Suddenly the lights go off and the house is plunged into darkness. There’s a power cut! Mother lights a candle, and there begins a game of elephant, cat, deer, snake and more. Then the power comes back. Where do the animals go?
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...
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...
Pintoo walks home from school one evening, all alone. He is not afraid until the sun begins to set rapidly. Suddenly, he feels himself being lifted up, up, up... by a giant! Now, what? This spin on a common fairytale figure effortlessly captures the spirit of a little boy's vivid imagination and curious nature. Warm watercolour tones bring to life the...
A dusty path runs through a village where people and animals keep walking up and down, up and down. Others, on faster feet and wheels, shout “Out of the way, out of the way.” In a simple lyrical way, the author subverts commonly held views on environment and development by showing simultaneously the growth of a wide-spreading tree and a busy winding road,...
Dr C.V. Raman loved the universe, loved science, loved speaking to children. In this extraordinary book conceived by two creative minds, the eminent scientist and Nobel Prize winner urges readers to look around, observe nature and ask questions. The text is extracted from a famous lecture, and the photographs were taken while he was talking about why the...
After a school trip to the zoo, Amma is surprised that Meera has seen no animals – not a monkey, a lion, or even a giraffe... But why did Meera see no animals there? Her lively mother forgets to ask! Zestful pictures capture the hilarious inversion of role play.
One naughty little cat with an orange tail and pointy ears is lost! Minnie goes looking for her Pooni, and steps onto a busy city street filled with people to talk to and things to look at. Writer-artist-cartoonist Manjula Padmanabhan’s humour-filled pictures with delightful details invite us to join in the search – for the cat who is always just one step...
Ali did not know how to really see until he looked closely at a spider's web through his father's camera... The nature of relationships in the human and natural world are subtly presented through warm illustrations and revealing photographs.
Keshav's favourite game is to hide in a rolled up mat and pretend he is travelling to all the places he has marked in his atlas. And he is delighted when he discovers that his friend, Lobsang, is really from a place that he has marked in his map – Tibet! A charmingly imagined story that explores the reality of exile and the longing for home. Charm and...
Ju’s mother brings her hand-me-downs from the homes in which she works and Ju welcomes them like new friends. She especially loves the well-used textbooks and the treasures sometimes hidden among their pages: pressed flowers, poems, even a dead butterfly. Then one day Ju discovers a sealed envelope in a maths book, which has a stamp but no address... In...
A zippy parody of the movie world tells the story of how different birds look, well, different! Text and pictures combine realism with a dash of comedy to provide some filmy moments.
When living happily together becomes difficult, the creatures of the world decide that the largest group among them should rule the world. In the race for numbers, it looks as though one shy creature is going to make the difference. Based loosely on an Australian Aboriginal tale and with elements of Indian and Aboriginal art, this story demonstrates a...
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...
A warm afternoon, a fruit-laden tamarind tree, four boys in search of something to do… Join them as they pick the fruit and climb the tree. Loving attention to little details about the self, other and environment make magical a child's experience of the everyday. A dynamic tranquility pervades the story, drawing the reading child into a contemplative...
When the clouds begin to rumble, out tumbles the naughty wind Jhakkad. Oooo... he blows looking for mischief. The rich, evocative illustrations sweep the reader through this one stormy night.
How did the Warlis first begin to paint their walls with shining, white images? The paintings of the Warli people of Maharashtra are famous worldwide for their simplicity as much as liveliness. Beginning with the story of little Shirvi who wants to give her parents a happy surprise, author Shamim Padamsee takes a whimsical journey into how the art may...
With great imagination, Brahma the creator has fashioned all things on earth, even the greedy caterpillar. One day, however, it chomps its way through his colourful garden and Brahma gets very angry. But then, it was Brahma himself who gave the caterpillar its huge hunger, wasn’t it? So what was the caterpillar to do? And now, what will Brahma do? An...
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...
Thom! It lands on Kuttan’s toes. Dheem! He kicks and up it goes. The pages of this book resound with the rhythm of dance as Abu's big red ball bounces in tune with the delightful illustrations. CBSE recommended
“There was once a mountain made of bare stone…” It stands cold and alone until one day a small bird appears and changes its life. This well-loved story by American writer Alice McLerran, shared all over the world in many languages, draws from universal truths that go beyond boundaries of language and culture. The illustrations are as lyrical, evoking the...
Gadagada gudugudu... the marble rolls from one child's hand to another in exchange each time for something exciting. The story moves in a straightforward childlike way as, one after the other, it reintroduces simple street games endlessly popular with children. Trundling alongside is the rhythmic refrain that fascinatingly echoes the circular movement of...
Pranav says he is drawing a picture. But his mother sees nothing on the page! What is Pranav drawing? The narrative and freewheeling illustrations follow the simple, spontaneous logic of a child's mind. CBSE recommended
Every day, Basava goes to the forest to collect firewood for his mother. But one day it grows dark and he can't find his way home. That is when Basava sees the glowing dots of fire that light up the forest... A gentle story with a touch of magic and dramatic illustrations.
