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This is again a children’s story book with animal characters. The book caters to the age group of 5–7 years. This is a story about a little puppy named Silky who lives with Mini the cat. The puppy likes to walk on the streets with Mini the cat. But the story doesn’t delve deeper into the relationship between the little puppy and cat, but the friendship is unique and unconventional. The illustrations depict the caring nature of the cat towards the puppy. The narrative presents an interesting account of various animal characters who teach the little puppy the basic traffic rules and how to cross the road following the zebra crossing using the theme ‘Wait and watch’.

Raghu and the Fish by Neera Jain contains a small blurb and draws the attention of the readers to a new vocabulary, beaching of fish! Based on a true event the story revolves around the life of a young boy Raghu whose presence of mind helped the shark to regain its breath and to be rescued by the beach police. They were able to send the shark back to the ocean. The reader is invited to the life and the thoughts of people who live close to the sea. There is a symbiotic relationship between the lives inside and outside the world of sea.

Three Idols by Manorama Jafa is about the discretion and wisdom of a young prince who solves the puzzle and helps his father in choosing the right idol presented to him by the neighbouring king. The story however, deals with the larger theme of choosing right, trustworthy companions based on their ability to be a good listener and a good keeper of secrets. The book is well illustrated and carries apt cultural references.

Nita Berry’s excellent book Two Clouds depicts an interesting story of a little cloud named Chumki and her day’s adventure with her friend Badal. The story would definitely add wings to a reader who is just like me, a cloud dreamer! The characters Chumki and Badal are personified as two young jovial friends who love to roam around and play over fields. The story presents the carefree Chumki, a little white cloud who lives high up in the sky. As Chumki and Badal float across the sky over the brown and yellow fields they grow thirsty. The thirst leads them to gulp down the water from a nearby lake.

Folktales, since time immemorial have been a source of knowledge, cultural beliefs and practices and most importantly, entertainment. Leaving an indelible mark on people’s memories and consciousness, folktales have played the role of a teacher before books, television, internet and other modern technological inventions took the human race by storm. Brief, secular in nature and a repository of knowledge and culture, folktales have had a strong appeal for the masses. The cover page consists of a montage of illustrations from different stories in the anthology with the title written on the silhouette of the leaf of a Peepal tree, symbolizing antiquity and eternity, very much like these folktales.

The play Children of the Magic Pen is an AWIC (Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children) production collectively written by the authors was completed under the guidance of Feisal Alkazi, the eminent theatre personality. This play was conceptualized and performed as part of a three day Conference on Children’s Libraries: Building a Book Culture. The play depicts the meaningful quest and the journey in itself as its major narrative for both the readers and the characters. When we read the play, we are not just introduced to myriad characters across time and space, but we also see them come alive and relive once again in our memories.