One day, when Prime Minister Nehru opened his overstuffed mail bag, out tumbled hundreds of colourfully decorated letters — from children in Japan! “We have never seen a live elephant,” they said. “Could you kindly send us one from India?” This exuberant picture book takes readers across land and sea to tell how Indira, Ambika, Murugan and others became...
Kuk... Kuk… The poor rooster can't KUKAROOKOO because his throat is so parched. There is not a drop of water left in the village pond. The only hope is to find a badwa who can ask the gods to send rain. What does the badwa tell them to do? Go home and paint! The adventure-filled origin myth about Bhil art revolves around the thirst for rain and water...
Whose colour is GREEN? asked the little boy.“It’s mine!” preened the parrot. “It’s mine! It’s mine!” babbled the bitter gourd.Whose colour is RED, YELLOW, BLUE…? The little boy doesn’t stop, and award-winning illustrator Nancy Raj creates for little readers a wild, whimsical world of colours! As bright hues jump and dance across the pages in this little...
Ma buys the perfect present for her little Tokai from a pavement hawker – a toy bird that repeats everything it hears. The problem starts when Ma can't make it stop! There is mayhem in the middle of busy, busy Dalhousie Square, with a stalled bus and an angry policeman. Will Tokai get his present after all? Bright, bold pictures set off this hilarious...
Squiggles and swirls, loops and curls, diamonds and dots... and a small surprise! The little girl watches as her mother traces the cool, moist patterns on her palm. Then comes the waiting. The henna must dry, nothing must touch it – and she can be patient no longer! The art of drawing with henna takes on a little girl’s infectious thrill as decorative...
Words rollick and frolic in Kanna's head, yet he hardly speaks. One day, he is with his family at the cave temples when the lights go off. Everyone is frightened, except Kanna. Light or no light, it makes no difference because he can't see anyway. And as he confidently leads the way out, he finds himself talking… Words tumble out to unleash the playful...
The adorable elephant of Ashok Rajagopalan’s runaway hit series is back! aaachooo! Kalabalooosh! Gurrburrroom! And now – KALICHA KULICHA… Gajapati Kulapati dances in the mud. KALICHALOOOOCHA… he rolls in the mud. But when it’s time for a bath, he runs away…!
Tiger cub Sultan and his Ammi have a special friend they call Junglee Bina, who loves the jungle, and wanders there on her own for hours, taking photographs. It is these stunning photos that show us Sultan's life in the Ranthambore forest, even as he tells us the story of a warm relationship between a woman and the wild. Images drawn from folk toys meld...
The very first words Zakir hears from his famous father, Allarakha, are bols — rhythms played out on tablas! From then on, bols sing and dance in his head, on Amma’s cheeks, on the pots and pans in the kitchen… Sandhya Rao follows these beats, stringing together little vignettes from his life. From a childhood around music to the highs of a performer who...
Nyadosh the cow has a fierce gleam in her eyes and a furious appetite. She chomps on textbooks, feasts on frocks and devours anything blue in colour. But once she gets on the ilish fish trail, there's just no stopping her… This comical tale of a common cow with uncommon taste is one to relish. Nyadosh's extraordinary appetite unfolds through vivid photo...
“What will happen if I add up all the numbers in the world?” “Is there a last number?” A toddler captivated by patterns... A little boy filling his slate with numbers, rubbing them out with his elbow and starting again... A teenager solving complex maths problems... A young man matching the best minds in Cambridge... Bringing the story of brilliant...
Why do I have to sit separately in a corner of the classroom? Why can't I drink water from the tap like other children? Why do the teachers never touch my books? The ‘whys' shout louder in little Bhim's head as he grows up, trailed constantly by the monster of untouchability. They catapult him into a lifetime of struggle for equality. And they shape the...
Ammi weaves the most beautiful sarees, but never gets to wear any of them. Her two little daughters decide to do something about it – break their piggy bank! But is there enough in it to buy Ammi her very own saree? This gentle story goes into the home of a weaver’s family, and lets warmth and affection add colour to their lives. Engaging visual details...
Ducks, tigers, pangolins, penguins… This book introduces young readers to a variety of animals and the different ways in which they carry their young. Bold illustrations set against textured backgrounds portray the parent-child bond in a charming manner.
Pouting and shouting – that’s what Anya has been doing ever since her baby brother came along. Because he is a “special child”, her mother says, and needs special care all the time. And Anya is fed up. Then along comes a butterfly – no, a butterbeing! – who takes her up into the clouds, where she sees how a bit of this and a bit of that is mixed together...
Pranav wants Maya to come to his house. "Why?" Maya wants to know. Bright pictures form a cheery backdrop to a narrative that sees a house through a child's eyes, and makes a good introduction to colours.
The wheels of a cycle, a merry-go-round, a spinning top… Kayu lives in his own quiet world filled only with circles and the patterns they make. One day, he sees a cricket ball spin and curve and jump before it strikes the bat, and he is onto something – a magical bowling spell with two hat-tricks! Inspired by a child with autism, the story makes the...
Mister Crocodile gets very angry when five little monkeys tease him from a tree. Aaaaaaaa... gobak! What happens then? An old favourite is infused with rhythm, repetition and bilingual flavour, to create an unforgettable reading experience. Bold, jaunty pictures with eye-catching expressions bear the touch of a skilled animator.
The gular, or cluster fig, flower is very very beautiful, everyone says. But what does it look like? When does it bloom? There are many stories, and only the really lucky get to see it. As she goes about her day picking waste, Renchu is obsessed with just one thought – will she too see it? The author’s own wonder at discovering the secret of the gular...
Papa tries to wake up Annika, but all Annika says is "No!" What does Papa do now? Endearing pictures highlight the father-daughter bond in a familiar morning scene in many homes.
Can you taste with your toes? Or see with your ears? Or, at least, smell with your hair? No? Well, there are creatures around you that can! Take a peek into an intriguing world to discover the different ways in which animals do things that are ‘normal’. And look out for the funny bits in the pictures.
After his big-big sneeze, Gajapati Kulapati is back with a SPLASH! Like the very popular first book, sounds, rhythm, and repetition make this too a perfect read aloud for little ones.
All the children in Lila’s class are beginning to lose their teeth and have exciting stories to tell. One buried it in the ground for the mouse to take, another got a shiny coin from the tooth fairy. Lila waits impatiently for her tooth to wiggle… Action-filled pictures bring out her eager wait in a story that every child with jiggly teeth will love!...
Nikoo loves to paint. One day he reads an adventure story about the big blue sea and, as usual, picks up his paintbrush. Suddenly, he falls into his own painting! Watercolour illustrations swirl us into Nikoo's imaginary world.
