Parents bear the responsibility of providing every child with a healthy, beautiful, special, and memorable childhood. No one has the right or authority to undermine a child's formative years. My childhood was marred by various difficulties and humiliations, prompting me to reflect repeatedly on the notion that no child should endure an upbringing like mine. Consequently, I have penned 11 stories in Telugu, titled 'Papodu' which address children's issues of all age groups. Now this book consists of 15 stories, for children of age 9 and above, addressing puberty issues, in English. The narratives in this book are inspired by my personal experiences and those around me. The period between ages 9 and 14 marks the transition from childhood to adulthood. Children within this age group grapple with numerous doubts, problems, worries, and misconceptions. It is the responsibility of parents to guide them through this phase, as neglect may lead to an unfortunate childhood and the potential for straying down the wrong path. There is a global need for authors to focus on the unique challenges faced by children in this age group. As a contribution to this cause, I present this small book before you. I specifically address issues faced by boys in my stories because I have personally encountered those challenges. Unfortunately, I lack accurate and clear knowledge of the problems, doubts, misconceptions, and concerns experienced by girls. I hope that someone else will contribute to addressing that aspect as well. I extend my gratitude to my wife, Nagma Fatima, who, despite being eight months pregnant, worked as the editor of the book. I also appreciate the Ukiyoto publishing house.

Some readers might assume that particular, highly pessimistic generalizations in Young's poems are actually Mark Young presenting his sense of doom. The little ditty "democracy" registers the claim that "no-one// knows the/ words to" the "song" (the concept of democracy) even though "every-/ one sings" it, and "since violence is learned" tells us that "tolerance is no/ longer available, is replaced by trauma." Although nothing in the poems-not even such affirmations of aesthetic transport as "Constant Craving," which speaks of music "that acts as/ axis to steady everything around"-makes one identify the poet as a bright-eyed optimist, various moments in the work display too much respect for the complexity of cause and effect, limitations of human perception, the transience of trends, and sudden appearances of the unexpected to place sustained credence in large generalizations and foregone conclusions. from the Introduction by Thomas Fink

Most of the poems in this book were written while sitting on the edge of a lazy pond contemplating life, nature, and the feelings they created. The poems in this book take the reader on a journey through nature, the seasons, memories, and feelings, as well as some fears he had during distinctive periods in his aging life. His wish is that that they evoke special emotions and memories in the minds of the reader.