Picture Books

Rain can be fun. But sometimes, ‘lots and lots and lots of rain’ is frightening – when water comes into homes and washes everything away.

Floods and other natural calamities do happen, children do get caught in them, and other children see it all on television. How do they make sense of it?

A hard-hitting book on what the lockdown did to the people of India, particularly its young citizens

· Discusses the importance of recognizing injustice and inequality in our day to day interactions
· For ages 7 and up, the book shows the impact the 2020 lockdown had on Indian, particularly migrant labourers and children
· Powerfully illustrated and sensitively told to create an important tool for parents and educators to help young readers question how we treat each other

It is day 7 of the lockdown and everyone says the skies are blue again.
Jamlo walks. She looks straight at the road ahead. It is long.

The world has stood still. The streets lie empty and schools are closed. All work has dried up and people keep whispering the word 'corona' all the time. Jamlo walks down a long and hot road, alongside hundreds of other men and women and children whom Tara sees on TV. Jamlo walks as Rahul watches the streets turn quiet.

Jamlo walks and walks in a world that needs to be kind and just and equal. A world where all lives are seen as important.

Aamu is a little Siddi girl from Karnataka who loves to collect interesting stories from around her village, She has stitched them together to make her own kind of quilt. Do you want to see it?

Do roosters sing ragas? This one does but like all true artistes discovers it after a lot of struggle! Every time he opens his mouth he has 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 kukaroo-kuroo.
This cheery, foot-tapping story invites big and little readers to move and sing, clap and tap along with Priya Kuriyan’s expressive characters.

Every night, Kukku wants his father to tell him his favourite story. It is about the giant Kumbhakarna who sleeps non-stop for six months and Kukku falls asleep just as Kumbhakarna does. In Kukku’s dream, everyone is trying everything to wake up the giant. Nothing works... A lively retelling of an episode from the Ramayana with wildly funny pictures.

Sooraj and his grandma LOVE inventing! Join them on their latest adventure: using simple machines to make coconut barfi!

Ganesha is just like any other kid, except that he has the head of an elephant and rides around on a magical mouse. And he loves sweets, especially the traditional dessert laddoo. But when Ganesha insists on biting into a super Jumbo Jawbreaker laddoo, his tusk breaks off! Ganesha is terribly upset, but with the help of the wise poet Vyasa, he learns that what seems broken can actually be quite useful after all. The bold, bright colors of India leap right off the page in this fresh and funny picture book adaptation of how Ganesha came to write the epic poem of Hindu literature, The Mahabharata. With vibrant, graphic illustrations, expressive characters, and off-beat humor, this is a wonderfully inventive twist on a classic tale.

Navratri was Bhargav’s favourite festival. He loved everything about it – the twirling chaniyas, the steps of the popat dance, the sweet pendas after the aarti. But what he loved the most was the way the bangles on his wrist sang when he danced. This year, however, Bhargav wasn’t dancing. Papa had forbidden him from wearing bangles, a morose Bhargav tells Ba. Is there still a chance he can hear his bangles sing?

Tsering can’t wait to taste his grandmother’s delicious noodle soup. He invites a string of friends and neighbours home. But as preparations get underway, there is a power cut and the house is plunged into darkness. Will Abi be able to put together the much-anticipated thukpa? Told from a blind child’s perspective, this tale by Praba Ram and Sheela Preuitt is accompanied by Shilpa Ranade’s stunning illustrations. Tsering’s thukpa recipe included!

What do you do with a pumpkin that’s bigger than your head and barely fits on your table? Tia’s Thatha is very proud of his pumpkin, for he grew it all by himself, like magic! Now it’s Tia’s job to find homes for each little wedge from the oversized fruit, and quickly too! Lalita Iyer’s words provide hilarious insights into the mind of an amateur gardener, while Proiti Roy’s exquisitely textured illustrations map the eventful journeys of each lovely slice.