Everyone tells Laali that she's too little to do the things she wants to do. What if I really was very little, wonders Laali. She dreams, shrinks and steps into a little big world, where there's a new adventure round every corner! Bright and playful illustrations match the little girl's happy imagination.
Do roosters sing ragas? This one does, but like all true artistes gets to it after a lot of struggle! Every time he opens his mouth he sings a new tune but not the kukaroo-kuroo of the other roosters. His friends skip and stretch, stamp and roll and try to teach him. Try as he might our rooster kuka-moooooos, kuka-heeen haaans, kuka-miaooows but can't...
A bird's nest? A cow with two horns? No, it's Minu's hair and she does NOT like it. Her mother, her father, her grandmother try hard to tame it. But her grandfather is unconcerned… The illustrations of this charming story give Minu's hair a truly wild, tactile feel as it spills exuberantly through the pages. 2018: Best of Indian Children's Writing:...
Little Tsomo eats a big, steaming hot momo. And then? A mouthwatering story in which the flavour-filled savoury comes appetisingly alive! Watercolour pencil illustrations softened with subtle brushstrokes conjure up scenes sure to tickle the taste buds, satisfy hunger pangs and stir up a song.
It is pouring rain. From her window, little Anju sees familiar scenes of a rainy day – cloudy skies, umbrellas, puddles… But her curious eyes pick up other surprises too, while her imagination plays with the raindrops sliding down her window pane. Soft watercolours drench the pages with the mood of a wet, wet day. 2018: Best of Indian Children's Writing:...
What will you be when you grow up? To this common question, Appu has the most uncommon answers. If he can't be just ‘me', then he can be anything – or many things! With illustrations that have the lively touch of an animator, this book will open little minds to endless possibilities for the future.
An elephant with nail polish? Ranganna is captivated by the brightly coloured nails of his friends and wants to paint his toes too – all 18 of them! Illustrations that are a riot of colour zestfully capture the happy spirit of Ranganna.
When her friend's cat, Kaapi, gets lost, Dip Dip goes off to look for it – on the road, inside dustbins, behind houses, under bushes, everywhere. And when Kaapi finally climbs up a tree and can't come down, the only thing to do is…? Exuberant illustrations from an award-winning illustrator delightfully capture the spirited little girl for whom being on a...
Little Satya lives by the River Ganga in Banaras and longs to row her own boat, just like her father. But he says she's not old enough or strong enough. But Satya can't wait… One day, she makes a little paper boat and that night, she dreams and drifts into a watery world. As the story unfolds, the finely detailed illustrations and their colours heighten...
Mayor Piloo Paheliji loves to show off by asking riddles no one can answer. But someone is more than a match for him and confounds confusion by riddling him! A book that celebrates riddles with illustrations that capture all the fun.
When rock bees build a bee colony in Gowri's balcony, her mother decides to ask Mr Ramaiah, an expert on bees, for help. They don't have to be killed, the bee master tells Gowri and her mother. Just moved to a safer place, safe for us and for them. The little girl watches fascinated… And as she learns about bees and the environment, we too are drawn into...
There was a time when happiness began to leak out of the world. Everything dried up. No colour, no food, no smiles – only hunger, sadness and quarrels. One old woman decided that something had to be done, and she heard from the wind about a magical fish that lived in a green-green lake... Told by a Gond storyteller and illustrated by a Gond artist, this...
It is hard not to notice Nabiya in English story classes. She listens so hard that she hardly blinks! Slowly, she begins to explore stories, delight in their words, pictures and funny moments. This story about a spirited young girl, who likes football as much as she likes storybooks that she is determined to learn to read. Using a collage of colours,...
There are many chickens, ants, pots and snails that are different. The verses say how many – but which, and how? Manjula Padmanabhan takes spotting odd ones out to the next merry level of stimulation and challenge, while remaining true to her pet theme of identity and plurality. The brilliantly rendered pictures and designs point to ways of perceiving...
Boodabim floats in the sky, he swims in the ocean and he simply glows in stripes! Who is he? A cloud? A fish? A tiger? Boodabim can be anything he wants to be! Minimal text and rollicking illustrations make this a most endearing book for little ones.
One morning, a mother and child go in search of the sun. Their journey comes alive in a vast dotted landscape where lively birds, quick-footed animals and busy humans meet and share the forest, the river and the mountain… The book is a vibrant collaboration between a master Warli artist, a design student and the publishers, inspired by the incredible...
The stars give way to the sun, the clouds to rain, the egg to the little bird… Things change. This truth is brought to children in a charmingly simple way. Dramatic pictures flow into each other to give a sense of movement, of the idea of change.
After the much-admired Let's Plant Trees, the author is now chasing and playing with big monsoon clouds! This time, too, the message is clear and simple. Rainwater is free, pure and precious. Let us save it – in buckets and wells and coconut shells…
Karimuga is a rakshasa, a pleasant rakshasa. He is a beautiful rakshasa too. But that makes all other rakshasas jealous of him. Karimuga can't bear to see them unhappy... Sowmya Rajendran inverts our ideas about beauty, happiness and rakshasas with humour. Niveditha's quirky pictures add to it with little and big rakshasas romping through the pages in...
Paploo is a curious little fellow, full of questions and not afraid of asking – why this, why that, why not, why now. And that's how children should be, says the author, full of questions and free to come to their own conclusions. Pictures and words in verse are delightfully stood on their heads in this story that amuses even as it sets the reader...
Raw, green, sour and crunchy. Or ripe, golden, plump and soft. Summer time is mango time, a time children wait for – blazing sun, sticky mango juice ringing their mouths and dripping down their fingers. The sweet, simple story and luscious pictures evoke delicious flavours of hot days, warm friendships and the smell of mango in the air. 2013: Highly...
There’s once again a buzz in Birdywood – it is time for the great Games! Birds that fly and those that don’t are coming in from all over the world. Who flies fastest? Who dives deepest? While the best are tested, the rest have loads of fun! Amid much ruffling of feathers, tweeting and chirping, old records are smashed and new champions emerge, crowned by...
Bulbuli lives in a bamboo house in a bamboo grove, and is busy in her little bamboo world from the time she wakes up to the time she goes to sleep. Just following Bulbuli around, this story told in a rhythmic, cumulative style spotlights bamboo to make a simple green statement. Words and pictures communicate a very real sense of the versatility of bamboo...
Pappuram and Kojaram are kaavadiya bhaats, storytellers from Rajasthan. Each has his own favourite story about why Lord Ganesha is always worshipped first, before any other god or goddess. They open their kaavads, the beautifully painted storytelling boxes, and begin – only to realise at the end of it that the stories may be different, but are still...
Wordless Picture Books 
Wordbird Books 
Our Myths 
Illustrated Classics 
First Look Science 
Thumb Thumb Books 
Baby Bahadur 
In Verse 
Under the Banyan 