Slices of history, flavours of places, explorations of art, perspectives on people, events and the environment… an array of non-fiction served up in exciting ways, put together by established and new writers, activists, thinkers, environmentalists, artists, archaeologists, teachers…
Who was this man who so mesmerised the world, born over a century ago but whose words and wisdom are still so current, so compelling? Films, plays, books, media images and news stories bring Mahatma Gandhi regularly into our homes. His birthday, 2 October, is the International Day for Non-violence. But how do we relate this familiar yet distant icon to a...
Pictures cut and pasted, comments thrown in, random thoughts, quibbles and scribbles... The scrapbook format offers unusual perspectives on a most amazing man. Did you know that Gandhi loved comics? That he would make 'pudding' with powdered chapatis? Now these are some quirky bits that aren't in the book. Add them in, or anything else you like – for in...
What could Caesar's general have in common with multiplication and weights? Or a Russian waiter with factorials? Or a temple in Hanoi with transposition? A Chinese emperor with Benjamin Franklin? This collection of stories from different countries sets the brain ticking, encourages problem-solving skills, and has a high quotient of fun! Each story is...
Most of the time Selvi's little village of peanut farmers lies forgotten. But once a year it springs to life – when the archaeologists come to excavate the river-bed for tools of prehistoric ancestors. These ancestors were hominids who lived more than half a million years ago, and their stone tools are what the villagers call chakka kal, meaning 'shining...
The 'arribada' or arrival of thousands of olive ridley sea turtles for mass nesting on some beaches of Odisha is one of nature's amazing spectacles. Yet thousands of these gentle reptiles die every year due to callous fishing practices and human apathy. Through unique photographs, ridley facts, and a narrative born out of first-hand experience,...
Fifteen-year-old Aiyappan lives in Kanchipuram. In school, he learns Maths, Science, Languages, Computers… and Kuttu. His teacher has written a play especially for the students – about an encounter between children and aliens. The script is presented in this book, and includes stage directions so that the reader can perform it. The narrative offers...
Based on real accounts, this is an imagined story of a boy in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami that hit several countries. It could also be the story of any child whose life is closely linked with nature. The narrative follows the feelings of the boy as he tries to comprehend the horror and bewilderment of the experience. Photographs, not of the...
How was everyday life for children long ago? Did they have pets? What sort of games did they play? In this book, imagination takes off from carefully researched fact to create ten fascinating stories of children from times past, spanning India's history from around 3500 BCE onward. Alongside are bits of interesting information, finely-etched collages, and...
When disaster struck on the night of 3 December 1984, it took a sleeping Bhopal by surprise — it woke thousands to their death, maimed thousands more for life. But the poison gas that poured out of the Union Carbide factory was also a wake-up call to the world. This book examines the causes, gives a background and traces the fallout — scientific, medical,...
The huge arjuna tree teems with birds, animals and insects that play out their own mesmerising stories! Well-known artist Paritosh Sen watches and records all of this in loving detail to reveal the remarkable chain of life, the interdependence of all living things. Apart from being an invaluable lesson in ecology, this book is a fascinating visual...
“At the stroke of the midnight hour... India will awake to life and freedom,” declared Jawaharlal Nehru the night before Independence. But along with joy, there was also the trauma of Partition... Children’s voices from all over the country capture different shades of that momentous time in India’s history. A hands-on way for young children to understand...
A battle over salt? Yes, fought the Gandhi way! What guns and soldiers could not do, he did simply, quietly and non-violently, just by picking up a lump of salt. Follow Gandhiji’s famous march to Dandi to see the brilliant strategy that made the British give in and the world take notice. A hands-on way for young children to understand and explore...
Manu was always different. Unlike other girls of her time, she went to school, learnt to ride and shoot. Later, as Rani Lakshmibai, she bravely told the British, “I will not give up Jhansi!” And it is Rani of Jhansi fighting on horseback that is still the most inspiring image of India’s First War of Independence in 1857. A hands-on way for young children...
Trained to be king from the time he was 12 years old, Tipu was a bold and fearless boy – no wonder, then, that he chose the tiger for a mascot! Here’s a tale of how this Tiger of Mysuru challenged the growing might of the British in the late 18th century. A hands-on way for young children to understand and explore ‘information’, this series keeps them...
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Non-Fiction Picture Books 
Looking At Art 
Fact+Fiction