Most people are confused about how to react to those with disabilities. Their questions, misconceptions, doubts and fears are answered here – simply and straight from the heart – by a child with cerebral palsy. Sheila Dhir's childlike line drawings are just as simple and powerful as the short verses. As a differently-abled child's dialogue with society,...
This is an entertaining, interactive activity book about how little Priya spends her day. Well-known storyteller Cathy Spagnoli imbues the story with the sights and sounds of small-town Tamil Nadu as she uses one sheet of newspaper to make all the objects described in the book, including two hills, a coconut tree and a string of jasmines. Children can...
Kalia, a poor cobbler, lives with his wife in Patna. He makes beautiful shoes with fine curling points. One day, tired of being poor, he seeks the help of a holy man who appoints him a ghost, Bhootram, who will earn Kalia a lot of money. The only problem is that Bhootram must always be kept busy – or he will eat them up! What will they do? The...
In the beginning, the Bhilalas believed, there was only water. The harassed and wet subjects beg their lazy god to create land so that they can get dry and stay that way. The poor god is put to all sorts of trouble before this wish can be granted. With a fantasy element that reflects the unfettered nature of the oral tradition, this zany folktale from...
The children of a village take the cows to graze in a forest, where they love to play under a large, shady banyan tree. One day, a bad-tempered snake who lives under the tree bites a cow, and the children become afraid. The snake too is unhappy — until he learns the secret of life from a wandering monk. The folktale from Bengal has pictures adapted from...
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...
Murali is being chased by a parrot that keeps repeating what he says and doing what he does. What kind of a bothersome bird is this that has Murali in a flap?!
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!
A curious crow comes across the palace of the rich and elegant king of birds, Pavo Cristatus the peacock. Soon after, Pavo has a visitor — a cousin, Cavo Pristatus, from Africa who looks like a peacock, but is not quite one. Who is he? This cheerful tongue-in cheek story with flamboyant pictures combines the themes of the weak outwitting the strong and...
Mud dolls, swing wheels, stick-ice, pulivesham – Meenu is so excited about the village fair! But she falls down and breaks her leg. Now how will she go? A simple storyline offers many moments of discovery as the child finds and recognises objects and words in the charming, mood-filled illustrations.
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...
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...
Nazneen carefully cooks some fragrant marzwangan kurma for a special family dinner. But just when it is all ready, guests arrive — unwanted guests, who cleverly sniff out a good free meal. A warm, amusing folktale from Kashmir which captures life in a simple Kashmiri household. The illustrations use traditional Kashmiri embroidery motifs to provide...
Tackling troubling ‘taboo’ topics such as caste, race, and class, the book uses a creative and analytical approach to get young people to rethink disdain for manual labour. It also throws light on the social, economic and historic aspects of the lives of manual labourers, and highlights the science and art of their skills. This Tamil edition of Professor...
The Ningthou and Leima, king and queen of Manipur, rule well over their meeyam, their people. As the years roll by, it is time to decide who will succeed to the throne. The Ningthou and Leima desire that the throne go, not to the eldest son, but to the wisest, most able child. And so they hold a competition. Who wins the bout? This folktale from Manipur...
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...
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...
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