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Every year the State of Assam loses large tracts of land to yearly floods and land erosion. Lakhs are displaced and loss of property is on a large scale. Many have witnessed the vanishing of their home and hearth in the middle of the mighty Brahmaputra. Many are forced to live in relief camps while others are compelled to search for newer habitats. This mobile impermanent life is a lived reality for thousands of families in Assam.

The central plot of the story revolves around eliminating the hunters from the Zohor Kingdom and having good triumph over evil. Math has woven the story in such a seamless way that the reader, until the very end, is left wondering, ‘How does Harry know things about Othelia?’ ‘How are their worlds interconnected?’ and so on. The reader is expected to pick up on hints throughout the story, which makes the book engaging and fun.

Our Constitution, Our People by Harsh Mander is a timely and insightful introduction to the Indian Constitution, designed specifically for the young. The book successfully distils the essence of the Indian Constitution, making it easily accessible without being pedantic.

Birsa soon returned to Chalkhad and began to speak to the villagers. He emerged as a spiritual leader who spoke about social reforms. People began to listen to him and to believe in him. They flocked to hear him and soon he came to be called ‘dharti aba’, father of the earth. Birsa’s popularity alarmed the British.

Our Library is a visual treat, with each page unfolding a different facet of the space and people’s relationships with and within it. This library is not a quiet, didactic space of surly adults who hush the young readers; instead it’s a space of whooshing, tumbling, chattering and laughing. It’s a library that belongs to its young readers, i.e., in a true sense–‘our’ library, since the young readers form the main cast of this book with adults who help them, sometimes make reading tables, sometimes make quiet reading dens, and other times translate books to make them more accessible.

For those not familiar with Grace Banu, she is a Tamil Nadu-based transgender and anti-caste rights activist, who fought and won the case for getting the transgender community the right to study medicine like any other student. Her life is a true illustration of grit, determination and courage to challenge the gender and caste biases that still exist in our society. This storybook has been made very creatively, with the illustrations and text being in complete sync.