Snehalata Datar is the editor of Datatime calendar, and a writer in Marathi and English.
Tiji and Cheenu like to eat different things, do different things… and they are best friends! Warm, exuberant pictures from one of the country's finest illustrators build up this universal story of friendship.
Mannu the monkey has been waiting for this day – when the purply-shurply jamun are pulpy-shulpy ripe. But why isn’t there a single berry on or around the tree? Who could have eaten up all the jamun? Mannu swings into action to hunt for the jamun thief and… yes, someone’s trunk is definitely looking purple! The sixth juicy-shoocy story in the popular Baby...
A big box, her grandparents' walking sticks, Amma's long red dupatta… Neelu has everything she needs for her big, strong fort. But – oh no – she trips and falls, and the box becomes flat! Whacky pictures take us on a colourful ride into a child's imagination. 2018: Best of Indian Children's Writing: Contemporary
Kutak-katak… zoing-zoing… bzzzt-bzzzt… zzzk-zzzk… Salim goes from village to village sharpening knives. But who needs knives sharpened every day? Some days he hardly makes enough money for a good meal. Now, with Eid coming, he decides to try his luck on the other side of the jungle – and runs into a customer he hadn’t bargained for in his ‘wildest'...
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...
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...
Pranav wants Maya to come to his house. "Why?" Maya wants to know. Bright pictures form a cheery backdrop to a narrative that sees a house through a child's eyes, and makes a good introduction to colours.
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.
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...
Malli gave her uncle’s family many things when they came to her village. Now, she is coming to the city. Will they also give her something?
What did Kabir find and where did it go? Will he find it again? Graphic visuals add an interactive dimension to this lost-and-found story. Pictures match clues in the text offering many everyday objects for children to identify as they wander with Kabir through the pages.
One day, Balu finds a basket. What does he do with it? Bright, clean pictures create a cheerful backdrop for this fruit-filled book. 2018: 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.
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...
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. NCERT recommended
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...
Guddu's mother wants to take a photo of him. But Guddu will not smile! A child's toys come to life in this fun bilingual story with animated illustrations that are picture perfect. CBSE recommended
Striking pictures by first time photographers capture everything as vast as the sky and as tiny as a worm with equal delight and fresh perspectives – a bird flying high in the sky, a spider's web, sunlight on a river... The accompanying text echoes the children’s sense of wonder at the patterns and colours. Young readers can stick their own photos at the...
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. CBSE recommended
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...
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...
The Kite Tree changes... Its leaves fall, they grow back, flowers appear and it begins to hum with life. But that's not all. It comes up with unexpected surprises! Keen eyes and a busy imagination capture these changes, stir anticipation and raise a flurry of questions. Quiet pictures reflect the tree’s many moods to evoke the movement of the seasons.
Who should get more rotis — Ookamma or Ookaiah? A folktale about a quarrelling old couple is woven into another story about the lives of children in a village, growing up, playing, going to a government school, watching adults squabble, feeling hunger, understanding friendship and, most importantly, sitting under a neem tree and listening to stories from...
A little boy dreams of becoming a fisherman, a potter... a dancer! Imaginative ideas lead children into different worlds. Bold, colourful pictures on the pages are labelled with words in two languages – one familiar, and a translation in a less familiar one – so that children can string them to together to tell their own stories while they learn a...
