In response to the needs of children growing up in a multilingual society, these books provide access to two languages at a time – Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati or Bengali, paired with English. The text is deliberately simple to allow the two languages on the page to be as close as possible to each other, so one can be followed through the other.
When a herd of elephants creates trouble in the jungle, do the little rabbits run away in fear? No! From Aztec to Chinese, there are many versions of the story about the rabbit in the moon. The illustrations for this bilingual retelling are based on the pithora folk style of central India, which derives from cave art.
The old snake is punished – the frogs will now ride on him. The frogs jump for joy – but they had better watch out! This unusual bilingual retelling of a Panchatantra favourite swings sympathy in favour of the snake. Stunning pictures are based on wooden folk toys from Channapatna in Karnataka, a craft style that came centuries ago from Persia.
The smart lion thinks he can use the fox to bring him food every day. But the fox is smarter! A familiar Panchatantra fable with innovative twists and a whole new environmental angle. The rich, energetic illustrations draw from the art of the Gond people from central India who live closely connected with nature.
Dinaben is a Maldhari and her village is right in the middle of the Gir forest where the lions live. How does she live? What does she do? This book offers glimpses into the many aspects of life in the forest through simple text and photographs.
There are many creatures in and around this pond, and much that is happening! Bold, colourful pictures on the pages are labelled with words in two languages – one familiar, and a translation in a less familiar one – so that children can can string them to together to tell their own stories while they learn a language. A list at the end helps them remember...
A word on the blackboard gives rise to a bunch of associated words, in two languages – one familiar, and a translation in a less familiar one. Along with the vivid pictures, these form verbal and visual clues – stepping stones for many stories children can develop on their own and learn a language. A list at the end helps them remember the new words. This...
Aana the elephant doesn't like his looks, but his friend Chena the yam says he's beautiful. How? asks Aana. Endearing conversation and pictures that say, be yourself!
Elephant, boat, duck... all upside down? The author plays with a creative concept, and a twist in the tale, to bring the lush ambience of rural Kerala to young children.
Who ate the dosas? Amma makes dosas but they keep disappearing! A story in which children have the last laugh! They will also experience the fun and excitement of making the pictures move. There are instructions on how they can do that at the end of the book.
The raja loves jalebis. He even dreams of them. Then the dream becomes a nightmare! The brief text of this mad little book is dramatically set off by illustrations that play with curls and colours.
This is the story of Beboo, a baby sloth bear who lives in the jungle. Many other bears are not so lucky. They are caught by humans and made to dance on the streets for entertainment. This is also their story. With telling photographs, the plight of the bears is communicated with empathy and sensitivity.
What happens when two children find themselves wandering the night in a forest? It is a world of giant trees, sudden sounds and unseen shadows. The arresting black and white illustrations convey the author's own curiosity and wonder at the natural world in this almost wordless picture drama.
Based on a real friendship between the author’s niece and a tree, this heartwarming story reflects on the true relationship between human beings and nature. Rich colours set off against stark white give the illustrations a dramatic quality.
Lai-Lai the baby elephant is curious and playful but, like all little children, stays close to his mother. The world of elephants is explored through stunning photographs by the award-winning wildlife filmmaker, drawing the child into the forest. The informative text has lovable elephant cartoons alongside.
A farmer shouts at the sun because it is too hot to work in the field. The sun gets upset, goes away and refuses to return. Finally, a rooster tricks the sun to shine again – every day from then on. This engaging tale is based on a folktale of the Ao tribe in Nagaland. The artist-animator's illustrations are luminous and dynamic, based on his animation...
Gagan and Chikki the cat are playing, when they knock talkative Avneet Aunty's mobile phone out of her hand. It breaks. Oops! A story with elementary text, interesting sounds, and very wacky pictures.
Little Appu wants to play on the seesaw. But who will sit on the other side? A grasshopper? Or a mouse? Or…? A simple approach to the concepts of light and heavy, up and down, aided by dynamic, lovable illustrations.
At one time, yaks had no home of their own. But Gola the yak wants a home — where he will have food to eat, water to drink, and be happy. His friend Muri the eagle takes him to the sea, the forest, the desert... The concept and the striking visuals introduce children to different landscapes. Along with it are words that go with each scene and add to...
Any time is time for cricket. Who wins? Who loses? Who cares? As long as the game goes on — anywhere, anyhow, and played by anyone. This little book of photographs, with just a line of text on each page, is a light tribute to the universal and unifying spirit of cricket. It is also a reminder that cricket is a game, games are played for fun, and everyone...
Mud dolls, swing wheels, stick-ice, pulivesham – Meenu is so excited about the village fair! But she falls down and breaks her leg. Now how will she go? A simple storyline offers many moments of discovery as the child finds and recognises objects and words in the charming, mood-filled illustrations.
Rani searches on the beach for a gift for her grandmother. Large photographs that look at little things and small illustrations that provide the bigger picture come together in this bilingual story.
Who says the city belongs only to people? Meet Moti the elephant, Phad Phad the pigeon, Banno the buffalo, and many other two- and four-legged creatures that also live in the city. Photographs and cheerful illustrations combine with easy text to give children a fresh perspective on everyday birds and animals.
“Help! Help!” calls the big black ant when the little black ant falls into the water. But the only answers it gets are “crokk”, “isspiss”, “aaaanh”, “cheek”, “miyawwwwn” and ‘”woaw”. Who will save the baby? Unusual sounds add excitement to a familiar pattern in this folktale based story. The sometimes onomatopoeic, sometimes alliterative, sometimes...
A little girl discovers a seed one day. She puts it in a pot – and then begins the thrill of watching it grow. Will it be tall? Will it have fruit? Or flowers? The wonder and excitement of emerging new life comes through in this book. 2006: White Ravens Catalogue 2008: Silver Medal, Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, USA
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Panchatantra Books 
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