Gulab’s classmates call her ‘Stinky Gulab’, and it’s not because she smells. Her father is a manual scavenger, made to clean drains and gutters with his bare hands, even today! “Why do you do it?!” asks Gulab angrily. With determination and a little help from science, she takes the first bold step towards change. Addressing a deep-rooted social evil, the...
Naani, Paati, Ajji, Aaji, Daadi, Mutthashi... So many names for Grandma, who is indeed grandmother to all around, with her songs and stories and watchful eye. In just a dozen lines of simple text that lilt with the rhythm of a song, the book captures all the warmth of a grandmother as experienced by a child. This unique bilingual book also has exciting...
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...
Why do I have to sit separately in a corner of the classroom? Why can't I drink water from the tap like other children? Why do the teachers never touch my books? The ‘whys' shout louder in little Bhim's head as he grows up, trailed constantly by the monster of untouchability. They catapult him into a lifetime of struggle for equality. And they shape the...
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
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.
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. CBSE recommended...
Hiss! Boo! Muahahaha! Mala creeps up from behind and scares everyone. Then her mother gives her a pair of pretty silver anklets... The pictures of this charming and very popular story have the exuberance and freshness typical of Nancy Raj's work. CBSE recommended
A lonely king and queen hear a voice calling out to them. They look inside their home, in the garden and beyond, searching in vain, while all the time it grows louder... Written like a bedtime story and illustrated with gentle humour, this book leads the reader to discover what 'family' really means without mystifying the fact of adoption. Moreover, it...
Somewhere in the universe, little children in butterfly-shaped time machines eat scrumptious star-rock salad from Galaxy Stellar 5689, and a volcano erupts fruit juice that freezes into ice-cream! Padma is sure of that — because that's what it says in her book. How books give wing to imagination, how flights of fantasy can be as real as the world around…...
"Are you there, Amma?" "Are you inside, Amma?" Kiran looks everywhere for his mother – in the kitchen, in the balcony, and even in the unlikeliest of places! Charming watercolours make this book one warm and irresistible hide-and-seek story. 2018: Best of Indian Children's Writing: Contemporary
It's time to get ready for school and the little girl in this book is still in a world of dreams – of tigers, elephants, the sea... And as she tries to hurry up, her grandmother tells her the secret of what made her father go to school. Inspired by the author’s father's experience at a government-aided school, the text and pictures capture the child's...
Each finger has its own personality, and when ten little fingers come together, they make things happen. Playful verse draws children into a game of all that their busy fingers can do, while bright pictures imaginatively capture the energy of their busy, busy lives.
There was once a prince who hated food. One day the royal cook gives him something new to eat – a hot golden ball, crisp outside, soft inside... a bonda! After that there is no stopping either the prince or this mad tale that rolls its jolly way to an inevitably happy, bondaful end. The jaunty illustrations pick up all the comic clues along the way, to...
A number book with a twist at the end. What are Thambi and 45 others waiting for? This beginner reader is part of the Thumb Thumb Books series, created around the common thumbprint and featuring Thumb Thumb Thangi and Thumb Thumb Thambi. Short sentences, bold type and vibrant visuals make entry into reading easy and exciting. At the end is a page for...
The faces in the mirror just won't go away. Not the frog, not the lion, not the monkey. They won't even get scared. Then Thangi has an idea! This beginner reader is part of the Thumb Thumb Books series, created around the common thumbprint and featuring Thumb Thumb Thangi and Thumb Thumb Thambi. Short sentences, bold type and vibrant visuals make entry...
Thambi finds a flower, he picks it up, smells it. Mmmmm! But there's someone sitting inside... oh! This beginner reader is part of the Thumb Thumb Books series, created around the common thumbprint and featuring Thumb Thumb Thangi and Thumb Thumb Thambi. Short sentences, bold type and vibrant visuals make entry into reading easy and exciting. At the end...
Hello says the sun to the bud. Hello says the rain, the bees, the butterflies, the birds, and Thambi. Hello the flower replies showing off its lovely petals. This beginner reader is part of the Thumb Thumb Books series, created around the common thumbprint and featuring Thumb Thumb Thangi and Thumb Thumb Thambi. Short sentences, bold type and vibrant...
Where is Thangi, Thambi asks the blackbeetle, the butterfly... Nobody seems to know. Where can she be? This beginner reader is part of the Thumb Thumb Books series, created around the common thumbprint and featuring Thumb Thumb Thangi and Thumb Thumb Thambi. Short sentences, bold type and vibrant visuals make entry into reading easy and exciting. At the...
Shh, Thangi is sleeping. The caterpillar crawls, the cat yawns... then a plate clatters to the ground. Thangi wakes up. Oh no! This beginner reader is part of the Thumb Thumb Books series, created around the common thumbprint and featuring Thumb Thumb Thangi and Thumb Thumb Thambi. Short sentences, bold type and vibrant visuals make entry into reading...
The lights go off and Thangi can't find Thambi. He's not in the cupboard, he's not behind the door, he's not under the bed. Where could he be? This beginner reader is part of the Thumb Thumb Books series, created around the common thumbprint and featuring Thumb Thumb Thangi and Thumb Thumb Thambi. Short sentences, bold type and vibrant visuals make entry...
If Thambi had a tail, he would wag it to show he was happy, he would swish away flies, he would even swim. What else would he do? This beginner reader is part of the Thumb Thumb Books series, created around the common thumbprint and featuring Thumb Thumb Thangi and Thumb Thumb Thambi. Short sentences, bold type and vibrant visuals make entry into reading...
