Early Readers

From the creators of The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom, an unforgettable tale of a brave little penguin on the journey of a lifetime.

Excited by his aunts' stories of the South Pole, plucky penguin Jonty Gentoo sneaks out of the zoo and sets off to find the land of the gentoo penguins. However, the world is a very big place for a little gentoo penguin and enthusiastic Jonty swims... in the wrong direction! Join Jonty Gentoo on a pole-to-pole adventure as he meets new friends and -- finally -- finds his way home.

Written in Julia Donaldson's unparalleled rhyme and illustrated with Axel Scheffler's witty pictures, Jonty Gentoo has humor, heart, and a plucky penguin hero that young readers will find irresistible.

Six-year-old Mia loves going to the carnival. She loves eating ice cream. But she also loves saying 'No'. She loves 'No' so much that she rarely uses 'Yes'.

So, one day, feeling sad and left out, 'Yes' packs its bags and leaves. And in the days that follow, Mia realizes how she is unable to say 'Yes' even to the carnival, to ice cream and to all her favourite things!

What happens next? Does Mia continue to say 'No' to everything? Does 'Yes' ever come back to her? To find out, read this heartwarming story of Mia, the girl who lost her 'Yes'.

Manya badly, badly wants to be Shere Khan in her school play. The Jungle Book is her favourite film and she knows all the lines. She's sure she'll be a superb Shere Khan.

But not everyone thinks so. Her classmate Rajat is always making fun of her stammer. Her English teacher thinks its risky to let her get on stage and her principal seems to agree.

The more anxious Manya gets, the worse her stammer becomes. Will Manya lose her dream role? Can she overcome her fears and learn to roar?

This book was a winner in the Children First writing competition, organised by Parag, an initiative of Tata Trusts and Duckbill Books.

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.

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.

Sesha is a silent boy who reads all the time… and he has a little brown book that no one has ever seen the inside of. One day, Sesha speaks, and no one understands why he speaks differently. But when they see his brown book and the magic he can create, Sesha becomes a whole new person!

Maya’s family refuses to believe that she has an elephant in her backyard. But the elephant is not hers and he needs to return home! Shobha Viswanath’s simple, delightful story is illustrated gorgeously in watercolours by Sadhvi Jawa.

Veer cannot wait to taste the tomatoes he grows in his terrace garden. When the tomatoes are just ripe enough to pick, something strange happens. The tomatoes go missing. Veer is determined to solve the mystery and find out who is stealing his delicious tomatoes.

Clever, strong mutthasi is in a Pickle ever since she’s misplaced her false teeth! What will she do wiffout them?! Bela is enlisted to solve the mystery soon as there are tasty treats waiting to be eaten! Could they be in her closet? Or beside the coconut cookie jar? Or was it kaverima, the old washerman's wife who took them! Find out in this charming story of a little girl and her unique grandmother!.

Nitya wants to be just like her grandfather, thatha, who enjoys eating fiery-hot red pickles. But her plea to taste them is turned down because pickles are “too spicy for children”. however, br>
Nitya is not one to give up. When she finally gets her way, she is disappointed to discover that that they are indeed too spicy. What does she do to satisfy her ‘Pickle Mania’? a delightfully delicious story of a little girls resolve to have a Pickle of her own.