Ruskin Bond
‘The tiger approached the bars and allowed Grandfather to put both hands around his head. Grandfather stroked the tiger’s forehead and tickled his ear, and, whenever he growled, smacked him across the mouth, which was his old way of keeping him quiet.’
Animals can teach us more about love than we like to admit. They can often be exactly what you need after a long, hard day. A dog greeting you at the door, a cat curling up next to you in bed, are joys that are incomparable. They are intuitive, large hearted and often can be extremely amusing and can spark curiosity in humans.
In Grandfather’s Private Zoo, Ruskin Bond brings together stories and personal essays that speak to this animal–human equation. He takes us into the world of talking crows, tigers who become your best friends, monkeys with an affinity for pearls and many more such amusing, often emotional, tales!
‘Uncle Ken was one of those people who went through life without having to do much, although a great deal seemed to happen around him.’
Who doesn’t like an eccentric uncle? Ruskin Bond certainly does. Whenever Uncle Ken arrives at Grandma’s house, and he does frequently, there is trouble afoot! Watch bumbling and endearing Uncle Ken stumble through the pages of this collection as he drives his car into a wall, is mistaken for a famous cricketer, troubled by a mischievous ghost, chased by a swarm of bees and attacked by flying foxes. Be it the numerous bicycle rides with the author or his futile attempts at finding a job, Uncle Ken’s misadventures provide huge doses of laughter.
Bisnu finds how dangerous and lonely life can be for a boy who has to leave his home to earn money for his family. As he sets to work on the limestone quarries with the choking dust enveloping the beautiful mountain air, he longs for home more than ever.
I know the world’s a crowded place,
And elephants do take up space,
But if it makes a difference, Lord,
I’d gladly share my room and board.
A baby elephant would do…
But, if he brings his mother too,
There’s Dad’s garage. He wouldn’t mind.
To elephants, he’s more than kind.
But I wonder what my Mum would say
If their aunts and uncles came to stay!
Ruskin Bond has regaled generations of readers for decades. This delightful collection of poetry, prose and non-fiction brings together some of his best work in a single volume. Sumptuously illustrated, Uncles, Aunts and Elephants is a book to treasure for all times.
Somewhere in life There must be someone To take your hand And share the torrid day.
Without the touch of friendship There is no life, and we must fade away.
Discover a hidden pool with three young boys, laugh out loud as a littlemouse makes demands on a lonely writer, follow the mischievous ‘fourfeathers’ as they discover a baby lost in the hills, and witness the bondbetween a tiger and his master. Some stories will make you smile, somewill bring tears to your eyes, some may make your heart skip a beat-butall of them will renew your faith in the power of friendship.
Laurie, an English boy in a small hill town in India, strikes up an unlikely friendship with Anil, the son of a local cloth merchant, and Kamal, an orphan who sells buttons and shoelaces but dreams of going to college. One day the three discover a secret pool on the mountainside, and it is there that they plan their greatest escapade yet-a trek to the Pindari Glacier, where no one from their town has gone before.
This newly illustrated edition of Bond’s magical tale of camaraderie and adventure is sure to win over yet another generation of readers.
Rusty is a quiet, imaginative and sensitive boy who lives with his grandparents in pre-Independence Dehra Dun. Though he is not the adventurous himself, the strangest and most extraordinary things keep happening around him.
The house in Dehra is full of strange creatures. Rusty has to deal with everything from his grandfather’s pet python to the ever-inventive Uncle Ken. Visiting his father in wartime Java, Rusty narrowly escapes enemy bombardment, and survives a plane crash in the Arabian Sea. Back in India, he spends his time encountering a ghost in the garden and recreating his grandmother’s youthful days from an old photograph. Then, something totally unexpected happens and Rusty is forced to leave Dehra, his future uncertain …
For over five decades, Ruskin ond has written charming tales that have mesmerized readers of all ages. This collection brings together his finest stories for children in one volume. Published previously as A Treasury of Stories for Children, this attractive rejacketed edition includes two new stories, ‘The Big Race’ and ‘Remember This Day’.
Filled with a rich cast of characters and superb illustrations, The Room of Many Colours: A Treasury of Stories for Children is the defnitive book for all Ruskin Bond fans and truly a collector’s Item.
Mani’s Granny is seventy and can barely see through her old, scratched glasses. With only a hundred and fifty rupees in their pockets and a thirst for adventure, Mani and Granny set off to buy a new pair. On the way, they get drenched in the rain, run into mules and encounter a terrible landslide. Will Granny ever be able to reach the town and get herself a new pair of glasses?
Rusty, a sixteen-year-old Anglo-Indian boy, is orphaned, and has to live with his English guardian in the claustrophobic European part in Dehra Dun. Unhappy with the strict ways of his guardian, Rusty runs away from home to live with his Indian friends. Plunging for the first time into the dream-bright world of the bazaar, Hindu festivals and other aspects of Indian life, Rusty is enchanted . . . and is lost forever to the prim proprieties of the European community.