For Beginners
By Ananya Dasgupta. Illustrations by Mandar Mhaskar
As soon as you read the title, you know there is adventure and a mystery to look forward to and that is a made to order recipe for a delightful reading experience.
By Ashutosh Pathak. Illustrations by Kanak Shashi
How do you tell a story about a person whose identity has been the subject of prejudice and stereotyping for generations of ignorance and narrow-minded bigotry?
By Mukta Patil. Illustrated by David Yamben
2022
This is a story of real heroes and heroines, those ‘incredible people’ working across the length and breadth of India to help us decode the monsoon in all its shape shifting avatars.
By Niveda Ganesh. Translated by Nidhi Saxena. Cover design by Tanvi Parulkar. Edited by Seema & Bharat Tripathi
Lives of children in rural parts of Tamil Nadu are beautifully captured in five short story books originally published in English by Karadi Tales Company. The stories under review are the translations published by Eklavya Foundation.
By Vishakha George. Translated by Sushil Joshi. Edited by Seema & Bharat Tripathi. Cover design by Tanvi Parulkar
Asaadharan Ghar is a sensitive tale of resilience, hope and optimism, portraying the journey of young individuals living with HIV as they strive for a normal life.
By Preeti David. Translated by Lokesh Malti Prakash. Edited by Seema and Bharat Tripathi
Phir se Ghar ki Aur tells a story about the power of ideas. This is a tale of imaginative children who come together to turn their dream of building a new school into reality. In the process, they also create job opportunities for the youth of their Adivasi community and help the community imagine a better future.
By Aparna Kartikeyan. Translated by Arpita Vyas. Cover design by Tanvi Parulkar. Edited by Seema & Bharat Tripathi
Sayani Nandini is a heartwarming story of courage and hope. We are introduced to Nandini, who resides with her parents, siblings, and her supportive grandmother.
By Subuhi Jiwani. Translated by Bharat Tripathi. Cover design by Tanvi Parulkar. Edited by Seema & Bharat Tripathi
Desperate for work and needing to save every penny for his family, he often contemplates taking the risk of traveling ticketless, knowing that getting caught by a ticket checker could lead to fines.
By Sero. Translated from the English by Jitendra ‘Jeet’. Illustrations by Rajiv Eipe. Layout by Tanya Majumdar. Hindi layout by Kanak Shashi. Edited by Seema
Chitti: Ek Kutta aur Uska Jungle Farm is a story of a stray dog who finds her forever home on the author’s farm, nestled deep within the Western Ghats.
Kanak Shashi, Soumya Shukla, Atanu Roy, Ishaan Dasgupta, Shubhashree Mathur, Shailaja Srinivasan and Vinatha Vishwanathan
A series of books published by Eklavya is perfect for your kids! Be it So Ja Ullu which is an amusing tale of an owl in search of sleep or Jumbo Haathi, a pet elephant of a little girl who loves to spend time with it, be it Chiknik Choo about a buffalo who is irritated with the questions of lice on its head, or Cows which is certainly an interesting counting book, or be it Listen to Appa about a little girl who would not let go of her father’s grip, or be it about Amma’s Journeyand her vague instructions that leave her grandkids to pack all the wrong things for her train journey.
By Gulzar. Illustrations by Allen Shaw
2023
The thing about nonsense verse is that while it seems like it has no meaning, the play of words is actually very meaningful. Gulzar’s Aapa ki Aapdi, accompanied by such wonderful art by Allen Shaw, is just that. The word ‘aapdi’ itself, probably a neologism, contains within its playful syllables the nature of being an Aapa—an older sister, perhaps bossy, perhaps a know-it-all.
By Gulzar. Illustrations by Allen Shaw
From the very first spread that shows a top angle view of Anta Ghafeel, the hakim, with his horse, Allen Shaw evokes the solitariness of the character through the use of space.
Retold and illustrations by Mehlli Gobhai
Mehlli Gobhai, known as one of India’s foremost abstract artists, writes a magical tale and paints in a most un-abstract style in The Legend of the Orange Princess.
By Indu Nayar. Illustrated by Vasundhra Arora
2023
The book tries to explain the concept of shadow through a linear narrative. If a reader is someone who isn’t familiar with the concept, the book doesn’t give enough for the reader to really understand the same.
By Madhurima Vidyarthi. Illustrations by Tanvi Bhat
2023
The book is based on a real-life character who is family to the author and loved dearly by her.
It covers a variety of topics and issues that might be of concern to any 10-year-old in today’s world and times.
By Kavitha Punniyamurthi. Illustrations by Shashi Shetye
The book won Second Prize in the category Read-aloud books/Picture Books in the Competition for Writers of Children’s Books organized by CBT.
By Joeanna Rebello Fernandes. Pictures by Nina Sabnani and Piyush Verma
It’s a very cute story that also features a vibrant use of colour that’s not just appealing to the eye, especially of those of children
By Benita Sen. Edited by Navin Menon. Illustrated by Ajanta Guhathakurta
2023
The book won a prize in the category Concept Books in the Competition for Writers of Children’s Books organized by CBT.
By Nandini Nayar. Illustrations by Subir Roy
2022
The title of the book is somewhat misleading at first, since it’s not about a maternal relationship but in fact are fictional letters written by the Mangalyaan or Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM).
By Kavitha Punniyamurthi. Illustrations by Niveditha Subramaniam
When she goes to her uncle and aunt in Madras for the holidays, she comes back as always with a great idea, and carrying an even greater box! What could be in it, her friends try to guess… No, it’s not Mysore Pak, it’s not an autographed cricket bat,