s advocate here, also managed to pose himself as a great emancipator of all those who were fighting for the lost cause of global warming. But ironically, which President Trump does not fail to highlight in his many rally speeches, it was during the tenure of President Barack Obama that the most significant consumption of fossil fuels took place which outbeat not only all the previous decades gone by right since the Industrial Age, but it also outdid all the hard work put into the 1990s in the name of uniting the world towards creating a more greener and cleaner earth! He even attempted, like President Clinton, to introduce a carbon emissions tax in Congress, but, as usual, it was vetoed. To save his Presidency from further harm, he backed out of taking a more decisive step on Global Warming and Climate Change. The irony was that President Clinton and President Obama both Democrats had managed to pull the wrong strings just at the time when the Climate issue needed their greatest aid: President Clinton thought of propelling his tax forward during the time when the infamous Lewinsky case was going on; President Barack Obama tried to do this during the very first year of his Presidency when the Republicans were already blaming him with alleged money frauds, etc.

    President George W. H. Bush
    President Bill Clinton
    President Barack Obama

    For more information on President Barack Obama and his years as President check out my book reviews on insaneowl.com of the following books ‘The Audacity of Hope’ by Barack Obama, ‘A Promised Land’ by Barack Obama, ‘Change We Can Believe In’ by Barack Obama and ‘To Obama, With Love, Joy, Hate and Despair’ by Jeanne Marie Laskas.

    So the ending of the book ‘Losing Earth’ was like a death sentence. Maybe one could say that it is a death sentence in layers. If water levels rise by 2030, World War III could commence that year, and smaller-scale pandemics, coupled with disastrous weather conditions, would plague developing and underdeveloped countries. We will officially have to change more than just our AC regulators or the type of fridges we have in our kitchen. We will probably have to give up our technologically advanced lives, as suggested by ‘Losing Earth’, and revert to a more basic and primitive style of life, as often depicted in science fiction apocalyptic books, movies, and now OTT serials. If we really, at this point, care about our ‘future generations’ and we still seriously want to bring more children into this cruel world, then we’ll have to go back quite a bit. My estimate would be where lower middle class and poor citizens would be concerned only of their country, considering the increasing number of detrimental viral and flu diseases that will plague us, we better shift to the foraging and hunting gathering stage or better something the way our 20th century Bedouin friends in Arabia and the Sahara lived their days out.

    I’m not joking.

    Since most of the USA will probably be submerged, especially the greater part if not the whole of the Grand Canyon area, I will right now not be in a position to determine what kind of life will be suitable there for them to recoup; especially considering the turmoil in their political system currently, but I would again estimate that it would have to be based on more of an underwater city. Additionally, a more eco-friendly city built above the skyscrapers, which would be underwater, is a great idea. Utilizing more green technology, such as ‘ship vessels’ or ‘light-weight submarines,’ would be an effective solution.

    I’m serious. I’m giving tips that have been pondered upon by plenty of scientists who have their minds in the right place.

    There is no more time for damage control; we are way past that now. It is time we accept the inevitable and move on from there, despite our many right-wing strong ‘I gotta be a macho man’ statesmen and political leaders (now my favorite 1980s band, Village People, is playing in my head! Sigh!). It will be tough, but it will be inevitable when the waters come, let alone anything else.

    A few tips from ‘Losing Earth’ for IB and IGCSE Global Perspectives and Global Politics students for their projects (IOs) and exam papers:

    • Exxon, SHELL and other fossil fuel and oil companies did start by trying to aid the investigation and awareness campaign about Global Warming, but turned back for a reason not totally definable or definite, at least for our three heroes and their team (Rafe Pomerance, Gordon MacDonald and James Hansen – we must never forget these true USA heroes!). However, it is identifiable that the moment the Right Wing Republican Scientists, or rather fake scientists, started downplaying the Global Warming issue to the public, we suddenly saw that these big oil companies backed off from their earlier intended proposals.
    • The US presidents mentioned in this book are not being demonized; instead, the book and its writer are trying to put things into perspective. The truth is, they were merely victims of their popular vote bank and their own ambitions to keep their tenures and seats at all costs, through thick and thin, even if that meant that the ozone layer was getting thinner and thinner! A special shout-out nevertheless to only one US President who at least towards the end of his Presidency as well as later during the trying tenure of President Ronald Reagan, managed to inform not only America but also the whole world about Global Warming and its many after effects – President and Humanitarian Jimmy Carter is that President and it is heartening how he latched on to this and tried to carry it forward. The whole situation should have cropped up before 1978, before Jimmy Carter’s tenure was spent focusing on restoring a sense of morality to both domestic and foreign policy following the traumas of the Vietnam War and Watergate. If IB and IGCSE students especially from the bustling IB and IGCSE school of Podar International, Santacruz manage to delve more into the life and times of President Jimmy Carter rather than only the many foibles of his successors, we can get a lot of useful material for our projects and thesis papers, especially in Global Perspectives and now strangely, even in a IBDP subject like English where the IO project is focused on the comparative study of a novel or a set of poems, an artwork and then a major global issue. What could be a major common factor in most fiction novels of the day, including those dating from the European Industrial Age, other than Global Warming?
    • Do not consider that any policy now can keep the Earth’s temperature from increasing by 2 degrees. It is happening and probably before this year 2025 ends, we will not only sadly be a full 2 degrees hotter as a planet, but we’ll immediately be moving onto covering the next half a degree lap and by 2027 we’ll be another degree hotter. The book ‘Losing Earth’ has been trying to indicate that 5 degrees Celsius is the death sentence, and more irresponsible use and even wastage of fossil fuels with no sustainable development in sight will be the death of our species; period.
    • A significant debate took place during the critical period from 1980 to 1985, as detailed in the book, to confirm a temperature rise that would be ‘workable’. Yes, although James Hansen had bluntly stated 2 degrees, it was debated whether such a serious rating should be shared with the US public or if a more alarming rating should be shared to ensure that some seriousness would be taken in this matter! After initially deviating from 2 degrees to 1.5, then to only 1, which would be totally incorrect, and finally to 2.5, which freaked some of the US fossil fuel companies out, we eventually came back to a safe 2 degrees rise in global temperatures. The point is that it could be more, since 2 degrees was just an estimate at the end of the day, not exactly a scientific fact! But definitely, it won’t be less than that, sadly.
    • In the field of Global Perspectives and Sociology, it is painful, as mentioned before, to note that the people worst affected by Global Warming are the people who could never afford to emit so much carbon emissions in the first place. These countries being among the poorest, the countries including India will be severely affected by the after shocks of severe Global Warming including rise in sea levels, more contagious and debilitating flus and fevers affecting the population, more pollution, hygiene and sanitation issues, flooding, erratic monsoons, severe rains, cities becoming more polluted, the urban air becoming unbreathable etc. The poor will be most affected. In India, the heat is excruciating when temperatures rise above 40 degrees Celsius at noon. Moreover, the humidity during the monsoons exacerbates the heat, making the weather remain hot, if not hotter. This makes living, working, and studying conditions next to impossible and agonizing. As more slums grow in cities and other urban areas, traffic issues will escalate to a point where it will be imperative to seek the aid of some billionaires to start creating some air vehicles to reach a place of work or study on time! With no alternative but to remain in India, considering the immigration issues taking place worldwide, the future of global warming will only rattle the bones of the poor, who already are skin and bones because of hardship, dire destitution, and innumerable national budget issues.
    • Consider other minimalistic and simplistic modes of living that are congenial with the Earth, characterized by less technology and more sustainability. The time has come for us to embrace this, especially to protect our future children from deadly airborne viral and flu ailments, particularly those born after Gen Beta. Their constitution won’t be as good as ours. So they will be susceptible to deadly viruses that will plague our many nations, not to mention the chronic and lethal air pollution that will plague our atmospheres post-2030. Some concerned parents will even consider disbanding from ‘real life’ to retreat to the remaining forests, jungles, and woodlands for the sake of their children’s health and well-being. I hardly think everyone will commit mass suicide when such an eventuality comes up; humans are very accommodating and adjustable animals – I hope!
    • Study the atmosphere of Venus like Dr. James Hansen, even if you don’t have a simulator or a simulated environment. Realize, as you study, especially IBDP students, that Venus was very much like Earth more than the ways we have learnt in our old Science or UOI PYP classes, like the fact that they are both the same size, they both have an atmosphere, they both are rocky inner planets, they both have clouds, etc. They also share comparable atmospheres with complex weather systems. However, Venus’s atmosphere is vastly different due to a runaway greenhouse effect that makes it the hottest planet in the solar system. Venus’s thick, carbon dioxide atmosphere traps heat, creating an extreme greenhouse effect and scorching surface temperatures that can melt lead, making it the hottest planet in the solar system. One fine day, the planet emitted too much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It did not wait for more to be emitted when the total greenhouse effect took hold of the planet, making it an extremely hot and unlivable planet at an unbelievably fast rate, like what it is today. With the loss of oceans and the absence of Plate Tectonics, massive and sustained volcanism released large amounts of CO2, and the lack of water recycling contributed to Venus becoming a hot, uninhabitable ball of land. Strangely enough, it was once livable like Earth, but the planet’s surface was resurfaced within the last 500 million years, making it difficult to find evidence of ancient conditions. Scientists use computer models and simulations to understand how Venus evolved, with studies suggesting that a near-global resurfacing event could have been the turning point in Venus’ history. As an IB or IGCSE PYP student who has studied Science or UOI in the past, the situation the Earth is in today is very similar. If we hit that 5-degree rise in temperature mark, we may become the next Venus.
    President Jimmy Carter
    Venus

    I want to mention here a heirloom of our shared contemporary past and a major part of this book. Former Vice President Al Gore’s contribution to the climate change issue has been a significant focus, which we lauded in 2006 when his documentary movie ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ aired worldwide and stunned us into a deathly silence. We then realized how serious this issue could be and who was partially complicit in hiding the facts from us. However, there were many instances during the latter portion of the 1980s where Al Gore’s stance on Global Warming and Climate Change was not clearly articulated by him personally or by his aides or media staff. We can see here that politics and economic gain have always trumped the climate. Also, notwithstanding that Al Gore himself is a highly controversial US Political figure and an inconvenient truth in himself, it is applaud worthy of him to have gone out of his way to put before a larger portion of the Western public an issue that will affect all of us, some worse than others. I highly recommend that all Global Political students, particularly those at the IBDP level, watch this movie before starting their research papers. IGCSE Global Perspectives students will also find the viewing of this movie very helpful and informative to aid them in answering their papers, and especially to revise earlier MYP Global Perspective topics of:

    (a) Climate Change, energy, and resources

    (b) Environment, pollution, and conservation

    Conclusion

    Whatever our differences as people, we must set aside everything else to assess what has come before us and what we can do to salvage the situation. Some of us have been here long enough to acknowledge that we allowed the whole thing to slip right past us, despite numerous signs to the contrary. Whether it be documentaries or encyclicals of Popes from Pope John the XXIII to even Pope Benedict XVI let alone the writings of late Pope Francis, Hollywood movies or newspaper articles galore, featured stories in the magazine Nature about Global Warming for decades to even pop stars like Michael Jackson for whatever reason publicizing about the issue on live TV through his concerts – we still chose to be indifferent and not see the real signs of the times. Or rather, the red traffic lights right in front of our faces! This is because we human beings tend to say, like in India, ‘we will adjust when the time comes’ or ‘we will know how to manage then’ or ‘some brilliant scientist will think of something by that time and we’ll be saved’. But we can’t ‘adjust’ ourselves out of this conundrum this time. Read this book to understand that if you genuinely care about ‘our future generations’, this is our last chance.

    Special Note

    If you are interested in more book reviews, indie author interviews, book analyses, short story analyses, poems, essays, essay analyses, and other bookish content, check out my blog, insaneowl.com. If you are interested in purchasing my books, you can check the products page of my blog or on Amazon. There is a lot of good stuff to buy! Happy reading to you always!

    ©2025 Fiza Pathan

  • ‘Oscar and Arabella and Ormsby’ by Neal Layton: Book Review

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    Title of the Book: Oscar and Arabella and Ormsby

    Author: Neal Layton

    Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (Hodder Children’s Books)

    Publication Year: 2007 (Paperback Edition 2008)

    Pages: 32 pgs.

    ISBN: 978-1-44496-722-7

    Age Group: PYP (Grades 1 & 2)

    Genre: Historical Fiction

    Type: Paperback

    IBO & IGCSE Subjects Covered: English, Reading, Library Class, Global Perspectives, Wellbeing & UOI

    Review Written By: Fiza Pathan

    Introduction

    Neal Layton’s ‘Oscar and Arabella and Ormsby’ is the third book in the Oscar and Arabella series. The first book in this series, titled ‘Oscar and Arabella’, was published in 2002, introducing the world to the intelligent mammoth best friends for life, namely handstand-crazy Oscar and dignified but funky Arabella. The second book in this series was published in 2003 and was titled ‘Oscar and Arabella Hot Hot Hot’, which chronicled how these two best-friend mammoths managed to beat the oncoming climate change. The third book in the series was published in hardback form in 2007. It was titled ‘Oscar and Arabella and Ormsby’ in which a lively Woolly Rhinoceros was introduced into the plot and was trying to gain the attention of beautiful Arabella, but who, in the bargain, was causing Oscar a lot of heartache and much else.

    The paperback edition of the third book was published in 2008 by Hodder and Stoughton, and I came across this edition of the book at my local lending library this year, 2025. Note that the Oscar and Arabella books are not currently available in India on Amazon, nor are the Mammoth Academy books, which are offshoots of the original Oscar and Arabella Mammoth series. However, these books are readily available in the UK and on Amazon.com. Nevertheless, I hope that the creator of the Oscar and Arabella series will soon find a way to make his work available to the Indian market because his illustrations are gorgeousness personified and he manages to make a reader laugh out loud and yet learn a lot of information related to Prehistory and especially the Ice Age through his books.

    I don’t know about any other IB or IGCSE PYP teachers worldwide, but for me personally, I think that the British manage to create the best PYP or Primary Years Program storybooks on this planet, period! There is no beating their subtle humor, excellent comic timing, concise plots, likable characters, and gorgeous illustrations. It is as if they were born as a nation to create amazing PYP or Younger Reader storybooks! And I’m not being a racist here, I’m just being genuine and truthful when I say this – I’ve been really gorging on many PYP books for the past seven months and I can say genuinely that the British ones are always the ones that are funny and where the PYP kids manage to roll on their matted PYP Library floors and laugh till tears come streaming down their eyes!

    ‘Oscar and Arabella and Ormsby’ manages to certainly create that hilarity in the classroom especially if the storybook is in the hand of a professional storyteller PYP teacher who can narrate the story in the way Neal Layton wished it to be narrated: which is in a not so serious but serious enough manner typical of the British as is seen in the books by Roald Dahl and now his protégé David Walliams. Therefore, Neal Layton’s book would be perfect for an IGCSE or IB Reading Class or a Library Class where reflections on the value obtained through the telling of the story can be gleaned from the students and where particular chart making, researching or even dramatic activities can be done centering around the three friends who met up with each other during the wee end of the last Ice Age.

    Neal Layton has recently been longlisted for the prestigious SLA (School Library Association Information Book Award 2025). This is for his latest publication titled ‘What is AI?’, which is readily available both in Kindle and Paperback forms on Amazon India, as well as on all other major Amazon websites that I managed to peruse while typing this book analysis. I also realized after gold-digging a bit on my Goodreads account that Neal Layton has in the past teamed up with one of my favorite PYP authors namely Michael Rosen to create some of my most favorite PYP or Younger Readers storybooks like ‘Rover’ and ‘Uncle Gobb and the Dread Shed’ along with the upcoming ‘Hot Food: Nice!’ which will be released probably according to Goodreads on the 13th of January, 2026. I used to love that book titled ‘Rover’ when I was a student at school myself in the year 1999 or 2000, I would have been 9 or 10 years old then and though I had progressed onto reading unabridged classics like Homer’s ‘Iliad’ and Plato’s ‘The Republic’ (check my two internationally published memoirs for more information on this) I still loved to speedread through these junior reads just to annoy my home-room teachers who used to take us kids twice a week (what bliss!) to our school library for the one hour long (short!) library period at Bombay Scottish School, Mahim. ‘Rover’ was a favorite of mine, and when I started a tuition Book Club and Library at my home for my students called the ‘Born to Read Book Club’ in the year 2014, I made sure that I procured a copy of ‘Rover’ by Michael Rosen and Neal Layton for the library. To know more about my bizarre reading habits and adventures in books and with books, you can check out my two award-winning memoirs titled ‘Scenes of a Reclusive Writer and Reader of Mumbai: Essays’ and ‘The Reclusive Writer and Reader of Bandra West’ on Amazon. To know more about my life as a multiple-award-winning author of over 20 books, you can check out the CV on my website.

    Summary

    Oscar and Arabella were two woolly mammoths who lived during the last leg of the last Ice Age. They were the best of friends, and for Oscar, there was no other friend more special than Arabella in his life. They used to always be together and enjoyed going on nature treks, especially through the pine forests of the northern regions of their world. However, one fine day, they noticed a newcomer to their herd. He was Ormsby, a Woolly Rhinoceros who was lively, highly extroverted, multi-talented, and who was looking to make a mark with Arabella, the Woolly female Mammoth. Oscar found Ormsby to be quite a nuisance, but Arabella found Ormsby to be quite entertaining. Whatever Oscar tried to do to impress Arabella, Ormsby did better with some additional elements along with the original activity. It came one day to a head when Ormsby and Oscar were battling their tusks and horns respectively with each other to see who was the better Ice Age giant!

    Meanwhile, Arabella, growing increasingly frustrated with the male shenanigans, walked away into the heart of a blizzard and, seeking shelter, entered a cave. However, in that cave was an early man, probably Homo erectus or Homo Sapiens, warming himself by the fire, who got spooked on seeing the gigantic Arabella and screamed in fright. Hearing the hollering of the caveman, Oscar and Ormsby stopped their battle and jumped to the conclusion that it was Arabella who was screaming and that she was probably in great danger. They then helped each other make their way to the cave where the caveman was still hollering his lungs out, and poor Arabella was merely waiting for the man to calm himself down and realize that she was seeking shelter from the blizzard and that she meant him no harm. Still, to make a show of chivalry, Oscar and Ormsby threw hundreds of snowballs at the stunned caveman, burying the poor gentleman in a heap of snow, and then managed to cartwheel Arabella safely back to the herd. When they reached the herd, Oscar and Ormsby regaled the animal folk gathered there about their epic adventure, with Arabella keeping mum to allow the men to think that they had done something important for once. This helped because, inadvertently, both Oscar and Ormsby realized that they were a good team, and so they became the best of friends, along with Arabella, despite being quite different from each other. This is because to be friends, one need not have similar tastes, hobbies, talents, or looks, but a trio of friends is made up of those individuals who decide to stick together, always despite their many differences. That calls for acceptance, and Oscar ultimately managed to accept the strange ways of Ormsby. Soon, the duo became a trio of friends for life after the Ice Age.

    Book Analysis

    The main themes of this storybook, meant for the PYP or the students of the Primary Years Program of an IB or IGCSE school, will center around Prehistory, especially the Ice Age, as well as on the Wellbeing theme of friendship being the hallmark of acceptance. Through his comical squiggles and matted strokes, Neal Layton the illustrator has beautifully managed to create the furriness or hairiness of the giant Ice Age mammals in question which act as excellent tools for eliciting laughter from younger school students, especially during that time in the plot when Oscar and Ormsby started battling each other in a sort of fight to the finish. It can be helpful as a comical book to highlight the value of acceptance in friendship without the classroom atmosphere becoming too serious and quiet. It can be an excellent resource for the subject Unit of Inquiry (UOI) to teach the students the theme ‘Where We Are In Place And Time?’ especially interconnecting the last Ice Age with the continents that were formed later and the civilizations that came up from these various continents thereafter; not to mention the animals of the Ice Age that then went extinct at that time when the Earth started to get a bit warmer.

    Since the story is told in the form of a third-person narration, the PYP Storytelling teacher will find it challenging to recreate the humorous dialogues and the many ingenious voice characters that could have emerged through the telling of this unique story. Nevertheless, the main idea of the creator of this PYP book or a younger readers’ book was indeed to bring out the above-stated two main elements. There were, however, some inconsistencies in the book, which make it evident that when an illustrator or PYP author researches their material, they should do so with the utmost care. Here are a few of the inconsistencies that came up during my deep study of this book titled ‘Oscar and Arabella and Ormsby’ by author and illustrator Neal Layton.

    1. In the latter part of the story, both Oscar and Ormsby are said to have ‘tusks’ by the author. This would not be the case, as only Oscar would have tusks, while Ormsby, being a woolly rhinoceros, would only have one single large horn to battle against Oscar.

    2. In that same latter portion of the fight to the finish, both animals are said to have made the sound of a ‘trumpet’. This is incorrect again, as only Oscar, being a Woolly mammoth, would be able to make the sound of a ‘trumpet’ per se, while Ormsby, being a Woolly Rhino, would only be able to make a roar like most rhinos do today. Rhinos cannot trumpet because they do not have a snout like a mammoth or an elephant.

    3. There is a discoloration where the caveman is concerned in the illustration just before he gets covered from head to toe with snowballs. It seems like the illustrator wanted to draw an open mouth with two upper buck teeth or protruding teeth, but the result appears like two white buttons on a very queer looking mouth for a caveman.

    4. During the last Ice Age, archaeologists have led us to believe that the caveman roaming around was Neanderthal Man, who does not look a bit like the caveman depicted in the illustrations in the book ‘Oscar and Arabella and Ormsby’. He seems, moreover, like a homo erectus or homo sapiens proper, which is not historically correct again.

    5. When you observe closely the illustrations of Oscar compared to Arabella together, you realize that Oscar seems more like a mastodon or a stegodon ‘roofed tooth’ rather than a woolly mammoth. This is especially evident in the differences in size and shape of his tusks compared to Arabella’s. I presume this topic is covered in later or earlier books? However, the startling difference between the two mammoths is immediately apparent. Otherwise, the book was entertaining and beautifully done, worthy of the bronze Smarties Award won by the creator, Neal Layton.

    I loved this book, which I borrowed from my local lending library, so much that I wanted to present it at my PGCITE class at Podar International, Santacruz, during the first micro-teaching session. Unfortunately, another PGCITE student and colleague, Samira, chose it, naturally, because of how gorgeous the cover looked and the wonderful illustrations presented on the same cover of the book. Here are a few photographs of her demonstrating the story book titled ‘Oscar and Arabella and Ormsby’ at the first micro-teaching session of the January 2025 PGCITE class at Podar IB, Santacruz, under the supervision of Dr. Rekha Bajaj, our professor and guru:

    Samira presenting
    Samira presenting
    Samira presenting

    I instead presented another book to the class, namely ‘Dear Zoo’ by Rod Campbell, which you can check out on my blog here.

    Book Analysis Topics Under Consideration

    Prehistory and the Ice Age:

    The pre-eminent topic in this book, titled ‘Oscar and Arabella and Ormsby’, is about Neal Layton’s fascination with Prehistory, especially the life of the Earth during the last Ice Age. PYP or younger readers can easily be introduced to this topic through the book, which features glaciers, ice cliffs, pine forests, pine glades, and various Ice Age animals from the past, all of which are depicted throughout the book. Apart from Woolly Mammoths and Woolly rhinoceroses one can see polar bears, saber tooth tigers or an American scimitar cat (I think, but can’t be sure), Arctic foxes, reindeers, Irish Elk, dire wolves, giant beavers, tapir (I think, but I can’t be sure!), a bison or a musk ox (I think, but I can’t be sure yet again!), etc. The topic of the identity of Ice Age animals would motivate the PYP kids to conduct their own research, either with their parents or in their think-pair-share groups, which would be decided upon first by the PYP IGCSE or IB teacher.

    A drama or small play directed by the PYP teacher can be enacted by the students, with the characteristics of the animals in question being analyzed and their sounds or feeding habits imitated by the students themselves in different costumes. Then one can integrate the transdisciplinary theme of ‘Where We Are In Place And Time’ easily in the subject Unit of Inquiry (UOI) by naturally coming to the point when Homo Sapiens started roaming the Earth after Neanderthal man of the Ice Age and how we came to live in different types of houses rather than caves, etc.

    We can then determine to the PYP students that we certainly now are homo sapiens and the scientific proofs of the same through a study of our spinal column, backbone, the way we walk, our inventions, and how homo sapiens used past inventions or discoveries like fire, the wheel, speared weapons, etc. Then we could bring them to the present, where modern man has created marvels like rockets, satellites, AI, computers, the telephone, the Smartphone, the iPad, and probably the device on which they are studying their material, etc.

    This will be possible due to the thorough research conducted by Neal Layton in this book. Still, I’m sure in some instances he could have been a bit more careful with the details, knowing the PYP students of the third decade of the 21st century – they don’t let sleeping dogs lie; nor sleeping mammoths nor sleeping mastodons nor sleeping dire wolves nor sleeping Irish elks, et al.

    The topic about Global Warming and the current melting of the ice caps especially in the Arctic Region can bring in the subject of Global Perspectives where the student can analyze why current day polar animals like the polar bear, the reindeer, the artic fox, walruses, seals, penguins, etc., can lose their habitat to a more warmer and sans ice-cap planet in a matter of sadly five years from now. This will create awareness in them about losing habitats and the need to think long-term, rather than only focusing on the short term. I recall a good college friend of mine, Richard Cabral, once having a conversation with me about this topic. When I asked him about any government and their policies on global warming and measures to be taken, he said –

    ‘Fiza, when I say the government thinks short term in terms of managing global warming, I mean that it is a maximum of eight years for a US Presidency and a maximum of 10 years for an Indian Prime Minister to remain in office!’ – Richard Chris Cabral (Sociology Major Colleague at St. Andrews College Bandra West, Batch 2010)

    Luckily for India, we now have PM Modi with us, who is actively participating in addressing the global warming situation we are facing. However, like all environmental scientists globally, and especially in India, India was not one of the main reasons for the severity of this issue worldwide. It is unfortunate that our people, as well as the citizens of all developing countries, bear the brunt of the selfishness of the developed countries of the world. However, in the long run, we will devise a solution to this issue ourselves before it is too late.

    I’ve noticed that the creator of this book seems very fascinated with the prehistoric period of the Early World, especially during the last Ice Age. This is also evident in his Mammoth Academy books, which, as I mentioned earlier, are not yet available in India. However, they nevertheless indicate that the dissemination of knowledge about Prehistory and prehistoric man is something uppermost in the author’s mind.

    Acceptance In Friendship:

    When Oscar could not tolerate Ormsby because he could cartwheel better than Oscar or do handstands better than Oscar, they both started to battle each other. It was the common goal of saving Arabella from harm that made them set aside their differences and bound across a glacier with the help of Ormsby, then up an ice cliff with the help of Oscar, to save their best friend, Arabella. Where the first hurdle was concerned, Ormsby with his horn (not tusks!) cut down a pine tree to act as a bridge to allow the two woolly males to cross over a glacier. In contrast, in the second case, it was Oscar’s firm handstand that aided the otherwise wobbly Ormsby to climb the ice-cliff to the cave where Arabella was being spooked to death by a caveman.

    They saved her and, in turn, realized without much pomp and show that their differences made them inseparable as friends, and that is what counts in friendship: to accept everyone in the group for who they are and what they are, so long as no vulnerable individual or marginalized person is being hurt, especially no minor. One notices in the illustrations that, just like Oscar was Arabella’s special best friend, probably Ormsby would find a special best friend of his own, because Neal Layton drew a beautiful female woolly rhinoceros on the second-to-last page of the book. She was probably waiting for the charming and lively Ormsby to notice her presence.

    Albert Camus

    “Don’t walk in front of me … I may not follow

    Don’t walk behind me … I may not lead

    Walk beside me … just be my friend.”

    – Albert Camus (French writer and philosopher, and the Winner of the 1957 Nobel Prize for literature)

    We at the IBDP keep having to study the writings of Albert Camus, especially his existentialist works, and no wonder – he manages to define things as they should be, such as acceptance in friendship, as seen in the quote above. Like the vision of friendship that philosopher Albert Camus had in mind, Oscar, though doubtful of Ormsby, learnt to walk by his side and vice versa in a newfound friendship that did not rule or slave after, but worked side by side and hand in hand.

    Book Review

    I enjoyed this book. As I mentioned on my Goodreads page, this book came to me like a breath of fresh air at a particularly hectic time in my college career, around the middle of June 2025. I’m glad I chose it to read, savor, analyze, and share not only with my PGCITE colleagues but also with many 1st and 2nd grade students at the PYP at Podar IB, although informally so far. I hope to be allowed to tell a story like this one, done gorgeously by Neal Layton, soon.

    I’m sure Samira enjoyed analyzing it for her storytelling session at the beginning of the micro-teaching class, just before we could present our first micro-teaching lesson to Dr. Rekha Bajaj, also known as Rekha Ma’am, at the PGCITE course at Podar IB, Santacruz. Here are a few more photographs of the storytelling session and analysis that took place over a period of three days.

    I provided all the books from my Born to Read Tuition Library for the whole class (which was a pleasure!), which you can see the PGCITE students of Jan Batch 2025 perusing through. You can’t see me because I’m always behind the camera 24/7!

    My Born To Read Tuition Books being used for the StoryTelling Session
    Another look at my books being presented and displayed
    [Left to Right] Mehek, Harshada, Ruchita, Ambili and Minal
    Samira looking for more books to read and review
    [Left to Right] Barkha, Ambili and Harshada
    [Left to Right] Yoshi and Maitri
    Maitri like me is a great fan of Dr. Seuss
    Rashmi perusing through the books on display
    [Left to Right] Yoshi and Ruchita reading away!
    Rekha Ma’am [extreme right] teaching us about the importance of reading

    If you like the photographs and videos taken on this blog and website of our lively classes, then you know who to thank! I used to love videography and photography as a 1990s kid with my Kodak cameras – that is why taking photographs and videos comes naturally to me. It helps me greatly as an indie writer of over 20 multiple-award-winning books.

    Fiza Pathan’s Born to Read Tuition Library

    The last photograph is of my Born to Read Tuition Library, which contains books that I have bought, cherished, and shared with my tuition students in the previous 13 years, and which I shared for the first time with the Podar IB PGCITE students of the January 2025 batch.

    I found the book ‘Oscar and Arabella and Ormsby’ to be a fun read with wonderfully drawn squiggles that captured my imagination, and which immediately made me remember that ‘Rover’ book by Michael Rosen, and then I managed to make the connection with Neal Layton. Brilliant, artistic, entertaining, informative, and funny are the terms I would use to describe this book by Neal Layton.

    Conclusion

    I hope to read, re-read, analyze, and review more PYP books in the coming days and weeks. If you liked my analysis of ‘Oscar and Arabella and Ormsby’ by Neal Layton, please feel free to send a message, and I’ll respond in the comment section of this blog. I also hope to read, review, and analyze some more history-themed works for the PYP, MYP, IGCSE, and IBDP sections in the coming days and weeks. Stay tuned! If you are a colleague from the PGCITE course and would like to share some of your photographs, videos, or messages with me, please feel free to do so in this message box. I’ll approve and respond to your comment publicly.

    Special Note

    If you are interested in more book reviews, indie author interviews, book analyses, short story analyses, poems, essays, essay analyses, and other bookish content, check out my blog, insaneowl.com. If you are interested in purchasing my books, you can visit the products page on my blog or check them on Amazon. There’s a lot of great stuff to buy! Happy reading to you always!

    ©2025 Fiza Pathan

  • ‘Dear Zoo’ by Rod Campbell: Book Review

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    Title of the Book: Dear Zoo

    Author: Rod Campbell

    Publisher: Little Simon – Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

    Publication Year: 1982

    Pages: 16 pages

    ISBN: 978-1-4169-4737-0

    Age Group: PYP (Grades 1 & 2)

    Genre: Animal Stories

    Type: Board Book/A Lift the Flap Book

    IBDP & IGCSE Subjects Covered: English, Reading & Library Class

    Review Written By: Fiza Pathan

    Introduction

    Rod Campbell, the creator of this extraordinary 20th-century young reader’s classic book titled ‘Dear Zoo’, is a remarkable figure in juvenile fiction. His upbringing in Zimbabwe and his subsequent return to Britain, where he completed a doctorate in organic chemistry, shaped his unique approach to children’s publishing. In 1980, he began designing innovative books with interactive elements and repetitive phrases, like the ones contained in this board book of his titled ‘Dear Zoo’.

    In 1987, he founded Campbell Blackie Books in partnership with his publisher Blackie. Campbell Books (as it became in 1989) was sold in 1995 to Macmillan Publishers. He then published several books, but his ‘Dear Zoo’ remains an eternal bestseller even after more than 30 years since its first publication in 1982.

    The book is a lift-the-flap book revealing to the reader, or rather the younger reader, various fascinating animals, reptiles, birds, etc., which would delight and mesmerize. It would also educate, edify, and most importantly, entertain a younger reader in the PYP sections of an IB or IGCSE school for hours together, if not months and years. With a variety of noteworthy adjectives to add to the PYP student’s vocabulary, ‘Dear Zoo’, created by Rod Campbell, is a captivating book that can seduce any young student into the charming world of reading. There is no way a PYP of an IB or IGCSE school can go wrong if they choose ‘Dear Zoo’ by Rod Campbell to read to their students.

    Using minimalistic artwork, catchy adjective phrases, and simplistic yet evocative artwork, along with an intriguing and well-designed lift-the-flap, Rod Campbell, the author of this book, manages to feed the fancies of little PYP or Primary Years Programme students. There is no way one can get bored reading this book. Additionally, this book can be an excellent resource for storytelling sessions in a PYP Library Class or Period, or in a Classroom Reading Session, which are some of the best parts of my work and internship at Podar IB, Santacruz.

    For a bustling reading life that is nurtured here at Podar IB or Podar International School, Santacruz under the guidance and leadership of Dr. Vandana Lulla – Director and Principal at Podar International School, lift-the-flap books like ‘Dear Zoo’ can be an excellent addition to the PYP library and the interactive reading and storytelling sessions conducted there. Revered Dr. Vandana Lulla, like most leading educationists of International Schools worldwide, is known in Mumbai to be a pioneer of instilling in her students a love for reading, turning every Podar IB student into a voracious reader right from the time they are in the 1st grade in the PYP. It is important to note that she never compromises on this aspect for anything because she believes in the dictum:

    ‘A student who reads is a leader who leads.’

    The above is a tweaking of two quotes, one by President Harry S. Truman and another by Greek Philosopher Plato, as follows:

    “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” ― Harry S. Truman (33rd President of the United States of America)

    “Today Learner is Tomorrow Leader.’“― Plato (Ancient Greek Philosopher and Student of Socrates)

    It is impossible to survive in an IB or IGCSE curriculum without inculcating within oneself a constant habit of reading, and this is something that Dr. Vandana Lulla is quite firm about at her school. To inculcate her almost evangelical zeal for this particular accomplishment in every Primary School-going child, books like ‘Dear Zoo’ by Rod Campbell should be added to IB and IGCSE libraries across not only India but the world. With the aid of a very lively, professional and interactive story-teller cum PYP Library or Reading Class teacher, this book can encourage students to engage with more books which will in turn build up their vocabulary, their creativity especially in reading, writing and speaking not to mention in their overall EQ or Emotional Quotient as they dwell upon the appropriate adjectives attached to every animal, reptile or amphibian contained in this vibrant but yet compact board book.

    In this book analysis, I shall dwell on the many concepts that a PYP student in an IB or IGCSE school can glean and learn from ‘Dear Zoo’, especially through constant reading, re-reading, and storytelling sessions at a PYP school library. Also, I will be dealing with the various nuances hidden within this otherwise simplistic book, which would have gone past any other speed-reader, but not me! Rod Campbell seems to be a very remarkable person, and I hope to read and savour more books by him.

    Summary

    A little child, whose gender has not been specified to create inclusion at the beginning of this book, starts writing a series of letters to a particular zookeeper in the area. The child is keen on getting a pet from the zoo, but alas, the zoo seemed a bit confused about the nature of the inquiry. They initially assume that the writer of the letter is an adult and is keen to gain a pet or an exotic and strange pet from the zoo. Remember, this is the year 1982, when Pop celebrities like Michael Jackson were taking in chimpanzees and pythons as pets without anyone batting an eyelid. Similarly, other elitist and upper-middle-class Britishers were keen on having some intriguing pets in their menagerie. This British Zoo, therefore, did not bother with the nitty gritty of the plea but at once began sending off animals in different-sized crates, boxes, cages, etc., to the child’s residence day by day. First, an Elephant was sent in a huge yellow crate, which the child refused because the elephant seemed to be too big. Then a Giraffe was sent in a tall green crate after the elephant was sent back, but the child rejected the tall animal as well because it was simply too tall. After sending the Giraffe back, the zookeeper sent the child a lion in a red cage, which the child obviously rejected because the animal was too fierce for his tastes. The lion was taken back, and then a grumpy camel in a blue crate was delivered to the boy, whom the boy in turn rejected because the creature seemed too grumpy. The list goes on as next in line a snake was sent in a coir basket, a mischievous rhesus monkey in a yellow box, and then a frog in a tiny pink cardboard box with holes – all of them were, in their turn, rejected by the boy. They were rejected because they were too scary, mischievous, and jumpy, respectively. Lastly, after having exhausted their resources, it finally occurred to the zoo keeper and his staff that the picky writer of this letter must be a little child and not an eccentric adult looking for an exotic pet to add to their menagerie. They therefore finally send a lovely brown little puppy to the child in a pet doggy basket-cage, which the child readily accepts at last. Thus, the story ends with the child happy with their new pet, and the staff at the nearby zoo were at last glad to get rid of their unusual pesky customer. Yet they managed to be of service to the child, though they had to do so at their own cost.

    Analysis

    There are a few nuances in this PYP Animal Story book that one cannot miss if one studies the text carefully enough. Here are a few of the important points that a reader, or an IGCSE or IB PYP teacher, can glean from the book:

    1. The Zoo Keepers and the Staff at the Zoo:

    We notice in this text that the zookeeper and their staff were not at all perturbed about sending an otherwise wild animal to the writer of the letter as a pet. This, as mentioned before, was a time before stringent measures were passed in this regard and before the incarceration of animals from the wild as pets was banned altogether. Animals from the wild would be hunted and sold in crates, much like non-living things, to various parts of the world for trade and export purposes. It was the easiest thing at that time to procure a wild animal in this way, even Gerald Durrell of the ‘My Family and Other Animals’ Series fame procured his own zoo animals in the same manner as he has stated in his book series and BBC interviews. Such animals were brutalized, ill-treated, and at times severely maimed while travelling from country to country or even crossing oceans and continents, going towards England or North America, where there would be some eccentric millionaire takers for such denizens of the wild. Therefore, the zookeepers and staff were not perturbed when they were asked for an exotic or wild animal ‘pet’. That they did not verify the real identity of the letter’s writer suggests either carelessness or a common practice until the 1990s, when the UNO finally cracked down on the export and trafficking of wild animals. A good story-narrator IB or IGCSE PYP teacher can, through some comic gestures and comments, easily alert the PYP students to this element in the story. They can indicate to the child that the zookeepers were so hasty and caught up in their work that they forgot to fact-check the identity of the writer of this letter. Later, a series of letters complaining about the size, temperament, activities, etc., of the animals were sent. The teacher could point out how foolish they were. Only after the return of the jumpy frog did it finally occur to them that the mysterious writer of the letter must be a child. Instead of writing to the pet shop, the child wrote to the zoo in naivety. But the zookeepers had a heart and were a kindly lot, not to mention patient. They always wanted to ensure the customer or patron was served. Since they finally knew they were dealing with a child in the PYP, they spent a few pounds out of their own pocket to get the child the animal it desired —a small, friendly puppy. They thus proved that they were efficient and catered to their clients even in unusual circumstances. A great PYP storyteller teacher during the Library or Reading periods could recreate the pushing, pulling and extra hard work of the zoo keepers and staff trying to shove a huge elephant in huge yellow crate, or the camel in the tall and broad blue crate or the ferocious lion in the red cage all huffing and puffing and sweating it out comically while it was all being done, and then being told that the letter writer rejected the fruit of their hard work and wished for another contender as a pet. This would seem very comical to demonstrate in a storytelling manner rather than just concentrating on the mammals, reptiles, and amphibians in question.

    2. Adjectives Used:

    Notice the intention of the creator of this book, Rod Campbell, in wanting to enhance further the PYP students’ knowledge of how to use adjectives to describe the animals, reptiles, or amphibians in this story titled ‘Dear Zoo’. Using the appropriate adjectives is a key topic used right from the PYP in an IGCSE and IB English curriculum to enhance essay writing capabilities, especially narrative writing, descriptive writing, and persuasive writing. The following is the list of adjectives that have been used in this story:

    1) Big for the Elephant

    2) Tall for the Giraffe

    3) Fierce for the Lion

    4) Grumpy for the Camel

    5) Scary for the Snake

    6) Naughty for the Monkey

    7) Jumpy for the frog

    They are all, as you can see, very elementary adjectives perfect for introducing a 1st grade PYP student to the world of literature, reading, and basic grammar. They thus learn the descriptions and main points or characteristics of the animals in question. For example, the Giraffe is a tall animal, while the elephant is a large one. The snake is poisonous and hisses frighteningly, making it scary. In contrast, the frog hops from place to place, making it jumpy. A good Science PYP teacher can further enhance this if the topic is studied in the senior PYP classes in the topic ‘Classification of Animals’, especially into Domestic and Wild Animals, and which of the animals can be both. In that topic, the characteristics of the animals can be studied as well as the general features and functions of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.

    3. Domestic and Wild Animals:

    Here is a list of the animals in this book titled ‘Dear Zoo’ by Rod Campbell that can be considered as primarily wild animals who technically cannot be tamed:

    1) Elephant

    2) Giraffe

    3) Lion

    4) Snake

    5) Monkey

    6) Frog

    The following is a list of those animals that can be termed as domestic animals because they can be tamed easily compared to the others:

    1) Elephant

    2) Camel

    3) Puppy

    Please note that, however, all animals mentioned in this book, if reared by humans right from the time of their infancy in captivity, can all become tame and friendly to humans, including the lion and the snake. Maybe videos from Animal Planet, especially from the famous The Crocodile Hunter and The Crocodile Hunter Diaries (1996 – 2007), The Jeff Corwin Experience (2000-2003) and the Wild Kingdom (revived in the early 2000s) of the early 2000s can be shown to the IB PYP students to indicate the same and increase their knowledge about conservation and the importance of reserved habitats and reintroducing animals into the wild.

    This may encourage students in higher classes to research the ill effects of reintroducing captive-raised animals into the wild. In tackling this issue, they may develop innovative solutions that are currently in high demand worldwide. The PYP IB student or PYP IGCSE student can then research further into the different types of snakes, frogs, camels, etc., that can make for an enjoyable experience. For example, there are two types of camels in the world: a Bactrian Camel and a Dromedary camel. The Dromedary is the Arabian Camel, which has only one hump, while the Bactrian Camel has two humps. There are two types of snakes in the world: poisonous ones and non-poisonous ones, also known as constrictors. Poisonous snakes, such as the Cobra, King Cobra, Rattlesnake, and Viper, are characterized by their venom. In contrast, constrictors are non-poisonous snakes that suffocate their prey by crushing their bones. Some examples of constrictors are the python, the yellow boa constrictor, and the Anaconda. Poisonous snakes, such as cobras and certain mambas, have large and prominent hoods with speckled bands, whereas constrictors don’t.

    4. The Identification of the Animals and the Lift-the-Flap Thrill:

    This book can easily be a child’s favourite because it allows the child to experience the thrill of the surprise whenever the child lifts the ingenious flaps of the various baskets, crates, cages, boxes, etc., to reveal an animal, reptile, or amphibian enclosed within. The actual name of the creature is not given in the book; instead, the colourful picture of it prompts the child to utter the name and identify it or them for themselves. This is excellent reinforcement, particularly for PYP or Kindergarten students, presented in a fun way to learn the various names of animals, their descriptions, and their sounds. A good PYP storyteller teacher in the Library or Reading period can imitate the various sounds made by the animals in question for the students, or maybe ask the students themselves to mimic the sounds created by these animals every time the story is told and the flaps are lifted page by page. It would be very tricky for a child to especially imitate the ‘sound’ made by a giraffe or a camel, because usually they have never heard these creatures ever really make a noise. For the reader’s information, the Giraffe makes grunting and snorting noises, while the camel makes a sort of humph sound, as if it is disgusted with someone perpetually! That could make for more funny reading than the usual lion’s roar or the elephant’s trumpet sound. Here is the list of the sounds made by the animals in this book titled ‘Dear Zoo’ for a reader’s reference:

    1) Elephant – Trumpet Sound

    2) Giraffe – Grunting and Snorting Sound (Like you’ve got a bad cold!)

    3) Lion – Roar

    4) Camel – Humph (Like you are annoyed!)

    5) Snake – Hissss

    6) Monkey – Oh-Oh-Ah-Ah (typically like the wild pant hoots of an overactive chimpanzee and their wild cackling!)

    7) Frog – Ribbet

    8) Puppy – Cute bark or woof

    Book Review

    The book was ingenious, captivating, and thrilling, providing a positive and educational experience that can be a great learning experience for not only PYP students but also PYP IB and PYP IGCSE teachers. This book is enriching, especially in the context of subjects like the Library Period and the Reading Period. In the latter, students can easily express their final reflections, which can help them learn basic sequencing and improve their memory and retentive skills. We are officially living in a world where school students especially right until the MYP or Middle Years Programme are unawares about how to retain the information they have learnt at school or from their textbooks leading them to be absolute beginners according to the IDEA Students Theory of the IB and IGCSE right till the time they reach the IGCSE level which is concerning.

    This can be tackled, especially with constant reading and re-reading of sequence-based books in English like ‘Dear Zoo’ by Rod Campbell. In the Reading Class, one can use a lot of Higher Level Questions and Encourage Critical Thinking among the students especially about the theme of conservation and animal rights throughout the last decade of the 1990s, the early 2000s and now in the current Post-Truth Era where we are in danger of probably losing more species in a single decade than we’ve lost in over 5 centuries! Topics about reserved forests and their pros and cons can be tackled or at least discussed if there are too many Emerging Learners or Absolute Beginners in the classroom, which has sadly become an everyday scenario everywhere you go.

    We need to help PYP students overcome the hurdles of the Post-Truth Era and the AI Age before they are deemed unfit even to handle the computer-run machines their ancestors had made. This is important for our future generations as much as spotting geniuses in the class, because, as Albert Einstein once said:

    ‘The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits.’ ― Albert Einstein (German-born theoretical physicist and Globally Acclaimed Super-Genius)

    ‘Dear Zoo’ is an engaging book that can be read and dwelt on by the students themselves once the main storytelling session is done during the Reading Period. Questions can be appropriately tailored to the suggested theme, and Think-Pair-Share Group Discussions can be conducted to reflect on the animals that resonate with the children individually.

    On a personal note, the book was motivating, engaging, entertaining, and informative. It was beautifully illustrated, and it influenced me to such an extent that I even used it during the Storytelling Session at my PGCITE Course while we were studying the major topic, namely, Micro-Teaching. I narrated this entire story to my Professor, Dr. Rekha Bajaj, as well as my Class of PGCITE students (January 2025 Batch) at Podar International School (Podar IB) in an interactive manner, which I usually do while telling stories to PYP students, for which I was applauded. I also analyzed the story titled ‘How The Grinch Stole Christmas’ by Dr. Seuss in the class before I went for a Proxy Class to teach the MYP Grade 7. I had analyzed Rod Campbell’s book as well along with the help of my PGCITE colleagues and especially with the help of Rekha Ma’am or Dr. Rekha Bajaj who in turn gave me a lot of tips about how this book could be perfect for being used in sequencing topics not only in PYP Mathematics but also PYP English. It was the PGCITE student Rashmi who noted during my presentation the excellent use of adjectives by Rod Campbell and drew my attention to the same. Here are the photographs of that first session in Micro-Teaching:

    Conclusion

    All in all, a well-planned book with the aim achieved to perfection. I look forward to reading more books by Rod Campbell soon, though I am aware that nothing can compare to his evergreen classic ‘Dear Zoo’, which has sold over 2 million copies worldwide. The book is part of the Dear Zoo and Friends Series, which contains another book titled ‘Look After Us’, a lift-the-flap animal book for toddlers and PYP students with a positive message about conservation, which can be very effective. It can be a perfect sequel to ‘Dear Zoo’ any day! I also hope to read, review, and analyze more PYP books in the coming days and weeks.

    Special Note

    If you are interested in more book reviews, indie author interviews, book analyses, short story analyses, poems, essays, essay analyses, and other bookish content, check out my blog, insaneowl.com. If you are interested in purchasing my books, you can check the products page of my blog or on Amazon. There is a lot of good stuff to buy! Happy reading to you always!

    ©2025 Fiza Pathan

  • ‘Dogbird and Other Mixed-Up Tales’ by Paul Stewart and Tony Ross

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    Title of the Book: Dogbird and Other Mixed-Up Tales

    Author: Paul Stewart

    Illustrator: Tony Ross

    Publisher: Corgi Pups

    Publication Year: 2014

    Pages: 185 pgs.

    ISBN: 978-0-5525-5351-3

    Age Group: PYP (Grades 3rd & 4th)

    Genre: 21st Century Contemporary Animal Stories

    IBDP & IGCSE Subjects Covered: English, Wellbeing, Reading & UOI (Unit of Inquiry)

    Review Written By: Fiza Pathan

    Introduction

    The day shines not only when the sun rises in the sky. The day also shines when a PYP student reads a humorous, feel-good book that makes the child smile brightly like the sun. ‘Dogbird and Other Mixed-Up Tales’ is one such book by Multiple Award-winning British children’s author Paul Stewart, the famous creator of the international bestselling Edge Chronicles Series, which has sold over three million copies and is available in over twenty languages. The book is an omnibus, a collection of three novels by Paul Stewart: ‘ Dogbird’, ‘The Were-Pig’, and ‘The Watch-Frog’. All three books have been illustrated by the internationally famous and well-beloved illustrator Tony Ross, who is renowned for having illustrated some of the books of Roald Dahl and his protégé David Walliams. Tony Ross has also illustrated the famous Horrid Henry Series penned by Francesca Simon, which has sold over twelve million copies and is also an animated CITV series.

    The omnibus is highly humorous with the right touch of magic and a bit of indirect moral education that can go down very well with younger readers, especially in grades three and four. The novels are suspenseful yet hilarious, full of subtle humour, illustrated well, and meticulously crafted to hit the right comical and, at times, sentimental notes with the younger reader. The humour is clean, polished, and full of old-world charm that induces the younger generation to seek to play in the outdoors more than just gaming indoors or watching Netflix all day long.

    Paul Stewart has crafted his stories well, and Tony Ross has yet again done a marvellous job using the distinctive Roald Dahl style in his caricatures and illustrations. Thus, this gives the three novels a comical and fun-filled air, inducing the younger reader in the PYP section to pick the omnibus easily from the shelf. All three books are based on the lives of animals directly or indirectly, and all were published between 1998 and 2003. This was when the maximum number of clean, humourous children’s books were being published and illustrated using the characteristic Roald Dahl style to give the books in question a feel-good and fun setting. An element of fantasy was created only in the latter two books, namely ‘The Were-Pig’ and ‘The Watch Frog’. ‘Dogbird’ is the only realistic book that chronicles the story of a budgie who did not speak at all, twitter, or sing but instead barked like a dog continuously for hours together.

    All the novels are set in Great Britain and are perfect for the Summer or Diwali holidays. The following book analysis of Paul Stewart’s omnibus collectively titled ‘Dogbird and Other Mixed-Up Tales’ is an analysis of the three novels penned by Paul Stewart: ‘Dogbird’ (1998), ‘The Were-Pig’ (2002) and ‘The Watch-Frog’ (2003).

    Synopsis

    Dogbird:

    In the novel ‘Dogbird’ published in 1998, we are introduced to a bird that was one of the most favourite and sought after-winged pets of the 1990s, the budgie. The marvellous aspect of the budgie was that it looked colourful and cute, was soft and had a melodious singing voice, was highly active and entertaining, could speak if taught well, and could cultivate a broad vocabulary. The original budgie was always greenish-yellow in colour. However, other coloured variety budgies started to be bred in controlled laboratory environments, especially for their use in the pet trade in the 1990s. The budgie Dogbird is bluish-white with a bit of yellow that the pet store owner promised would talk if taught well or spoken to.

    Unfortunately, what the cunning pet store owner did not inform little Alice and her parents was that the budgie only seemed to know how to utter one kind of sound: a loud ferocious bark or a series of loud ferocious barks repeatedly for hours together. This would be so authentic that other nearby dogs would start barking loudly and repeatedly along with the budgie. The budgie seemed clueless about what he was doing or saying (or barking) and was at a loss to know why the three black labradors of little Alice’s home were so fond of playing with him and getting him forcefully out of his cage.

    Alice, on the other hand, and her parents were being tortured every day because of Dogbird and his continuous loud barking. They were losing sleep over it and their peace of mind. But they were a loving and decent family and had taken to Dogbird and treated him as part of the family. However, the situation was getting out of hand. Now, the dogs of the vicinity near and far and in the neighbourhood were also barking loudly, repeatedly, and excitedly to Dogbird’s incessant barks. The neighbours and Alice’s family also lost sleep over Dogbird and complained to Alice’s father about getting rid of the budgie or somehow stopping his incessant barking.

    When all seemed impossible to solve, one day Alice decided to release Dogbird into the wild because she could not bear to see him caged up, away from his rightful home and perpetually in danger of being mauled or killed by her ferocious and overexcited three black labradors. Whether her ‘change of heart’ was due partly due to the fact that Dogbird was a menace at their home is not dwelt upon by Paul Stewart, but it seems so as is depicted in the conversations shared between Alice and her best friend, Katie. However, the catalyst was when Dogbird got out of his cage one day when Alice’s parents were out, and the three dogs started chasing and wounding Dogbird in the bargain.

    Alice then set Dogbird free, but soon enough, because of his strange barking, the other birds of the air did not accept him and started pecking him to death. His wing started to bleed, and he tried flying hither and thither to save himself. Alice took matters into her own hands and managed to save poor outcast Dogbird by locking him back in his cage. It was ultimately decided that the best place for Dogbrid would be with Alice’s grandmother as her pet because she had been recently burgled, and burglars in her area were not afraid to rob a house where there were no dogs. It was Alice and Katie who, after Alice’s grandmother’s burglary incident, thought of allowing Dogbird to stay with her. Once this happened, Dogbird and Alice’s grandmother were much happier, and she was very loving towards the budgie, who kept the robbers away from her home and also kept her company. The budgie, therefore, at last found his forever home.

    The Were-Pig:

    In ‘The Were-Pig’, the otherwise tame and calm Albert, a favourite of his maternal grandmother, stole a Mars Bar from his classmate’s tiffin or lunchbox at school one day. He took the Mars Bar outside the school to the grounds in the heat of the shining sun and gobbled down the Mars Bar. When he confessed this to his maternal grandmother, she was shocked and disappointed with Albert and then informed him about something mysterious. On repeatedly asking little Albert whether he ate the bar in the glare of the shining sun and when he confessed that he had done precisely that, his maternal grandmother informed Albert that from henceforth, he would be turned into a Were-Pig.

    According to the maternal grandmother, a Were-Pig was a half-pig and half-human creature similar to a werewolf, a half-wolf and half-human creature. However, where a werewolf only turned into his mysterious form at night when the full moon was seen in the sky, Albert would be turned into a were-pig whenever the sun shone brightly in the sky. Albert found the whole idea scary and odious because his maternal grandmother had never been known to lie to him. And she was proved right the next day because immediately when poor Albert saw the sun shining extremely brightly after a long spell of rain, he turned into a plus-size but miniature were-pig. And the moment he was transformed, he grew extremely or ravenously hungry.

    He went to the school cafeteria and the cafeteria’s kitchen, where he greedily gobbled down all the food he found. He managed to do so on the sly because of his small size, but soon, the other cooks found out about his actions, especially when he accidentally dropped a vessel of heated custard. He tried fleeing from their grasp but was blinded by the slop bucket being attached to his head. He ran away from the scene of the crime with the slop bucket still stuck to his head when he appeared before his homeroom teacher. She immediately recognized him because of his clothes and got the bucket off his head. When his face was revealed, he was again turned into a normal boy and was not caught by the cooks because they were after a giant pig.

    He then vowed to his maternal grandmother that he would never be greedy for food again. He wondered why he was turned back into a normal boy when he noticed an unknown student flicking his Mars Bar from his lunch box. On hearing this news, the maternal grandmother informed him that it was because of the robbery of his own Mars Bar by someone else that he had turned back into a little boy and that the curse of the were-pig was now upon someone else in his school. Albert nevertheless vowed that he would not ever be greedy to rob someone’s food again, and the maternal grandmother seemed unusually pleased with this vow, which made Albert wonder who was behind the magical and crazy happenings of that school day.

    The Watch Frog:

    In the novel ‘The Watch-Frog,’ a little girl named Looby has her bedroom in the back of a tall but cozy house in London. She had been given that room in the house as it was the quietest place in the home, and it remained quiet till one day, a frog appeared in the garden pond outside Looby’s bedroom window. This frog habitually croaked from 4:00 am, disturbing Looby’s sleep midway or too early. Looby started losing sleep literally and metaphorically over this noisy frog, and dark circles started appearing below her eyes along with terrible bags.

    Looby’s grandfather was the one to notice the change in Looby’s sleep-deprived appearance and asked her what the matter was, to which Looby indicated the problem she was having with the frog. When her grandfather heard about the frog, he mysteriously suggested to her that the frog was probably a frog prince, like in the famous fairy story ‘The Frog Prince’ taken from the Grimm Fairy Tales. He hinted that Looby should probably try kissing the frog to get a different reaction. When Looby heard what her grandfather said, she almost gagged and vowed to do anything but kiss the frog living in the little pond outside her bedroom.

    She tried many ways to avoid the irritating and noisy frog non-violently, even taking him to a faraway pool with her mother in tow and releasing him there to live peacefully and comfortably away from her bedroom. However, the frog always managed to find his way back. One day, the neighbour’s ginger-coloured tomcat, Pugsy, partially swallowed the frog. It was then that Looby felt so terrible for the frog that she saved him from the clutches of Pugsy. The Frog was wounded and lying unconscious beside Looby, which broke her heart. Looby petted and kissed him gently to revive him, after which the Frog returned to consciousness and started conversing in English.

    However, he did not turn into a handsome prince as Looby’s grandfather thought would happen if his granddaughter kissed the frog. Instead, this frog retold the story of his recent adventure to a very curious and patient Looby. He informed her that he was an ordinary 12-year-old pre-teen boy. A week ago, he was spending his summer vacation at his seaside adventure camp while his parents were off trekking in the Amazon rainforest, which they did every year. Diving off the coast the previous Sunday, he bumped into a hideous-looking waterwitch who turned him into a frog. She said he would never return to normal unless he did something good for another person without expecting anything. Since then, he found himself in Looby’s backyard or garden pond and had been croaking away, thinking that he probably had to do something good for her to turn back into a 12-year-old boy and return to his family before the summer vacation ended or his family would get worried about him. The summer vacation that year was going to end in 8 days, and before that, he was keen on turning back into a 12-year-old boy.

    On hearing his intriguing story, Looby was keen on helping him out as long as he stopped his incessant croaking and roomed with her in her bedroom away from Pugsy the tomcat, who had evil intentions for the frog. She made a special aquarium for him that very day and placed him in it. She accidentally fell asleep due to many days of sleep deprivation, and after she awakened, she turned to check whether the aquarium or frog tank was still there or whether she had dreamt of the whole episode. The tank was still there with the frog in it, but he had stopped both croaking and talking. Instead, he stared at her quietly and intently whenever she tried to converse with him. Soon, she started questioning her sanity as she returned to a normal state, especially her sleep schedule.

    One night at around 12:40 am, the frog woke the sleeping Looby up by croaking desperately as he used to. Looby was shocked to hear him croaking in this manner but then realized the reason for the same. Gas had been leaked in her home because of a faulty bathroom geyser that her father had worked on without the help of a professional. This led to severe and dangerous gas leakage, which could have blown up the house or could have set the house on fire. The authorities arrived on time to save the family from the crisis successfully, along with reprimanding Looby’s father for trying to fix the geyser on his own as a ‘do-it-yourself’ project because gas was never to be tampered so carelessly with. While all this was happening, Looby realized the frog had saved her family’s life. She headed straight back to her bedroom when she found the frog missing from his tank. Instead, she saw giant webbed footprints, part of a young pre-teen’s scuba diving outfit, walking out of her bedroom, down her stairs, then out of her house, and getting lost in the garden and further from her home. She realized, therefore, that because of his good deed, the frog had been successfully turned into a pre-teen boy again and had started his journey back to his parents home before that year’s summer vacation could end or before they returned from trekking in the Amazon.

    Analysis

    Dogbird:

    As stated earlier, all the stories were cleanly humorous and also indicated an indirect moral at the end of the story. None of the novels could better define this statement than the novel ‘Dogbird’. Though Dogbird was accepted in the home of Alice and her parents, he found his forever home in her grandmother’s house because her grandmother would accept Dogbird for who he was and because he was helpful to her as an indirect protector.

    However, there is another implicit aspect that we, as IB or IGCSE teachers, can also identify with while reading about the grandmother’s relationship with the budgie. Notice that when the budgie lived with Alice and her family, he would only bark or growl incessantly and viciously like a dog. However, the moment he started living with Alice’s grandmother, he barked only when he needed to do so to protect her. Instead, he began speaking to the grandmother, occasionally using words and phrases he picked up from her. This indicates that her acceptance of his uniqueness and her putting him at ease brought out the budgie tendencies hidden within him all the time, apart from his unique but annoying characteristic. If Alice and her family had probably been more affectionate and accepting of the budgie while he was with them, he would have stopped barking incessantly. Notice that even when Alice’s family named the budgie, they called him tauntingly by the rather rude name of Dogbird. In contrast, the grandmother gave him the decent and endearing name of Bluey, giving him the respect that a new family member was due.

    Another factor worth pondering is the sudden rush to get the budgie free into the wild after the three labradors attacked Dogbird. It is evident that Alice’s family did not want the bird, and Alice knew it was also becoming a nuisance in the neighborhood. She wanted a budgie in the house to speak and sing to her human words, not to talk only barking sounds that dogs could understand. Therefore, all these factors were put into play and set off by the catalyst of the budgie being attacked by the three black labradors that induced Alice and even Katie to set Dogbrid free into the wild. That is a highly grey characteristic we see in Alice and Katie per se. Still, the fact that she saved the budgie from imminent doom immediately when his kind did not accept him negated that the bird’s release was maliciously done to get rid of him.

    This particular story contained within this omnibus titled ‘Dogbird and Other Mixed-Up Tales’ by Paul Stewart is the only one that is realistic and does not contain a fantasy element. This made the novel seem more believable than the other two and more relatable because the issues faced by all the characters and their reactions to the same were probably how most human beings would react in such an extraordinary circumstance. The grandmother’s response to Dogbird was, however, very touching, making the young PYP reader realize that the grandmother was one of those individuals who lived an ordinary life in an extraordinary manner with compassion and lots of love.

    Coming to the bird itself, the budgie, as I have mentioned before, is the classic 1990s pet bird (also known as a parakeet, especially in the USA) that one would, as the decade progressed, see in every other kid’s birdcage at home or in their private garden. They were bred in various colours to be housed as pets as they were amiable, had a vast vocabulary, were not as vicious or moody as parrots, were great singers, could be easily trained if adopted when young, and because of hobby breeders keeping them in custody for decades together, they had acquired the tendency to live much longer than other pet birds.

    Dogbird was a blue-white and yellow male budgie or parakeet, which is not the ordinary colour of this bird species found originally in the wild. Only green-yellow budgies are found in the wild; the colour mutation breeding was done to sell these colourful and cute-looking birds as pets. That was yet another reason why when Dogbird was let out into the wild, the other birds were unwilling to accept him because he did not look like a regular budgie or parakeet of the wild. He looked like an alien, and usually, birds are not so tolerant of aliens. They prefer to eliminate such a creature rather than risk being hurt by them. That probably accounts for the wild birds’ unruly behavior towards Dogbird in the novel.

    The Were-Pig:

    There were more direct explicit images in this novel titled ‘The Were-Pig’ than implicit ones. This is because the novel was directly related to the theme of fantasy rather than based on a real animal’s story. In ‘The Were-Pig’, we see a little wild side to the author Paul Stewart, where he hints directly that Albert’s maternal grandmother was probably a witch who delved into magic. That is perhaps why she was considered a strange one in her family and an added reason why Albert’s mother was a single parent fending for herself and her only son. We see the inclusion of single-parent children in his novel ‘The Were-Pig’ and the difficulties they go through when they are misunderstood. Yet despite so many positive and intriguing aspects to this particular novel, which incorporates very well the inclusiveness reserved for a perfect IB and IGCSE education, the novel is lacking in a proper plot, suspense and Albert seems like a weak character at the end of the novel compared to his astounding maternal grandmother and brave single parent mother whom we as readers wished we saw more of in this novel. It would have probably added some direction to an otherwise weak plot.

    We are told the bare minimum about these two independent and unconventional women, just that Albert’s mother had divorced her husband recently, was a working single mother, and left home at 7:00 am and returned home around 12 hours later. She, therefore, needed the assistance of her mother, Nan Tucker, who was an unconventional grandmother who did not look the part at all, especially with her slim and trim figure, her bright brown hair, her green eyes, plaited long and colourful skirts, beads in her hair and her penchant for playing the guitar, telling amazing stories, allowing Albert the free will to pick strange things up from the road, etc. We, as readers, hoped to see more of these two daring women in the novel, but the novel drifted toward Albert’s school life, which did not attract as much attention because of Albert’s underdevelopment as a character.

    Albert’s mother was not even given a name, which is surprising when such a meaningful, inclusive element had been introduced by the author Paul Stewart in the form of a single parent; why introduce such an eye-catching and inclusive element to the story and then neglect to name the intriguing character? As mentioned before in the analysis, the book was published in the year 2002, when such themes were not common in the juvenile fiction of the day, but if anyone took the trouble to normalize this situation, they would have at least the decency of giving a name to the mother or a proper description of her profession! It is the least the author can do to give dignity to his character. Nevertheless, this was a start in the genre that would develop significantly over a remarkable decade of inclusivity in children’s literature, which would blossom into the courageous, bold, and stunning new genre of juvenile literature post-2014. In 2025, when this review is being typed, the symbol of the single-parent mother is highly glorified rather than hidden in the background of a story, novel, or even a bestselling series.

    As mentioned earlier, the plot is weak, and the theme of the were-pig intrigues the reader, but the insatiable appetite of Albert when he turns into a were-pig is not pleasing or intriguing to the eye to witness. One tends to gawk at the food-devouring were-pig waiting for some real action to take place, which never does happen. Nevertheless, it was a feel-good read, though not as humourous as ‘Dogbird’ and ‘The Watch-Frog’. A sight for sore eyes is to see the female homeroom teacher of Albert’s being inclusively represented as a Black-British woman and thankfully not painted according to the caricature of a damsel in distress, which was the epitome of what most of the juvenile books of the 1980s and 1990s were all about. This kind of inclusivity is in keeping with the English curriculum of an IB or IGCSE student and can be analyzed and critiqued by the PYP 3rd or 4th-grade student in their UOI or Unit of Inquiry class.

    The homeroom teacher is depicted here as a villain who tends to pick on Albert whenever he is caught off guard. Her name was Mrs. Wilkinson, and this is a daring and unique feature of this novel titled ‘The Were-Pig’. The notion of being free enough to depict Black-British or Black-American characters as villains or negative characters boldly only managed to strike a permanent ground in 2015 without unduly harming the sentiments related to that particular community in the field of literature. It was fascinating to see Mrs. Wilkinson pulling the slop bucket off Albert’s little head and trying to visualize that portion. It can bring a bit of a chuckle in any young reader, considering the otherwise nondescript Albert trying to get into trouble by getting himself uselessly stuck in a bucket of slop and potato peels!

    There is an indication that the story’s ending was partly due to some magic hidden up the sleeve of Nan Tucker, as is evident from the mysterious disappearance of the Mars Bar from Albert’s tiffin box or lunch box. This similar element is also seen in the third novel titled ‘The Watch-Frog’, where it seems like Looby’s grandfather had something up his sleeve when he dropped a hint to Looby to try and steal a kiss from the annoying frog in her backyard. Where the former story was concerned, however, the Grandmother gave a direct indication that she could have been responsible for the strange happenings in Albert’s day at school, while the latter, Looby’s grandfather, does not make an appearance after the 12-year-old boy cum frog leaves her residence to return to his parents.

    The Watch-Frog:

    In ‘The Watch-Frog’, a novel published by Paul Stewart in 2003, a year soon after ‘The Were-Pig’, one sees that Paul Stewart tries to redeem his glaring plot holes or lack thereof in the story of friendship between two very different people: a frog who is out to return to his human absentee parents and Looby, or A.K.A. Louise Mitchell, who wants to regain her beauty sleep by wishing a frog in her pond to grow silent for a change!

    These two very different people are not out to romance each other but to help each other out so as not to make the 12-year-old boy’s absentee parents worried about his absence from the seaside adventure camp and their home. The themes or virtues implied are compassion, mercy, helpfulness, and gratefulness or being thankful. All these virtues are part of the PYP IB or International Board student’s overall incorporated 12 Attitudes to foster some fundamental IB values, beliefs, and feelings in the concerned student. They would fall into the categories of:

    1. Appreciation

    2. Commitment

    3. Empathy

    4. Integrity and

    5. Respect

    Though the two children show exemplary compassion, commitment, and gratitude for their service to each other, we see some negative aspects in their fellow adults. The 12-year-old boy’s parents are intellectual adventurists who prefer leaving to go off trekking to the Amazon rain forest for a whole month without even seeing their son, who would be sent off to a seaside adventure camp till they would arrive back. It is evident from the sub-plot of the story that the boy’s absence from the camp would only be reported to the absentee parents another 8 days after the boy’s mysterious disappearance. Yet, in his distress, the ever-faithful son is not concerned about his predicament as he recounts his ordeal to Looby. Instead, he wishes to return to his normal form to return to his parent’s home before the summer vacation ends, as they would be worried upon returning to England and hearing that their son has been missing for the past 16 or more days! The boy’s respect and admiration for his parents and their job is evident from his reason for returning to them.

    However, the absentee parents seem too irresponsible in this instance. The story is set in 2002 when mobile phones and other forms of telecommunication were readily available and affordable enough to Westerners. The 12-year-old boy’s parents were probably research scientists, and it would be necessary for them to carry several forms of telecommunication with them while on their trekking. Yet, they felt it impossible to contact their only son during this long absence. This sounds too neglectful on their part rather than making us as readers sympathize with them, saying that they were busy individuals with no time other than their personal affairs.

    Also, Looby’s mother and father were quite careless individuals, with Looby’s mother being unsure about how to conduct herself with her daughter concerning the sleep issue or the presence of the perpetually croaking frog. Even Looby’s father showed his absolute carelessness and disregard for his family’s safety when he tried to fix the geyser on his own, causing a terrible gas leak that could have taken their lives if the frog had not alerted Looby on time. Therefore, this novel shows several cases of careless parents who seem disinterested in their family’s or children’s wellbeing. Even Looby’s dark circles and bags don’t startle her parents enough to take it upon themselves to get rid of the frog for the sake of their little girl. This was startling yet somewhat relatable compared to the exaggerated parenting style of the Wormwoods starring in Roald Dahl’s international bestselling and perennial favourite novel ‘Matilda’. To read up on my book review of the novel ‘Matilda’ check it out on my bookish and literary blog insaneowl.com.

    The Wormwoods were absolute disasters as parents for little Matilda. In contrast, many things were redeemable about Looby’s parents, especially their concern for her welfare and sleep deprivation. This can be seen in the fact that where the former was concerned, they made her have the tallest and quietest bedroom in the house to rest in, while where the latter was concerned, they constantly inquired after her health and sleep, or lack thereof.

    Conclusion

    Thus, Paul Stewart’s three books in this omnibus titled ‘Dogbird and Other Mixed-Up Tales’ were entertaining, an excellent tool for value education or what we call in an IGCSE or IB school as the subject Wellbeing, a light read, and an extremely well-illustrated one indeed. Tony Ross, the illustrator, has worked well with Paul Stewart to create memorable illustrations and caricatures for this omnibus that can easily make the younger PYP reader laugh out loud and yet learn some excellent IB Fundamentally Positive Attitudes along the way as prescribed by the IBO. I’ve noticed that when Tony Ross gets along well with his author colleague, the project they mutually work on turns out very well. Paul Stewart seems like an expert in moralistic subtle humour for juvenile readers. It would seem like, unlike Roald Dahl, he tends to move towards the absurd and even the sentimental, something similar to the plots of David Walliams, the protégé of Roald Dahl or, as most initial fans of Walliams call him, the true heir to Roald Dahl fame. I hope to read and review more books illustrated by Tony Ross in the near future.

    I look forward to reading, reviewing, and analyzing more PYP or Primary Years Programme-related books in the fiction and non-fiction categories in light of the International Baccalaureate.

    Special Note

    If you are interested in more book reviews, indie author interviews, book analyses, short story analyses, poems, essays, essay analyses, and other bookish content, check out my blog, insaneowl.com. If you are interested in purchasing my books, you can check the products page on Amazon. There is a lot of good stuff to buy! Happy reading to you always!

    ©2025 Fiza Pathan

  • ‘The Monkey Theory: Conquer Your Mental Chatter’ by Sfurti Sahare

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    Introduction

    We are surrounded by Gen-Alpha and Gen-Z students who are victims of severe cases of procrastination, anxiety, disorderly behavior, and a heightened sense of materialism. They look for validation for their existence from social media and their peers, both of which are detrimental to their overall development and growth as ethical adults of the future. Never before has such a crisis occurred where the younger generation seems ‘unfit’ to take on the responsibilities of a hi-tech, fast-evolving society. Instead, they have become the victims of the various issues related to this accelerated model of societal development, including becoming hardcore addicts of gaming, drugs, alcohol, vaping, smoking, gambling, racing, and the like. In such instances, life coach and motivational speaker Sfurti Sahare brings out this timely self-help or how-to-book for the young to tackle the mental negative chatter that dominates their waking moments.

    Sfurti Sahare is the national bestselling author of ‘Think And Win Like Dhoni’, published by Jaico Books, which established her name in the Indian publishing world as a winning motivational speaker, life coach, and success manual expert. It also established her name as a reputed sports writer, and now she will be coming out with her latest sports how-to book titled ‘Think and Win Like Virat: 5 Success Secrets’. Sahara has a knack for breaking down complex psychological jargon into lucid and easy-to-understand story mnemonics for the young to understand, especially those not used to reading heavy self-help books or those from our present troubled Gen-Alpha and Gen-Z generation.

    In ‘The Monkey Theory: Conqueror Your Mental Chatter’, Sfurti Sahare, through a series of monkeys that live in our brains like the Drunk Monkey, Anger Monkey, Fear Monkey, Procrastination Monkey, etc., manages to decipher the negative mental chatter the young indulge in every day, sometimes 24/7, especially while at school, college, or on social media. She also challenges the reader to win over or defeat their negative monkeys and fulfill only the dreams and ambitions of the Human Monkey, the only monkey that seeks the betterment of humans. Sahare believes that we can overcome our hidden demons, or mischievous monkeys, to get to where we want to see ourselves as successful, happy, and ethical citizens of the new global future.

    Synopsis

    “It’s not talent that makes a winner. It’s what you do with the talent that matters.” ― Sfurti Sahare (Think and Win Like Dhoni)

    The book begins with the Human Monkey in a hypothetical crisis about how to fulfill his dreams when he is at every point in his existence thwarted in his attempts by various negative monkeys in the form of negative self-talk or mental chatter. He mentions his struggles with the P-Monkey or Procrastination Monkey, the Fear Monkey, the Drunk Monkey, the Complaint Monkey, the Aggression Monkey, etc. The author then, through the help of the hypothetical idea of an ‘Eagle of Wisdom,’ takes the Human Monkey on a journey of inner healing and transformation that does get a person to reach their goals and to fulfill their various aspirations in life for the betterment of themselves and the world at large.

    During this process, the Human Monkey is shown a series of life examples showcasing how one gives into procrastination, anxiety, self-doubt, aggression, complaints, etc., and then how to eliminate these negative emotions, turning them into opportunities for success, thereby creating a foundation for more positive and beneficial monkeys ruling the mind of the individual and not the earlier unruly negative monkeys. The hypothetical Eagle of Wisdom takes such a Human Monkey on a journey to the heart of the mental chatter where the positive monkeys are kidnapped and onto a magically peaceful island called the ‘purple island’ that individuals can use as their go-to place to remind themselves not to let their emotions take the better of their rational judgement and sense of equilibrium.

    Using simple analogies, real-life examples, and engaging exercises, Sfurti Sahare manages to convey the required requisites needed for every Gen-Alpha and Gen-Z individual to stop letting their mental chatter get the better of them and instead start crafting their own future using their talents, skills, and resources at their disposal. This is because it does not depend on how smart, wealthy, resourceful, and organized you are but on how you use those talents, resources, skills, etc., to achieve what you need in this lifetime. And you only live once as the personality you are! So why waste one’s life running after trivialities when life needs to be seen in the bigger picture beyond what one can easily see and perceive? In this book, Sfurti Sahare teaches us to look beyond what we see.

    Analysis

    This non-fiction how-to or self-help book is the perfect tool for Gen-Alpha and Gen-Z individuals struggling with issues that their predecessors normally did not face while growing up. This is because their predecessors, including young Millennials, have been given the opportunity to have several things at their disposal for free, which is not available to their successive generations, and the following list speaks of these unique opportunities that they had:

    1. Leisure Time in plenty to do as they please, especially to be content to be with themselves and to do their own thing, be it playing a musical instrument for long hours at a stretch, painting with watercolors all night, reading novels in a park till the sun sets, etc., or even just sitting idle and watching a natural scene like the sunset, the sunrise, the activities on a beach, children at play in a park, animals going about their daily errands, flowers blooming, etc. They had the leisure and the dignity to take time off in plenty to ‘stand and stare’ and participate in rejuvenating and revitalizing leisure time.

    2. They were not so materialistic and prone to giving into affective values like loyalty, love, compassion, empathy, mercy, gratefulness, remorse, etc. All these emotions came naturally to them, and all could be easily identified from the expressions of these Boomers, Gen-Y, Gen-X, and Millennial Individuals. It was not difficult for past generations to emote and feel the pain of others; it did not take a lot of effort to do so. Money, fame, power, gadgets, etc., were not the ultimate sources of lasting fulfillment for these earlier generations. Instead, feeling comfortable with themselves and being contented individuals doing their best to help one another is what defined these people best.

    3. They were very much in tune with nature and spent more than 85% of their waking moments surrounded by nature or within the bosom of nature. Playtime was always meant to happen outdoors in gardens, parks, fields, meadows, near river banks, etc., where knees were scraped, dips were taken in cool pools, swings were made with tyres attached to branches of trees with a strong rope, basketball, and cricket galore were played on hot, dusty fields, flowers were plucked and scattered upon each other like confetti and no bicycle race in the wild was complete without a good roll in the wet mud.

    4. Their lives were not a rat race of tuition, competitive exams, portfolio submission work, CV updates, extracurricular classes for credit, and working late into the night trying to make it to the University of their Dreams. Life was simply – simple! Life was not a never-ending competition, and your worth as a human did not depend on the money in your bank account and your previous stalwart alma maters. Life was beautiful because it was not a race.

    5. They loved to play ‘make-believe’ games and dramatize situations like being a doctor in the hospital, a teacher at school, or a policeman, being the Famous Five or the Secret Seven, depending on how many friends came out to play that day with their dog or dogs! It prepared them to empathize, so it was not difficult for them to think out of the box or from another person’s point of view or perspective about a situation.

    6. They believed in a better tomorrow where hope would dry the tears from each one’s tired eyes and where self-efficacy equaled responsibility towards not only one’s own education but also the positive edification of others. They did not drown themselves in addictions just because they felt reality was too difficult to digest.

    This is all what Gen-Alpha and Gen-Z lack, but Sfurti Sahare has managed through this book to bridge that gap by making the young focus on their strengths or positive monkeys rather than their negative monkeys. In her book, the author mainly focuses on the Procrastination Monkey, the Fear Monkey, the Drunk Monkey, and the Positive Human Monkey. She mentions that we need to focus on the Human Monkey’s wants and needs because only they align with our dreams and aspirations to make us better versions of ourselves. The other monkeys only seek temporary solace in life and do not like to go the extra mile to work hard to fulfill their goals in life.

    The P-Monkey or the Procrastination Monkey tends to distract the young student from achieving their goals. The P-Monkey does not focus on hard work and consistency but concentrates on temporary self-gratification and self-indulgence. This is evident when a Gen-Alpha individual prefers to keep gaming the whole day and live in a virtual world for the greater part of their lives than to work hard to gain true success in the real world. This is also evident when, instead of following a timetable or a to-do list for the day, the Gen-Alpha individual prefers to waste time by scrolling through his social media messages the whole day and even conversing or chatting online at night till the early morning hours.

    The above scenarios are nothing but examples of the P-Monkey at work in our lives, and Sfurti Sahare, through her book, enlightens us to especially not give in to the whims and fancies of this monkey. She informs us to distract this monkey by stalling, not the work we have on hand, on our to-do lists, or in our study timetables for the day, but instead to stall the gratification of our temporary self-indulgent wants and desires. We can do this by letting the P-Monkey know through stern mental self-talk that we will gratify his desires later or once our work for the day is done. It then turns out that by the time the day’s work or study is done, the need or urge to gratify the P-Monkey will not be so desirable or warranted, leading to lessening the influence of this Monkey in our minds and lives.

    Similarly, with the Fear Monkey, who technically tries not to allow us to take risks in case of self-harm, it is evident that to get around him, we need to distract him or gas-light him in a roundabout way as well. Humans are very adaptable by nature; that is why we’ve been the most successful animal race on Earth, even though we were not as gigantic or powerful as the dinosaurs. So it is very easy to adapt ourselves to get distracted IN THE RIGHT WAY FOR THE RIGHT REASONS. We don’t need to distract ourselves from our work or study but from the mental chatter related to fear, procrastination, guilt, anxiety, self-gratification, etc., that prevents us from achieving our goals.

    This requires a lot of hard work, unshakable resolve, a firm mind, steely determination, and perseverance to get this kind of distraction-free mindset to work in our favor. But with the aid of ‘The Monkey Theory’ book, this too can become easy. There is an old idiom that says that one cannot bake a cake without breaking some eggs. Success is indeed only 10% talent and 90% hard work and sweat.

    Thus, though all the monkeys can be distracted, first, a steely resolve has to be established in the students’ minds not to distract themselves from what is wanted but instead from what is unwanted. One can distract the Fear Monkey by letting him know that the ‘worry session’ or ‘anxiety-neurosis session’ can take place at another time, but not at the time when the work is at hand or a to-do list is meant to be checked out.

    Monkeys can also be temporarily distracted by cherries. The Cherry Method is another crucial method that the author, Sfurti Sahare, speaks about. However, there is an issue with it that I will focus on in this book’s analysis as we go along.

    The Cherry Method, or throwing cherries, is different from plain distraction because, in this case, we are distracting the concerned negative monkey with something else to think or work upon so that the monkey forgets why he was interfering with us in the first place. The example of the Cherry Method used by life coach Sfurti Sahare is an individual climbing the stairs and spotting a giant, gigantic brown lizard on one of the steps. At first, the Fear Monkey kicks in and tells us to run away from the situation, but then we distract that monkey with the thought that upstairs is our room where our phone is where a while ago, our best friend informed us that a mutual friend of ours has broken up with her long-term boyfriend over something sensational. To gratify our sadistic joy at our mutual friend’s loss, we are intrigued to know more, overcome the fear of the lizard on the stairway, pass over it, and head to our room and phone. What have we done? We have thrown a bunch of cherries to distract the Fear Monkey and excite his curiosity over another matter. In this example, however, Sfurti Sahare does not focus on whether we should study or finish our work assignment after we reach our rooms or go to our phones and gloat over the loss of our friend by slandering her behind her back.

    The author does not touch upon this, leaving the book incomplete. I shall complete it by saying that after throwing the cherry or the sadistic cherry of our dear friend’s loss to curb the Fear Monkey, we head safely to our rooms. Instead of heading to our phones, we head to our study table, open our textbooks to restart our studies, or open our laptops to continue our weekend work assignments or projects. We then consciously try not to gloat in thought over our friend’s loss, and then later when our job or work at hand is done, we vow to call the friend in question to take her out maybe for a movie or to the park to chat with her and give her a moments rest from her traumatic period or go for a coffee to allow her to vent her sorrow and for us to be a consoling factor in her life.

    “We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer.” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer (a German Lutheran pastor, neo-orthodox theologian, and anti-Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church)

    (Letters and Papers from Prison)

    This is the slight improvement I wish to extend regarding the Cherry Method of Persuasive Distraction. Otherwise, it is an effective method. Also, lizards are cute little guys; they are more scared of us than we are of them! Having them in one’s home and private garden is sometimes a real blessing. They keep other poisonous lizards and insects away from our residences better than an Electronic Insect and Mosquito Killer.

    Where the Drunk Monkey is concerned, according to the author and life coach Sfurti Sahare, he can be curbed or even eliminated if we train ourselves to have control over our emotions. She is not telling us to avoid being emotional; instead, she is asking us not to base our reactions solely on how the emotional train of life guides us. We need to be rational and logical in thinking out the consequences of our actions and the actions of others. We then should take our next step accordingly. The Drunk Monkey, like any drunk individual, does not have control over himself and his desires, and we don’t need to give into this monkey and his frivolities at all, especially when we have work at hand. Instead, we can distract him by ignoring his irrational judgements for another time or by throwing him some cherries to keep him distracted while we go on some other work or subject of useful study.

    According to author Sfurti Sahare, we can also throw some Oxygen Bars at the negative monkeys troubling us. In this case, especially to calm down our emotions, which seem to be running wild, like in the case of the overactive Drunk Monkey trying to rule us, we can calm him down by distracting him by doing some breathing exercises or some Yoga or Pranayama Breathing Exercises. A good and large dose of fresh oxygen always makes us think more positively than negatively, even in a troubling situation. It can calm us down for a long spell so that we can refocus our attention on our goals or damage control if we are in a difficult situation. She highly recommends breathing exercises or Oxygen Bars to be used to distract these negative monkeys regularly. Just like while gyming or exercising, we love to snack on some healthy muesli bars or energy bars to regain our strength for some more work, so also Oxygen Bars help us to work even better and to strengthen our ‘emotional immunity’, not to mention our power of forbearance.

    Sfurti Sahare focuses on two other elements in this book: the Eagle of Wisdom and the Purple Island. Where the latter is concerned, it is the island that we must, in our imagination, fix as a crown upon our heads to make us know that in all circumstances, we need to remain calm and always visualize ourselves in the realm of the Purple Island. On Purple Island, we are the bosses of our destiny because we don’t let our emotions get the better of us and decide consciously to remain calm and peaceful at all times. Even if we feel a bit wayward in our resolve at some point in time, we must return in our imagination to this calming island so that we can regain our composure with the help also of some more Oxygen Bars and then, after a healthy rejuvenation go on to the next order of business.

    Where the Eagle of Wisdom is concerned, this is our guiding conscience who can guide the Human Monkey towards achieving his goals, but only if he presents himself more often to this Eagle and heeds all the advice given to him by this Eagle. What the author, however, did not focus upon was the fact that this is technically not usually easy to do because it is hard to sift words of true wisdom from the varied thoughts and negative chatter that goes on in our minds 24/7 and sometimes, sadly even in our sleep and dreams. Therefore, we must first learn to sift the sound advice of the Eagle of Wisdom from the negative chatter of the Negative Monkeys in our head. To do this, the student needs the constant practice of introspection on their part to have a calm disposition and always think things over rationally after thoroughly inspecting the facts before jumping to conclusions. If one’s thoughts are inclined to harm or extort another person’s expertise or other resources for one’s selfish gain, then such thoughts are not from the Eagle of Wisdom because Wisdom does not hanker after what is not one’s own. Wisdom is the voice of reason, and the voice of reason always speaks the truth, which is good for oneself and others. To hear this voice in our heads, one has to listen carefully and sift through the chatter, but the key is that the voice should benefit you and another without resorting to violence or illegal criminal practices.

    “One man practicing kindness in the wilderness is worth all the temples this world pulls.” ― Jack Kerouac (Internationally Famous American Novelist and Poet) (from the Book ‘The Dharma Bums’)

    Then only is it the voice of the Eagle of Wisdom, not otherwise, if it benefits one another.

    “If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.”

    ― Jack Kornfield (American writer and teacher in the Vipassana movement in American Theravada Buddhism and Internationally bestselling spiritual writer)

    (from the Book ‘Buddha’s Little Instruction Book’)

    Other monkeys focused on are a range of negative and positive monkeys like the Aggression Monkey, the Guilt Monkey, the Compassion Monkey, the Grateful Monkey, etc. All are associated with the idea that gratefulness and compassion should be the hallmark of every student’s life. Thus, these two crucial monkeys, along with the Monkey of Confidence, will keep the students boat afloat and will not allow them to drown in the various storms created by the other negative monkeys at sea. It is always possible that all the negative monkeys can easily gang up against the Human Monkey to torture them to submit to defeat, but with the techniques taught by the author and motivational coach Sfurti Sahare, we can manage to keep our equanimity of mind and to move on with our work and not give in to distractions. The virtues of compassion and gratefulness can aid the person in getting a realistic and holistic understanding of life and its realities. It also helps the individual to be a human being and not a mere machine extracting the maximum from another individual like a greedy sponge.

    Conclusion

    Thus, this book helps the individual to live distraction and negative chatter free to excel in life and to make the world a better place to live in. It teaches the reader self-efficacy and allows a person to maintain an equanimity of mind and soul through healthy, easy-to-understand mental practices, including one’s favorite positive hobbies like a sport, painting, journaling, diary writing, blogging, etc. I hope to read more books written by motivational speaker Sfurti Sahare in the near future. I highly recommend this book to all MYP students in any IGCSE and IB school from the 6th to the 10th grades. It is an excellent self-help book without the heavy statistics and jargon that are usually scattered about in other serious non-fiction self-help books, which makes the reading process for younger readers less enjoyable. If one is especially facing a crisis in one’s study schedule or in getting job assignments done, one should pick up this book and have a go at it, especially solving the exercises after each chapter in the book.

    Special Note

    If you are interested in more book reviews, indie author interviews, book analyses, short story analyses, poems, essays, essay analyses, and other bookish content, check out my blog, insaneowl.com. If you are interested in purchasing my books, you can check the products page of my blog or on Amazon. There is a lot of good stuff to buy! Happy reading to you always!

    ©2025 Fiza Pathan

  • ‘The Crazy World of Ms Wiz’ by Terence Blacker

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    Title of the Book: The Crazy World of Ms Wiz

    Author: Terence Blacker

    Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Books

    Publication Year: Omnibus Edition 2004

    Pages: 187 pgs.

    ISBN: 9780330431361/0-330-43136-6

    Age Group: PYP & MYP (Grades 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th)

    Genre: Children’s Fantasy

    IBDP & IGCSE Subjects Covered: English Language & English Literature

    Review Written By: Fiza Pathan

    Introduction

    ‘Where there is a woman there is magic.’

    -Ntozake Shange (American playwright, poet & novelist)

    ‘I’ve always believed in the above quote. So I was keen on reading this omnibus titled ‘The Crazy World of Ms Wiz’, which is a collection of three of the Ms Wiz novels penned by Terence Blacker with some awesome illustrations done by Tony Ross of the Roald Dahl and David Walliams, fame. Any book where a woman prefers to be referred to by the ambiguous Ms rather than the clearer Mrs and Miss is always up my alley, even as an IB and IGCSE teacher in training. When I realized after reading a few pages of this omnibus that Ms Wiz did not like to be referred to by the prefix Mrs or Miss because they seemed too ‘drab’ that caught my attention, and then I started diving deep into the magical world of Ms Wiz the witch or rather, the paranormal operator as she likes to call herself and her wonderful batch of third-grade students who loved her style of teaching and relating to them as friends more than students.

    I think the last line explains why I probably relished the Ms Wiz omnibus, especially the first book in the series titled ‘Ms Wiz Spells Trouble’ which is the book in which Ms Wiz is introduced to the class of third-form students at St. Barnabas School situated in England. I relished it because the way Ms Wiz taught or rather educated her students was so in keeping with the IB method of teaching, which is in a way made up of ‘magic’ that, in a sense, this kind of education puts the onus on the student concerning their development and role in the education process or their learning. It teaches them individual self-efficacy, which is a kind of ‘magic’ in itself because then the teacher is more of a facilitator to aid the child to excel at their own pace in the subjects of their choices for an all-round development, which is what a proper IB or International Board Education is all about.

    Ms Wiz is the epitome of the ideal IB teacher who teaches magic more than subjects and creates ethically minded and yet successful students for life who will make a positive difference to the world rather than just parrots who can repeat subject content verbatim without analyzing the connecting dots or lines in between their subjects of study. Whether it was the smart Alec Jack, the meek Podge, the lazy Caroline, or the girl with gumption, Katrina, Ms Wiz managed to teach all the IDEA students effectively, catering to their individual needs and making them fit enough to tackle their own educational needs for the rest of their lives for the betterment of themselves and others. I saw the IDEA students imprinted in every student in this series who were taught and nurtured by the amazing Ms Wiz. Indeed, it is, therefore, quite true that where there is a woman sans her patriarchal conditioning, there will always be magic.

    I saw a lot of things that Ms Wiz cast aside that she felt were not in keeping with the overall positive development of her wards at St. Barnabas School, including patriarchy and what patriarchy determined that a female teacher should look like, teach like, speak like and even have a prefix to her name. This was revolutionary on the part of Terence Blacker to inculcate in the minds of younger readers as far back as 1988 when the first book in this series was published in Great Britain.

    Book Synopsis

    As mentioned in the introduction, this omnibus by Terence Blacker, illustrated by the well-renowned and loved Tony Ross, contains three books from the Ms Wiz series. They are:

    1. Ms Wiz Spells Trouble (1988)

    2. In Stitches With Ms Wiz (1989)

    3. You’re Nicked Ms Wiz (1989)

    The first book was published in 1988 after which the following year in 1989, the other two books in the Ms Wiz series were published back-to-back. The following are the condensed storylines of each Ms Wiz novel:

    1. Ms Wiz Spells Trouble

    This is the novel where Ms Wiz is first introduced to the third-form students of St. Barnabas School as their new homeroom teacher. The third-form students were always considered a difficult batch of students that no homeroom teacher at St. Barnabas could handle. However, Ms Wiz, with her unconventional ways, dressing sense, name, and, of course, her magic, managed to set the third-form students in order on the first day itself, and from then on, the students took to her like several moths to a flame. They enjoyed coming to school and learning new subjects and topics, especially researching them, similar to the IB and IGCSE styles of education. Ms Wiz would also bring live pets, specimens, and animals to the class to demonstrate the topic of study or under study more elaborately and to the utter delight of the students. They especially loved it whenever Ms Wiz brought along to school her pet rat named Herbert. However, the students were warned by Ms Wiz never to divulge to the outside world about their magical world and that she was a witch or, rather, a paranormal operator. The students kept their promise. But the school authorities started smelling a rat, which would be more than just the occasional appearance of Herbert the rat, and so they started spying on Ms Wiz’s class. In turn, these teachers or other authority figures got turned into ducks, geese, pigs, et al., whenever they would try to meddle in the affairs of Ms Wiz and her third-form students. Nothing would stop the students of the third form from excelling in all their studies and extra-curricular activities. On the final prize distribution day ceremony, they were all in for a surprise when they realized that their favorite teacher of all time, Ms Wiz, would leave their school forever. They try to stop her but end up knowing that even without Ms Wiz’s magic, they can still be excellent math wizards, sportsmen or women, all-rounders, etc. Therefore, Ms Wiz, as a teacher or paranormal operator, only appeared when children needed extra magic in their lives to make their world a better place. Ms Wiz, after bidding adieu to them, took off into the sky on her vacuum cleaner, reminding them that they would once in a while see her again whenever they or their friends needed some magic in their lives.

    2. In Stitches With Ms Wiz

    In this novel in the Ms Wiz series, the third-form student Jack is suddenly caught with terrible pain in his lower abdomen. Since his parents were absentee nonchalant parents, they did not pay attention to Jack’s trouble, nor did his quite heartless new third-form homeroom teacher, a self-centered male named Mr. Bailey. Mr. Bailey even thought poor Jack was faking the pain in his abdomen due to an upcoming Math test. Finally, however, Jack was taken in an ambulance to the hospital when, on arrival, it was determined that he had a swollen appendix. It was so swollen that if he had come any time later, he would have been in serious trouble. Jack, however, made it and had his appendix removed in the absence of his parents and little sister. However, to his luck with his obnoxious surgeon consultant was another doctor who looked vaguely familiar to him. To his surprise and joy, he later realized that that doctor was his favorite third-form teacher, Ms Wiz. He was glad upon seeing her and wondered what a third-form teacher was doing in a general hospital helping out a surgeon! To that, Ms Wiz revealed that she was aware that this appendix surgery would be tough on Jack, and so she decided to turn into a fake surgeon to assist at his bedside during the operation. As she had mentioned in the earlier book, whenever her students needed a bit of magic to lighten up their lives, Ms Wiz would be there. She inadvertently converted the annoying Franklyn, Jack’s roommate, who managed to witness all the amazing magic that took place during Jack’s stay at the hospital to her form of teaching and magic. Meanwhile, Mr. Bailey, the self-centered new third-form teacher, realized that he had done a great injustice to Jack by mistreating him at school when poor Jack was truly having terrible abdominal pain, which later on turned out to be appendicitis. Mr. Bailey tries to set things right by visiting Jack in the hospital when his parents and little sister are around. Unfortunately, he ends up making an even greater fool of himself by eating up Jack’s appendix, thinking it to be the hospital’s rubbery food! This was done through the magic of Ms Wiz to teach the heartless third-form teacher a lesson. Along with cheering up Jack and Franklyn, attending to the needs of other lonely patients in the hospital, and flooding the hospital with a lot of white rodents due to not being able to locate the whereabouts of Herbert, the white pet rat of Ms Wiz, Ms Wiz managed to cause quite a ruckus in the hospital after which she made off on her vacuum cleaner. Jack made it out of the hospital, good to go, but Podge, his classmate who truly wanted to miss a Math test at school, taking a cue from Jack, also pretended to be having abdominal pain and tried to get into the hospital to be with Ms Wiz. When he, at the last moment, realized that Ms. Wiz was just about to leave the hospital and he would be alone to tackle the mean consultant surgeon in the hospital, he managed to save himself from being operated upon by getting off the bed and running for his dear life!

    3. You’re Nicked Ms Wiz

    In this novel, a little girl known well to Ms Wiz lost her pet cat over the school week. Her name was Lizzie, and she was in the third form at St. Barnabus School with the other third form students taught earlier by Ms Wiz. Mr. Bailey, the new third-form teacher, could not understand the seriousness of Lizzie’s pain being separated from her cat, Waif or Waify. He pooh-poohed her sorrow, which annoyed most of the students of the third form who were formerly students of Ms Wiz. However, Lizzie was not about to give up on her search for Waify, so she started putting up missing posters of him all over town and even personally tried looking for him herself. In the bargain, she met up with a female tramp who happened to be her former teacher, Ms Wiz, in disguise. Again, Ms Wiz had returned to help Lizzie find her pet cat with a little bit of her magic. The story goes on to indicate how Ms Wiz tried to save Waify from a set of mismatched cat kidnappers while the local police were under the mistaken impression that Lizzie had been kidnapped by a female tramp named Ms Wiz who was known to Jack and Caroline, her former students. Ms Wiz, to save Waify, turned Lizzie into a cat to creep into the lair of the kidnappers, upon which she realized that the cats’ fur was going to be used to make gloves for a soulless elite individual called Mrs. D’Arcy and then later would be killed. She tried notifying Ms Wiz about the same but was stuck in the lair because the foolish local police had nabbed Ms Wiz. Ms Wiz, after turning the local police force into white rabbits, then managed, with the help of Jack and Caroline, to head straight to the kidnappers’ lair to stop the malicious Mrs. D’Arcy from having her way with the innocent cats. With the aid of her magic, Ms Wiz manages to save Waify and the other cats, turn Lizzie back into a human being, make a human being out of a cat kidnapper, and renders Mrs. D’Arcy naked, which almost stunned the local police inspector into a state of hysterical laughter and shock at the same time. Thereby, Ms Wiz, as a tramp, proved helpful to her little friends when they needed her and her magic the most.

    Book Analysis

    “What is a teacher? I’ll tell you: it isn’t someone who teaches something, but someone who inspires the student to give of her best in order to discover what she already knows.”

    ― Paulo Coelho (from his book ‘The Witch of Portobello’)

    As mentioned in the introduction, Ms Wiz’s style of educating or imparting education to her students in the third form reminded me a lot about how a Cambridge or International Board Teacher or IB Teacher conducts herself. This is enshrined in the quote by internationally well-renowned author Paulo Coelho words in the quote I’ve mentioned above because a teacher like Ms Wiz teaches the student not only individual self-efficacy but also manages to create an ethically minded global citizen who can help in the sustainable development of the world and the cosmos through innovation, positivity and active participation in all forms of constructive technological advancement world over. These students then don’t remain merely students but turn into teachers in their own right who teach their skills to others, spreading wide the circle to create inclusion for all and sundry.

    The students of Form Three in St. Barnabus School were very ethically sound and could excel at whatever they needed to in life; they just needed that confidence and validation from an innovative teacher to gear them toward achieving their goals and fulfilling their ultimate potential already inherent in them. I think Ms Wiz, especially in the first book in this omnibus, namely, ‘Ms Wiz Spells Trouble’ manages to inculcate:

    1. The 12 IB or International Board Attitudes she wished her students to imbibe, namely:

    • Appreciation
    • Commitment
    • Confidence
    • Cooperation
    • Creativity
    • Curiosity
    • Empathy
    • Enthusiasm
    • Independence
    • Integrity
    • Respect
    • Tolerance

    2. The Five IB Skills a Student Needs to Change the World for the better, namely:

    • Thinking Skills
    • Social Skills
    • Communication Skills
    • Self-Management Skills
    • Research Skills

    3. She even incorporated the Cambridge Learners Attributes in her students, namely making her students:

    (i) Confident

    (ii) Responsible

    (iii) Reflective

    (iv) Innovative

    (v) Engaged

    4. She even strove to create various IB Learner Profiles within her third-form students to make them into internationally minded citizens who recognized their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, which would help create a better and peaceful world. These IB Learner Profiles are:

    1. Inquirers

    2. Knowledgeable

    3. Thinkers

    4. Communicators

    5. Principled

    6. Open-minded

    7. Caring

    8. Risk-Takers

    9. Balanced

    10. Reflective

    One can see and witness all this when one reads the three books in this omnibus. One could then easily think that the author and creator of the Ms Wiz series, Terence Blacker, probably knew something about the Cambridge and IB forms of education. Here are some examples from the various three books in this omnibus titled ‘The Crazy World of Ms. Wiz’ to illustrate the points put forward:

    Example 1:

    In the book ‘Ms Wiz Spells Trouble, ’ Podge was never known to be able to excel at any sporting event due to him being plus size. But Ms Wiz encouraged him to be a risk taker, which is part of the IB Learner Profile and created a lot of confidence, enthusiasm, and independence in him, which are essential IB Attitudes to undertake the many sporting events conducted by St. Barnabus School where he emerged as the undisputed winner of all the games, first with a little help via Ms Wiz’s magic and then all on his own. By the time Ms Wiz left at the end of the book on her vacuum cleaner, Podge had even stunned his indifferent and bossy parents by his capabilities as a sportsman.

    Example 2:

    In the novel ‘You’re Nicked Ms. Wiz’, because of the proper training done by Ms Wiz in the third form with her students, Lizzie was able to be empathetic, committed, and independent enough to turn into a risk taker to seek out her lost cat Waify despite the nonchalance of Mr. Bailey. Her love and commitment to the safety of her cat made her take on the responsibility of seeking Waify out herself. She was pushed to put up numerous posters of the cat all over town on her own, thereby incorporating not only a lot of IB Learner Attributes but also some of the major Cambridge Leaner Attributes, like being confident, responsible, and engaged.

    Example 3:

    In the novel ‘In Stitches With Ms. Wiz,’ the third-form student Caroline, studying with Jack, because of her empathetic nature, immediately recognizes that Jack is not fibbing when he states to Mr. Bailey that he is indeed getting a lot of discomfort and pain in his abdomen. She even coaxed Mr. Bailey to call the hospital, which showed her independent spirit, her risk-taking capabilities, and her confidence in dealing with a rather difficult homeroom teacher, not to mention that she was committed and responsible for the welfare of her friend Jack. If one had studied the previous novel in this omnibus, ‘Ms Wiz Spells Trouble’ then one would have realized that before Ms Wiz came into Caroline’s life, Caroline was a rather laid back and lazy student tending to always daydream in class and not having any reason to excel in her studies or other extra-curricular activities. After Ms Wiz inculcated in her a sense of direction and motivation, the class dreamer turned over the term into the class spokesperson and a very committed and talented student, especially falling in the category of an Independent Learner according to the IB and Cambridge theory of the four different IDEA Learners in a classroom. One would notice the witty Caroline later on giving Mr. Bailey a hard time for having driven poor Jack almost to the brink and creating, in turn, a comically guilty conscience in Mr. Bailey.

    Example 4:

    In the novel ‘Ms Wiz Spells Trouble’, we notice that at the beginning of the third form, Jack is an Emerging Learner in Mathematics. All his previous teachers treated him like a dunce, so he never developed his abilities in Mathematics any further. But when Ms Wiz came into his life and taught him Math through a lot of magic and some innovative teaching techniques, which involved a lot of kinesthetic and visual learning among the various types of learning techniques according to Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory, then Jack turned into a Developing Learner in Mathematics and then finally into such an amazing Independent Learner that at the Prize distribution ceremony it was he who won the award for outstanding performance in Mathematics in the whole school. Thus, Ms. Wiz developed in Jack a sense of confidence in himself and his mathematical capabilities, making him a risk-taker ready to reflect on his various approaches toward a sum. Then, he became highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic in this subject, which earlier used to be his bete noir.

    Further Points for Analysis

    Here are a few extra points one can analyze from a literary point of view from the omnibus titled ‘The Crazy World Of Ms Wiz’ by author Terence Blacker and illustrator Tony Ross.

    • Feminism

    One notices that Ms Wiz is a hard-core feminist who does not abide by the laws set down by patriarchal society, including in the way she wishes people and students to address her. She did not wish to be defined as a person by her relationship with a man, that is, through the prefixes Mrs. or Miss. She wished to be an independent woman, feeling that whether she was married or not was none of anyone’s business and did not define her as a teacher or a paranormal operator. She even refuses to use the word ‘witch’ to define her profession, which is indeed a negative patriarchally created sexist connotation to define a woman who knew magic. In the same context, a male who knew magic would only be termed a wizard or a warlock, both of which do not hold the negative connotations easily evident in the former term ‘witch’. She instead wishes to call herself something neutral, like a paranormal operator, where her gender would not define her capabilities as an adept in the art of white magic. Ms Wiz, a third form teacher, dresses oddly; she paints her nails with black nail polish, making herself look like a punk, wears, at times, black lipstick, is loud as a person, wears black heavy metal clothing to school and treats her students like one of her own little friends rather than her juniors and so her students were in awe of her and yet were very friendly and fond of her. One especially saw this in the book ‘Ms Wiz Spells Trouble’ on the sports field whenever Ms Wiz, like the students, would also jump up and down on her seat to cheer her students participating in the various races and games that day. Ms Wiz was never known to be living with anyone else and was always on her own with her China-figure cat Hecate and her white rat Herbert to keep her company. She knew how to make any space homely and comfy, as is shown in ‘You’re Nicked Ms Wiz’, where she even manages to make a tramp’s broken-down car into a haven of delights for herself, her pets, and her guest Lizzie. Ms Wiz was not bashful and bold in dealing with dangers and with tyrannical men who tried to put her down or with anyone who tried to harm her students. Her independent spirit, self-assurance, self-actualization qualities, and calm disposition make her an ideal feminist candidate worthy of emulation.

    • One Inconsistency

    In the book ‘You’re Nicked Ms Wiz’ one notices that when Ms Wiz is being dragged away from the kidnapper’s den by the police inspector, she does not use her magic then to turn them into white rabbits but waits for a full night to pass till she can do just this in the presence of Jack and Caroline, who technically were not needed for the magic act to take place. This she does even though Lizzie is in grave trouble as she was stuck in the kidnapper’s den as a cat in danger of being skinned off her fur and then killed with the other cats. I thought it to be a severe inconsistency on the part of Terence Blacker to have created this particular sub-plot twist in the story because it was not exactly needed for Ms Wiz to prove her innocence to the police at the cost of an innocent little child’s life. Ms Wiz could have, then and there, outside the lair, turned the policemen into white rabbits en masse. She could have gone on to save Lizzie rather than allowing herself to be dragged away and locked in prison. There was no question of a long-distance issue in this instance either because at least the police were near her, and she could have easily turned them into rabbits because of the proximity. I noted this inconsistency in the third book in this omnibus.

    • Note on Tony Ross’ Illustrations

    If one were to notice the Tony Ross illustrations in this omnibus titled ‘The Crazy World of Ms Wiz’, one would notice that Tony Ross followed a style similar to his drawings of the Horrid Henry Series by Francesca Simon. One can see the same dark blush red in the cheeks of Ms Wiz as it is in Horrid Henry, the more vibrant dark colours rather than the usual Quentin Blake style faded watercolor splashes as in the Roald Dahl books; one can also see the strong and well formed drawing lines rather than the sketchy and messy lines of the Roald Dahl books. However, as the series progresses, Tony Ross seems in a hurry or at odds with the author, for I see a certain hastiness in the illustrations to get the work done. There is no soul in most of the drawings therein though some were drawn with a deft hand, especially in the book ‘You’re Nicked Ms Wiz’, but there were many scrawls done in several places that were inconsistent with the overall illustrative style theme of this series as was shown in the first book ‘Ms Wiz Spells Trouble’. One would decipher that there was some acrimony between Tony Ross and Terence Blacker, as Tony Ross’ name is only mentioned as an afterthought at the back of this omnibus where the ISBN and ASIN are placed! That is not something done in a book where the illustrations play more of a plot guide than anything else and are the heart and soul of the various stories. I did not feel that was done in good taste either by Terence Blacker or by the publishers in question because, as an indie-publisher myself, I make sure to publish the name of my illustrator at the front of my children’s books, especially my books in the Rare Classics Series where I adapt and abridge rare classics for younger readers. It is not good publishing ethics to divert attention and credit due to the illustrator to the author of a juvenile fiction illustrated book or a PYP/MYP or Lower Secondary book, which took place here in this omnibus. Otherwise, the illustrations were good enough, just that they were a bit sketchy, inconsistent, and drawn in a hurry. Compared to the illustrations done by the same Tony Ross in the David Walliams books like ‘Demon Dentist’, ‘Awful Aunty’, ‘Ratburger’ or even something that I am reading recently, which is another PYP read titled ‘Dogbird and Other Mixed Up Tales’ by Paul Stewart, Tony Ross’ illustrations there are firm, neat, beautifully done and very poignant to the plot and not messy at all or drawn in a hurry.

    Conclusion

    As I mentioned, Ms Wiz reminded me a lot about myself as a teacher – not bashful, highly feminist, innovative, captivating for some reason, unconventional, loyal, highly principled, etc. That is why I took easily to her stories and felt that she is the epitome of what an IGCSE or IB teacher should be to create world citizens for the future. I identified very much with Ms Wiz, especially in how I relate to students as my friends more than my juniors or subordinates. I don’t appreciate that ‘talk them down’ attitude at all, and I prefer a comforting and friendly atmosphere in my classroom where there is a lot of communication but at the same time a form of discipline as well for the sake of classroom decorum and for the sake of maintaining peace for others to work in. Mind you, Ms Wiz was also of the same opinion and would not sacrifice decorum in the classroom for the sake of activity. Form Three at St. Barnabus could have fun, but Ms Wiz held them responsible for maintaining some discipline in the classroom. I may not be a paranormal operator, but I have unique ways of keeping peace and having fun, whether it be in a PYP, MYP, IGCSE, or IBDP classroom. Even if I am placed in a higher MYP or IBDP or A Levels classroom, I will make that classroom colourful and lively like a PYP classroom. Truly, I saw a lot of myself in the personality of Ms Wiz, and I hope to emulate her to a greater extent as the PGCITE course continues this year.

    Special Note

    If you are interested in more book reviews, indie author interviews, book analyses, short story analyses, poems, essays, essay analyses, and other bookish content, check out my blog, insaneowl.com. If you are interested in purchasing my books, you can check the products page of my blog or on Amazon. There is a lot of good stuff to buy! Happy reading to you always!

    ©2025 Fiza Pathan

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