Dhum Dhum Dhum… dhup dhup dhup… Dungi dances to a dhinchak beat in this foot-tapping story that will make young readers move and groove, clap and tap! Big sheep, small sheep, bored sheep, happy sheep… eye-catching visuals bring to life the dance and drama in a woolly world. 2018: Best of Indian Children's Writing: Contemporary
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...
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...
Little Malathi wants to run after hens and chicks, and catch the ripe yellow mangoes as they fall – but how can she, on a wheelchair? She grows up to show that she can do much, much more! Moments and experiences from the remarkable life of disabled athlete Malathi Holla, told simply and sensitively, bring out her determination and untiring spirit. The...
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...
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...
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.
Little Nonnu's world revolves around her goat, Appaka. Soft as cotton, Appaka loves to munch on jackfruit leaves and play with Nonnu and her friends. One day, Nonnu returns home from school to find Appaka missing! What will she do without her best friend? Set in Kerala, the story is full of evocative glimpses of a child's everyday life. The uplifting...
Tak tak sum, tak tak sum… Hambreelmai sits by the Kamblang river, happy at her loom, copying patterns from the clouds, the birds, the ripples in the water. She is the first weaver, taught by the goddess Matai herself. One day, Sheipung the porcupine sees her exquisite cloth and wants it… What happens next is the story of how the Mishmi people learnt to...
From the hills of Meghalaya, adventurous Ka Iew looks down at the sun-drenched plains of Sylhet and challenges her sister Ka Ngot to a race. In an instant, Ka Iew becomes a river ready to rush downhill, and Ka Ngot has no choice but to join her. Who reaches first? A Khasi folktale filled with local flavour and luminous illustrations that evoke the...
Ari may be shy, but he knows he will make a wonderful lion in the class play. But he is neither noticed nor chosen. Then, suddenly in his room a roaring, growling, prowling creature comes to life! The flat illustrative style with its strong kitschy palette gets away from usual depictions of the ‘soft, sensitive' child, and captures the energy and fun of...
Little i hops out of the computer to play with her friends but they are too busy. Peeved, she decides to have her own fun – zapping letters and making them disappear. What follows is complete confusion! Suniti Namjoshi is back with the familiar cast – Aditi, Monkeyji, Siril the ant, and Beautiful the elephant – of her popular Aditi Adventures series, and...
When Fakruddin worries, he gets frantic. And Frantic Fakru is now worried because his fridge is spoilt, the day is hot, and he is desperate for cold water. What does he do? A light-hearted story with a smart idea and cheerful watercolour illustrations which bring alive the ambience of Fakru's neighbourhood in Bhopal.
Irfaan has a story in his head. So do Thanh, Suzanne, Wang and others. They write them down on white sand and yellow sand, pebbly and clayey sand... and then what happens to them? They are washed away by waves, churned in the oceans and left on other sands, where other children listen to them. Sandhya Rao lyrically evokes the ebb and flow of tales across...
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.
SPLASH! Ira does happy backflips in the calm waters of Odisha’s Chilika Lake. But she and the other friendly Irrawady dolphins must be mindful of the hidden dangers that lurk all around. The author, a well-known wildlife filmmaker and conservationist, spent many weeks observing these dolphins while making a film on Chilika Lake. Brilliant photographs...
Every night, Kukku wants his father to tell him his favourite story. It is about the giant Kumbhakarna who sleeps non-stop for six months – and Kukku falls asleep just as Kumbhakarna does. In Kukku's dream, everyone is trying everything to wake up the giant. Nothing works! A lively retelling of an episode from the Ramayana with wildly funny pictures....
Everyone has their own story of Gandhi. And in this book – that came out of a set of four large paintings – a Warli artist, an animation filmmaker and a storyteller collaborate to create a very visual Gandhi story. While the artist was inspired to paint Gandhi's life simply because “he was like us”, the curating of the visuals was inspired by the details...
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. Best of Indian Children's Writing: Contemporary
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 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,...
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...
Dip Dip looks everywhere for her friend's lost cat. And when it finally climbs up a tree and can't come down, the only thing to do is…? Exuberant illustrations capture the spirited little girl for whom being on a wheelchair stops her from nothing! 2018: Best of Indian Children's Writing: Contemporary (English)
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...
