Tiger cub Sultan and his Ammi have a special friend they call Junglee Bina, who loves the jungle, and wanders there on her own for hours, taking photographs. It is these stunning photos that show us Sultan's life in the Ranthambore forest, even as he tells us the story of a warm relationship between a woman and the wild. Images drawn from folk toys meld...
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...
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...
A majestic elephant protects the forests from timber traders, tree-cutters and poachers. The animal becomes such a legend that his photograph adorns the walls of local homes. But one day, the Forest Department receives strict orders to hunt the elephant down… After the gripping Black Panther, Aravind Krish Bala returns to the Western Ghats. This riveting...
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...
When he takes his sheep and goats to the mountains, Gulla is always careful – of bears and leopards, the terrible Banbudhiya, and the men with guns. But one day, rushing to save a little hangul from wild dogs, he goes deep into the forest. This story from Kashmir, where the hangul is a protected animal, carries many shades of the region – the quiet life...
Where is Crocodile? This warm story explores the thoughts, feelings and imagined fears shared by friends when one of them suddenly goes missing. Delicate and complex emotions are handled with simplicity, while the pictures capture mood, motion and confusion with a light touch and a lot of heart. The book came out of a workshop in which writers and...
Kunzang is a strange child of nature, with hair as wild and red as the rhododendrons she lives among. People say that one look from her crimson eyes can make wishes come true. She rides untroubled on her graceful kiang through Sikkim's Yumthang valley. But then, along comes the powerful king, Bhu-pen, who sees the kiang and wants it... A lyrical story...
Zai’s uncle is the famous 'birdman of India' Salim Ali, everyone in her family is a birding expert, and she herself can’t so much as identify the pipit sitting right under her nose. In this delightful portrait of childhood, Zai Whitaker recounts her early birding woes and how she winged it. Prabha Mallya’s pictures pick up the humour, and are an arresting...
The first chaang, the first elephant, once had big eyes, Which the animals thought looked beautiful and wise. Then, along came a bird, a wagtail, and… Told in verse, this folktale from the Tai Phake people of India’s northeast is gentle and funny. It is one among their many animal stories about why and how something came to be – why the sun comes out when...
Can you taste with your toes? Or see with your ears? Or, at least, smell with your hair? No? Well, there are creatures around you that can! Take a peek into an intriguing world to discover the different ways in which animals do things that are ‘normal’. And look out for the funny bits in the pictures.
When the lioness goes off to hunt, her cubs go off to play. But is the jungle safe for them? Inspired by the endangered Asiatic lion found in the Gir forest, Gujarat, this book follows the playful adventures of three curious lion cubs while their mother is away. Minimal text and lively illustrations with an edge of drama skilfully introduce young readers...
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.
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.
Takdir is a tiger cub in who lives in the thick jungle of the Bandhavgarh National Park. One day, when his mother, Sita, is away and his sisters are asleep, Takdir decides to go off on his own. The story of what happens to him is told by Nanda, a wildlife photographer and filmmaker, and Latika, a wildlife biologist, who studied these tigers for over 10...
“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...
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,...
On a holiday in the jungles of Kalagarh, Gitanjali and her cousins experience elephant encounters of a very strange kind! A spine-tingling tale that is taut with mystery and tinged with Ranjit Lal's trademark humour.
A crocodile with no teeth?! Poor Grinder N Grater is old and has lost all his teeth. And he is sick of being laughed at by the other animals. And tired of being hungry. His little bird-friend Cheenchi Chiriya tries many replacements. But thorns are too sharp, pebbles are too smooth, and dinosaur teeth are too big or too small. And then she has an idea...
Gundu and Keeri Humongoose are normal mongooses. They are hasty, they chatter with chirps or clicks, they eat rats… But then they do something that Do-First-Think-Later animals do not. They take a decision! To move out of the jungle! And so begins their adventure into the unknown… filled with danger from two-legged creatures. Funny and quirky, the story...
