In the beginning, the peacock had no markings on its shimmering blue-green tail. The sun king's daughter sees this beautiful creature one day and falls in love. Much against her father's wishes, she marries the peacock. What happens then and how the peacock gets ‘eyes' on its tail is what this folktale from Rajasthan is all about. The bold, stylised...
Muthu, a poor playwright, his wife Chellam, and their six children live a hard life. Chellam cooks and cleans homes while Muthu writes plays and sometimes doesn't get paid. One day, Muthu goes in search of a job. He loses his way in the jungle and falls asleep under a tree. What happens then? Find out in this folktale from Tamil Nadu, with pictures in the...
Using a simple, direct approach this book presents a basic concept – it encourages children to recognise forms through lines and circles and observe them in the world around them. As the two forms come together to create various images, the narrative builds on the concept to tell a story. The pictures have been inspired by folk toys.
An endearing Marathi folktale about two sisters. Ekkesvali has one hair on her head. Dhonkesvali has two and thinks she's great. What happens when they meet an old woman who lives alone in a clearing right in the middle of the forest? This folktale takes on a special joyousness with Ranjan De's stylised representations and is full of interesting details...
An endlessly entertaining tale from Kerala with repetitive text and animated pictures. Eecha the practical fly and her friend Poocha the greedy cat make delicious rice soup. While Eecha flies off to fetch a jackfruit leaf with which to spoon out the soup, Poocha watches over the pot. But Poocha is hungry, so hungry…
Boondi is a little drop of water who rolls and tumbles in the river. One hot day he feels himself being lifted up, up, up into the sky into a big, heavy cloud. What now? This is one of five First Look Science books, perfect for a child’s first introduction to basic concepts about the world around because they were conceived visually. The stunning...
A little girl spills, drops, breaks, trips on things. She is called Clumsy, Slowcoach, Careless... words that scare away all other words. But in her head, words become stories and stories, pictures – and with a box of paints and a brush, she sweeps herself away from the names people call her! Vivid watercolours lift her from her everyday milieu into a...
Renchu prods her grandmother for a story. But her Daadi’s stories are never told straight. She is “sometimes in the story and sometimes out of it”. And as she moves in an out, we see two worlds – one of a time when they were people of the forest, and one of now when they have been forced into cities as ragpickers. The illustrations too flit between the...
From a sorrowful Sita to a resolute Razia, little Nina has played them all. Everyone calls her a fine actress. But Nina is at a loss when she’s given the role of Kasturba – after all Kasturba was only Gandhiji’s wife. Wasn’t she? Confused, she starts preparing for the play, and soon discovers that an ‘ordinary’ wife can be quite an extraordinary person.
Ten bunches of bananas, a bundle of sugarcane, coconut, jaggery and a big ball of rice. A rather heavy meal, even for an elephant, as Gajapati Kulapati finds out! Bringing together all that’s familiar – the cast of characters, words that repeat, sounds that roll, a gentle tone and sprightly pictures, the third book about this endearing elephant, makes for...
A boy who doesn’t stop talking, furry cats and clacking needles... Shobha has a dream every night, but she always wakes up before they end. How do these dreams end? She really has to know. “Write them down,” says English Miss. And that’s what Shobha does. “The more she wrote, the more she wrote, and the more she wrote. She wrote and wrote.” The interplay...
"Come in for a haircut! You choose... We cut!" says the sign outside a hair cutting saloon, so a lion walks in to do just that. But where is everyone? And who are these other lions staring at him? Well, by the end of the story we know why lions DON’T have haircuts – in spite of the alluring array of mane makeovers the illustrator offers!
The quiet villages of Sundarban are terrorised by a monster with wild eyes, sharp teeth, striped skin and pointed nails — Dokkhin Rai! Until finally, Bon Bibi, protector of the forests and people, asks him a simple question: Why do you do this? The answer to this question is central to the age-old theme of human-animal harmony. Set in the lush and...
Graa-aaa-aaa-ooo-oon! Every time Beni Ram tries to sell his camel, Bholu promptly trots back. “The villagers use vans now instead of camel-carts. Nobody wants to give your old man a job anymore,” says a gloomy Beni Ram. But fate has surprising plans for the out-of-luck Beni Ram and his beloved camel... The warm and vivid illustrations beautifully capture...
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.
A hot summer day, an old man in dusty clothes who calls himself a maharaja, a little boy Munna who believes him, and a teashop full of people who don’t… With the familiar feel of a folktale, this delightful story keeps the reader guessing till the end! Going with the flavour, Deepa Balsavar chooses an illustrative style that’s “part folksy, part whimsy”,...
Nani has gone. Forever. WHERE? asks Nina. Her mother grapples with answers but Nina won’t stop asking. Finally, she finds her own answers, through the warmth of memories, the comfort of imagination – and a little bit of natural science! The light touch and tone of the story along with the quietly reflective pictures treat the difficult subject of the loss...
When Sun was out people did things, but when Moon appeared all they did was sleep! Moon isn’t happy – she too wants to be noticed. So from where the three seas meet at the tip of India she goes up to the mountains, ruffling up waters to announce her presence. But nothing helps. She then follows the advice of her ocean friends and works at what she is good...
“My dear, it’s time for bed,” says Ma. But “Can a frog stand on its head?” wonders her little girl. Lost in a world where she must learn to fly with birds in the sky, snuggle a whale, kiss the kangaroo… she has so much to do! Sleep? Not yet! Playful rhyme and lovable pictures take us lilting through a child’s fantasy world and the cosy warmth of bedtime...
Lined up on a street are noisy motorbikes, honking cars, crowded buses, impatient autos... In their midst sits a queenly Maharani! At the heart of this funny little vignette is a cool-as-a-cucumber cow, an all too familiar character of an Indian streetscape. Nancy Raj’s full-of-life pictures bustle with detail and drama, capturing the bovine and the...
On a trip to the Taj Mahal, Minnie secretly brings Pooni along though animals aren’t allowed in. But wait – the naughty cat slips off on her own adventure! After Where’s That Cat? Manjula Padmanabhan takes us on another Pooni chase, the drama this time set against the magnificent backdrop of the Taj Mahal. Enjoy a lively tour!
Chikki’s mother tells her to give a message to Bitti Aunty. But Chikki is very very lazy! What does she do? Follow the feathers for a chirpy new take on ‘tweeting’!
Drums, cymbals, trumpets… It is the festive day of the Ratha Jatra at Puri and Pria wonders why the idols of Jagannatha, Subhadra and Balabhadra are unlike other gods. That’s how Jagannatha looked when he lived deep in the forest, her grandmother tells her. And so starts a story of Nilamadhaba, the secret god of the Sabaras. Central to this is the dynamic...
Playtime on the terrace takes a turn when a strong wind sweeps Chhotu off his feet and carries him up and away to the clouds and the birds! The light and lively illustrations whirl us to the sky and back.
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