
Mehreen Arshi is a Pakistani-born, Australia-raised writer, researcher, and reader based in Canberra. After fifteen years in scientific research and writing, she turned to fiction to explore family, identity, belonging, cultural expectation, and the private desires that shape a life.

She is the author of *I carry your heart*, a family romance set between Pakistan, Australia, and London. Her second novel, currently in progress, follows the long shadow of the 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan.


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Pakistani-born, Australia-raised writer based in Canberra.

Mehreen Arshi


I was rather proudly mentioning that I had written a blog about storytelling during an afternoon tea when a friend suggested I put together a recommended reading list for children. What a brilliant idea. Not only had she handed me my next blog topic while my review of Animal Farm was still brewing, but she also transported me back to long summer afternoons spent with my nose buried in a book.

Popular with children today are titles like Captain Underpants, Dog Man, The Bad Guys, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Most of us are familiar with these, often smiling bravely as we suppress our inner literary purist and applaud our children’s efforts to “read.”

There is absolutely nothing wrong with these books. In fact, they are highly effective at drawing children into reading, especially in an age dominated by technology and shrinking attention spans. But if you would like to gently guide your child toward classics with a little more depth, perhaps it’s time for a trip to the riverbank.

Join the shy Mole and the clever, warm-hearted Water Rat. Climb into a boat and set off to rescue the ever-pompous Mr. Toad from yet another self-inflicted catastrophe in The Wind in the Willows. Follow Alice down the rabbit hole into the wonderfully bewildering world of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. My absolute all-time favourite is Anne of Green Gables, a coming-of-age story about an orphaned girl navigating the unfamiliar terrain of her newly adopted home. Anne’s spirited personality, daily adventures, and boundless imagination make her one of the most captivating heroines in children’s literature.

One of my accidental discoveries at a local library was a charming children’s book by J.R.R. Tolkien titled Mr. Bliss. It’s a delightfully quirky tale of mishaps that unfold when Mr. Bliss ventures out to buy a motor car.

Other timeless classics include Treasure Island, Where the Wild Things Are, The Little Prince, Heidi, The Secret Garden, A Wrinkle in Time, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and Where the Sidewalk Ends, to name just a few.

You might also dip your toes into beloved series such as The 13-Storey Treehouse, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and the Harry Potter collection, another personal favourite. Enid Blyton, a stalwart of children’s literature, gifted us treasures like The Magic Faraway Tree, The Enchanted Wood, The Famous Five series, and Naughty Amelia Jane, among many others.

Reading with your children is a magical journey, and a reminder that you are never too old to enjoy a children’s book yourself.

Rediscover the joy of children's literature alongside your kids.

Children's Books.

On Children's Books