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This picture book explores the journey of a young woman scientist finding her place in the world. The secrets of plants intrigue her as much as she continues to struggle with loneliness, often baffled in an unkind world. The illustrations capture the sense of her discovery that mustard plants that grew up with unrelated plants tended to help each other as much as they tell the story of her self-discovery. A book for all children who love asking questions about the world and themselves.
A fantastically written book about the mahseer fish in the Kaveri river. The writing is dramatic and emotional and the illustrations draw you into the world of Matisha- a gorgeous, golden mahseer. The collision of the natural world with the apathy of the humans is well presented. The ending is like a salute to the majestic tiger on land and the tiger in the river. It’s a book that makes you want to do something!
Abanindranath’s House of Stories
This is a beautifully designed and illustrated book on Abanindranath Tagore’s art. This is how books on art should be – playful, and yet encouraging readers to become thoughtful creators. Elements of Tagore’s art, his imagination, and his childhood are all highlighted using different colour palettes and techniques. Readers will delight in playing with the book as they look through windows, peep into rooms and join baithaks. The book itself is a work of art!
Using the familiar trope of a grandfather who loves to talk of the past, three stories centred around the tiger are narrated to the child, who is both the grandson and the reader. Two of the stories have a germ of historical fact, around which a tale is built. The third one is the old tiger myth of the Sunderbans retold. The royal, dignified, lone tiger, awe-inspiring, terrifying as well as fascinating, shines through all three stories.
Those two words are acronyms for two groups of extremely feisty and gutsy elderly people, not quite like the soft sweet cuddly grandmas and grandpas one sees in most children’s books. These elders don’t cook your favourite food or tell you stories about gods. They get out there and get things done. The little child caught in this storm is only looking for some peace and quiet in this retirement community, but that is not what he gets.
History Hunters: Chandragupta Maurya and the Greek Onslaught
History meets science fiction meets classic adventure story in this exciting time travel tale of a group of children and an unlikely pet finding themselves in a world 2000 years ago. Bringing the era of Alexander and the Mauryan rulers alive through the eyes of the children, it is an unusual and gripping journey through history, while also keeping the pace fast and tense, until the end.
A delightful story, written in verse, about a family computer which has lost the letter ‘z’ (American ‘Zee’). We can imagine what would happen if we were to lose ‘a’ or ‘p’ on the keyboard. But ‘z’? Playfully narrated and illustrated, the story makes us think about the much neglected ‘z’. The wordplay and the mischief make this a fun book. There are a ‘illion’ reasons to read this picture book!
A journey in the dark to an evening of traditional theatre turns out to be quite the adventure for five children and a puppy. The pages in this wordless tale are brilliantly lit by the illustrations where the children, led by the three girls, encounter fears as they make their way through the jungles, fields and wetlands of the Majuli island. A sterling example of a deeply contextual story that echoes universal themes and values while not losing a sense of adventure and fun.
