Hand a young reader these two books, which pair Chitwan Mittal’s simple sentences with Asuma Noor’s vivid illustrations, and you have a wonderfully colourful introduction to the geography and heritage of two of India’s great cities. Through the eyes of young siblings, Adi and Arya, the books offer a bird’s-eye tour of Delhi and Kolkata, bringing each city to life not through its monuments alone, but through the sights, sounds, tastes, and experiences the children encounter along the way.

Adi & Arya Visit Delhi opens with a rickshaw ride through Old Delhi and into a bazaar crowded with colourful wares that are sure to hold any child’s attention. A stop at Paranthe Wali Gali satisfies their hunger, followed by ice cream at India Gate.

They pass the towering Qutub Minar and pause at Raj Ghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi. Short, well-turned sentences carry the reader along, while the pictures do the real storytelling, nowhere more so than at Dilli Haat, where trinket-sellers, a dholak player, and a puppet show bring the page to life. The day’s bustle gives way to the calm of the Aravalli Biodiversity Park.

The visit builds to Durga Puja and a game of cricket at Eden Gardens, with plenty of opportunities along the way to sample Kolkata’s food, including luchis and chana daal.

Engaging and culturally rich, both books also include educational material at the end, with a visual index providing details about the places covered. Noor’s artwork is at the heart of this visual exploration. It captures the energy of urban India through bustling market stalls in Old Delhi and the streets of Kolkata, while also bringing the natural world to life, from Aravalli Biodiversity Park, where readers may spot the red-vented bulbul, to the Sundarbans mangroves. Both books are easy for small hands to flip through, full of colour and detail that invite a second or third look.