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Vishesh Unni Raghunathan

THE CROCODILE WHO ATE BUTTER CHICKEN FOR BREAKFAST AND OTHER STORIES

By Khyrunnisa A. Illustrations by Meenakshi Iyer

Red Panda, 2020, pp.189, Rs 249.00

Age: 9 yrs+

Filled with word plays, a bit of silliness and a lot of fun, The Crocodile Who Ate Butter Chicken for Breakfast and Other Stories is a collection of short stories which centres around animals, and the people around them.

The author, Khyrunnisa A is an excellent storyteller, with an eye for a story in the little things which others might miss. She picks small ideas, and fleshes them out to engaging and interesting stories, whether it is snails who have an objection to Shakespeare (can you guess the lines?) or a crocodile which loves butter chicken. There’s also a frog which doesn’t turn into a prince, and a turkey that doesn’t land up on the dining table for Christmas. Not everything is about the animals themselves—Karthik discovers not all kites are raptors, and there’s a window of hope that the professor might actually find his glasses.