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Ilika Trivedi

ANYA AND HER BABY BROTHER

By Jerry Pinto. Illustrated by Maithili Joshi

Tulika Books, 2019, pp. 24, `175.00

KAYU’S WORLD IS ROUND

By Lavanya Kapahi. Illustrated by Aditee Deore

Tulika Publishers, 2019, pp. 24,  `175.00

Anya and her Baby Brother is a tiny book which narrates a story much heavier than it feels like. Anya is a young girl who is miffed with her mother because ever since her special younger brother came along, his needs have taken priority over her. But how do the readers know this? Because Anya is sharing this with a butterfly! This wonderful conversational style of story-telling adds a realistic punch to the book right before the talking butterfly introduces the readers to the Baby-Spirit Making Unit situated in the clouds.

Filled with beautiful illustrations, from multiple butterflies in lab coats to the big doe-eyed expressions of Anya, reading this book resembles the feeling Alice might have got when she was transported to Wonderland. The character of Titli converses in engaging tongue-twisters, describing qualities of babies like giggles and wiggles and emphasizes the uniqueness of each baby spirit. When it comes to talking about Anya’s baby brother, the butterfly explains the extra love and support needed by special kids from their families, including their siblings. This gives us a heart-warming conclusion to the story, resolving Anya’s initial dilemma and teaching all the readers a lesson about brotherly and sisterly love irrespective of the needs of the children. Parents trying to teach their kids about siblings, friendship and sharing will appreciate the light engaging tone and the magical realism interspersed within these pages.