Small noses catch small colds. Big noses catch big colds.’ Such is the indisputable, childlike logic of Ashok Rajagopalan’s latest from Tulika—Gajapati Kulapati. Rajagopalan, (who dons the many hats of author, illustrator and translator with this picture book), tells the story of how the much loved temple elephant, Gajapati Kulapati, catches the most violent cold. One terrific sneeze and the bananas go flying out of the banana seller’s hands and land on an unsuspecting postman, who falls on…no, I’m not telling you what. You’re going to have to read it. Poor Gajapati Kulapati is terribly sad—has he scared off all his friends with the most gigantic sneeze in the whole world, he wonders.Meanwhile, news of this infamous cold has spread to the entire village. But little do they suspect that the biggest ACHOO is yet to come!
The illustrations endear the reader to the elephant. Each of the characters that fill the story is as memorable as any of the other titles the artist has illustrated for Tulika. The sights and sounds mime the drama of the simple text; the SFX are particularly fun, and will tickle readers old and young. The repetitive words make it great to read out loud.