Great nonfiction in Indian children’s literature is hard to come by, especially picture books for young children. I was pleasantly surprised to get a set of non-fiction books translated into Hindi by Eklavya. These have been translated from English by the eclectic Sushil Shukl. The first one, Ande Mein Kucch Kala Hai is about the life cycle of frogs. Nona aur Seb ka Ped is about the journey of an apple tree from a seed to a full grown tree.
Both the books are written by Kanchan Sharma and illustrated by Radhika Tipnis. The rhythmic text brings in a fresh flavour to the stories and are unlike any non-fiction book I have read in Hindi. The language is fun, enjoyable and invites you in, each line flowing into the other. The writing piqued my interest to read the original text because it does not read like a translation at all.
In Ande Mein Kucch Kala Hai the tadpoles come alive through the language, seeming almost human. The interaction between Bala, who watches the eggs hatch into tadpoles and grow into frogs is fun. He observes them from far, conscious not to scare them, and talks to them.