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Appukutonok Kenekoi Ujon Koribo? tells the story of a kingdom besieged by an unanswerable question—how do they weigh the prince’s elephant, Appukuttan? While the adults scratch their heads, it is a child named Meenu who thinks differently. The Eureka moment comes with her ingenious idea, leading the elephant into a river and using a clever measurement technique based on the laws of physics.

Cutpiece Kumar is a book aimed at channelling the creative minds of children to take up suitable projects which they could be proud of. This neatly illustrated book very significantly highlights the stitching together of a patch work quilt by a boy, to welcome his soon to be born sister.

The kingdom was populated by people who were eager and intelligent to find answers to any and every question that came their way. But weighing Appukuttan on a machine was next to impossible.

To write for children demands a particular kind of sensitivity and, if I may say so, a childlike spirit. The ability to reach their level without sermonizing; to see the world through their eyes, and resist the pull of adulthood—to write for them is to become them.

Khushboo ki Chori is a high-quality anthology that serves as an introduction to classic Bengali children’s literature for Hindi readers. Its strength lies in sheer quality of the original contributors, which includes celebrated names like Leela Majumdar, Narayana Gangopadhyay, and Sukumar Ray.

Kavita Singh Kale’s illustrations are hand-drawn, with visible strokes and layered shading. Their grainy warmth echoes the boy’s small, tender world, mosque domes shaded in twilight blues, and eyes brimming with unshed tears. The book gently touches on desire, faith, dignity,