A Surprise for the Princess; Chakit rah gayi Rajkumari by Nabanita Deshmukh, illustrated by Ajanta Guhathakurta, and translated into Hindi by Kusumlata Singh, won a prize in the category Read Aloud Books/Picture Books in the Competition for Writers of Children’s Books organized by the Children’s Book Trust. It is an unusual tale about the animals in the jungle which would be a great read for the young. The size and shape of animals and who can do what in helping a garden grow for the Princess, are all evocatively portrayed by the illustrations. Great to be read aloud by parents and teachers, the story is strongly reminiscent of ‘Who Killed Cock Robin’, and Bulbul reminds one of the squirrels in the Ramayana who help Rama to build a bridge to Lanka in spite of their small size.
Cluck-A-Boo; Cukkadon-Coon by Shalini Krishnamoorthy, illustrated by Viky Arya, translated from the original English into Hindi by Kusumlata Singh, and edited by Navin Menon is a fun story of Chulbuli Farm with its cats and terriers and cows, goats and brown hens with the friendliest of them being Mishti who laid brown eggs every day. Find out why Mishti stops laying eggs when a new inmate, a rooster named Kukdu, comes to live on the farm. The very young will enjoy identifying the various animals illustrated beautifully by the talented artist Viky Arya.
Coo Coos Again; Koyal Phir Kooki by Benita Sen, illustrated by Ajanta Guhathakurta, translated from the English into Hindi by Kusumlata Singh, and edited by Navin Menon won a prize in the category Read Aloud Books/Picture Books in the Competition for Writers of Children’s Books organized by the Children’s Book Trust. Why was Cuckoo Coo sad? Because she had lost her voice. And so, Squirrel Squeaky sets out to search for Cuckoo Coo’s voice. Wise Owl Owlie puts on her glasses and peers into her leaf book. Did Owl Owlie find Cuckoo Coo’s voice? Read aloud to your little ones to see how indeed Owl Owlie does find the lost voice.
Chunchun Chali Suraj se Milne; Chunchun Goes to Meet the Sun by Anjeev Anjum, illustrated by Shashi Shetye, translated from the Hindi into English by Navin Menon won the First Prize in the in the category Read Aloud Books/Picture Books in the Competition for Writers of Children’s Books in Hindi organized by the Children’s Book Trust. Chunchun and her companions Elu the Caterpillar, Meeku the Spider, and Khattu the Bedbug dance their way to the anthill, while roses shower their petals on them, the cuckoo sings to them and the peacock spreads its beautiful wings. This is a story which the young reader of age 5+ may understand. The translation is patchy in parts.
Chunmun aur Badal; Chunmun and the Clouds by Usha Somani, illustrated by Shruti Hajela, translated from the Hindi into English by Navin Menon won a prize in the category Read Aloud Books/Picture Books in the Competition for Writers of Children’s Books organized by the Children’s Book Trust. It is the story of clouds and rain and how everyone and everything on earth: human beings, animals and plants are filled with joy when dark clouds descend on earth as rain. But the very young reader may find the storyline a little confusing. How is the white cloud Dhaval different from Shyam, the black cloud? How does Chunmun expect to be friends with the clouds when it is only as rain that she meets them on earth? Editorial inputs would have helped to make the storyline clearer.
Jaldi Singh? Oh No!; Jaldi Singh? Arrey Nahin! by Nandini Nayar, illustrated by Saurabh Pandey, translated from the English into Hindi by Kusumlata Singh won the Second Prize in the category Pet Tales in the Competition for Writers of Children’s Books organized by the Children’s Book Trust. How does Tara learn to say ‘Oh Yes!’ instead of ‘Oh No!’ when her parents said she had a pet in Jaldi Singh, the tortoise who lives in a glass tank in Tara and her sister’s room? When Tara is scared and feels alone at night after her sister goes to college, she suddenly realizes how comforting and calming is the presence of Jaldi Singh who does not play or jump around, and yet he is the best pet, says Tara, because Jaldi Singh knows when to say nothing! A story the young reader would love hearing again and again.
Hobbies in Our House; Hamare Parivar ke Bhinna Shauk by Cheryl Rao, illustrated by Kavita Singh Kale, won a prize in the category Read Aloud Books/Picture Books in the Competition for Writers of Children’s Books organized by the Children’s Book Trust. It is an amusing tale of a family which hoards stuff and cannot bear to throw away anything. So naturally, they spread stuff all over the house in every nook and cranny, the floor is littered and cupboards overflow. And then goes Grandpa sprawling when he steps on a shell. Find out how the rest of the family manages to save the situation by doing a massive clean-up. You might get a surprise if you take a peek under their beds.
The English text is amusing and ideal to be read aloud but the Hindi translation could do with some editing out of words too difficult for the very young to understand or speak aloud. The illustrations are very evocative.
The Boy who was Different; Sabse Alagh Ladka by Cheryl Rao, illustrated by Nita Gangopadhyay, edited by Navin Menon, won a prize in the category Social-Emotional Learning in the Competition for Writers of Children’s Books organized by the Children’s Book Trust. How was Dhiren different from all the other children? It was because he did just the opposite of whatever the others did. Well, don’t we all want to do that sometimes? And yet, could he hold out when the teacher pulled out a big book with pictures and tales of monsters and princes and elves? This set of bilinguals is an interesting way of teaching the young about opposites too. The illustrations complement the story very well.
The Red Bus; Laal Bus by Harjeet Ahluwalia, illustrated by Saurabh Pandey, winner of a prize in the category Concept Books in the Competition for Writers of Children’s Books organized by the Children’s Book Trust, is a fun read aloud picture book for the very young. Join the little red bus on its journey from the bus station to its shed, carrying the rabbit, brown bear with baby bear, a dog with long ears, a cat with big whiskers, a green parrot, and the heroic horse who saves the bus and its passengers from sliding down the hill. The quirky illustrations will keep the children turning the pages back and forth. The book has been translated from the English by Kusumlata Singh.
Chhotu Seen Unseen; Chhotu Dekha Nahin Dekha by Nandini Nayar, illustrated by Suvidha Mistry, won a prize in the category Social-Emotional Learning in the Competition for Writers of Children’s Books organized by the Children’s Book Trust. What happens when a gang of three tease and bully Chhotu who is alone, and how Chhotu resorts to various disguises to keep himself hidden from them is a fun read. Suvidha Mistry’s illustrations bring the story alive. The translation from the original English into Hindi is by Kusumlata Singh.
Hotel; Hotel by Vinita Krishna, illustrated by Sayan Mondal, won the second prize in the category Read Aloud Books/Picture Books in the Competition for Writers of Children’s Books in Hindi organized by the Children’s Book Trust. A tale of two natural foes, the frog and the snake, who unknowingly come together in a tree trunk to hibernate for the winter, is told simply and imaginatively as Parul watches in amusement when winter ends and the two realize their mistake. The book has been translated from Hindi into English by Navin Menon.
All published by the Children’s Book Trust, New Delhi, 2025, pp. 16, ₹ 60.00 each
Books Received
The Pretenders by Avtar Singh. Simon & Schuster, 2025, pp. 368, ₹ 599.00
A Death in the Forest: Stories by Paromita Goswami. Red River, 2025, pp. 148, ₹ 399.00
The Accused by Vasundhara. Westland Books, 2025,
pp. 468, ₹ 499.00
Between Worlds: The IF Anthology of New Indian SFF, Vol 1 edited by Gautam Bhatia. Westland Books, 2025,
pp. 354, ₹ 599.00
Mrs Happily Single by Shubha Sarma. Niyogi Books, 2025, pp. 272, ₹ 599.00
The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith. Electric Monkey, 2025, pp. 383, ₹ 499.00
Cracks in the Wall: Stories by Neera Kashyap. Niyogi Books, 2025, pp. 300, ₹ 595.00
Tara: The Dream Chaser by Nelofar Currimbhoy. Rupa Publications, 2025, pp. 275, ₹ 395.00
Ghosted: Delhi’s Haunted Monuments by Eric Chopra. Speaking Tiger Books, 2025, pp. 270, ₹ 499.00
Shadows Revealed: Book 2 of the Celestial Chronicles by Rohan Monteiro. Westland Books, 2025, pp. 338,
₹ 450.00
The Wrong Way Home by Shunali Khullar Shroff. Bloomsbury, 2025, pp. 280, ₹ 399.00
The Patiala Prophecy: The Sword of Fire by Christophe C Doyle. Westland Books, 2025, pp. 402, ₹ 499.00
Birthing Hut and Other Stories by Thamizhachi Thangapandian. Translated by V Bharathi Harishankar. Vitasta with TNTB, 2025, pp. 73, ₹ 495.00
Creepy Crawlies by Kanika Sharma. Hachette India, 2025, pp. 130, ₹ 399.00
A Heart Full of Kindness: Stories of Courage and Compassion by Sunita Pant Bansal. Speaking Tiger Books (Talking Cub), 2026, pp. 253, ₹ 499.00
The Bucket by Arnab Ray. Hachette India, 2026, pp. 398, ₹ 599.00
The Mistress of Phoolpur by Pratyaksha. Speaking Tiger, 2026, pp. 160, ₹ 499.00
First Bite: Breakfast Stories from Urban India by Priyadarshini Chatterjee. Speaking Tiger Books, 2026, pp. 356, ₹ 699.00
Super: A Novel by Lindsay Pereira. HarperCollins India, 2026, pp. 216, ₹ 699.00
Maryam & Son by Mirza Waheed. Context, 2026,
pp. 254, ₹ 699.00
The Phoenix Rises: The Resurrection of Cochin by Raghu Palat & Pushpa Palat. Bloomsbury India, 2026, pp. 208, ₹ 499.00
I Do So I Do by Padmini Mongia. Illustrated by Priya Kuriyan. Red River, 2026, pp. 126, ₹ 149.00
Courage to Be You: Love, Identity and Healing in a Changing India by Rashna Imhasly Gandhy. Speaking Tiger, 2026, pp. 229, ₹ 499.00
A Pebble for Your Pocket by Thich Nhat Hanh. Aleph Book Company, 2026, pp. 56, ₹ 399.00
Rabindranath Tagore: The Myriad-Minded Man by Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson. Rupa Publications, 2026, pp. 494, ₹ 595.00
Happily Ever After: A Novel with Images by Kamal Trilok Singh. Fourth Estate, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2025, pp. 200, ₹ 499.00
Encounters with Infinity: Three Plays on Science History by Nilanjan P Choudhury. Speaking Tiger, 2026, pp. 221,
₹ 499.00
I Died Too Early: Written for the Ones Who kept Loving Even When it Hurt by Sumitra Manda. Penguin, 2026, pp. 205, ₹ 299.00
Stories the Fire Could Not Burn: A Personal Account of the Manipur Crisis: 2023-25 by Hoihnu Hauzel. Speaking Tiger, 2026, pp. 231, ₹ 499.00
The Fragrance of Rain: A Brief History of the Monsoon by Stephen Alter. Aleph Book Company, 2026, pp. 140,
₹ 499.00
Unfolding: A Novel by Rahul Singh. HarperCollins, 2026, pp. 270, ₹ 599.00
The River of Grey Flowers by Rejimon Kuttappan. Speaking Tiger, 2026, pp. 253, ₹ 499.00
250 Years of Jane Austen: Indian Responses edited by Meenakshi Shivram. Orient BlackSwan, 2026, pp. 242,
₹ 350.00
Unruly: The Ig Nobel Prizes and the Science That Refuses
to Behave by Upasana Sarraju. Penguin, 2026, pp. 320,
₹ 499.00