Vivasvat Devanampriya
THE VILLAGE WITH A LONG NAME (LAMBE NAAM WALA GAON)
By Asha Nehemiah. Illustrations by Suvidha Mistry
Children’s Book Trust, 2019, pp.16, R60.00
CHHUTKI AND CHEERO (CHUTKI AUR CHEERO)
By Manjari Singh. Illustrations by Prashant Soni
Eklavya Foundation, 2019, pp. 8, R45.00
HOT JALEBIS (GARAM JALEBI)
By Vir Bala Rastogi. Illustrations by Ankur Mitra
Children’s Book Trust, 2019, pp.15, R60.00
SONU AND MONU’S BALL (SONU AUR MONU KI GEND)
By Savitri Singh. Illustrations by Saurabh Pandey
Children’s Book Trust, 2019, pp.16, R50.00
THE PERFECT CHAIR (SHANDAR KURSI)
By Nandini Nayar. Illustrations by Saurabh Pandey
Children’s Book Trust, 2019, pp.16, R60.00
BEST FRIENDS
By Asha Nehemiah. Illustrations by Subir Roy
Children’s Book Trust, 2019, pp.16, R60.00
THE PLAYFUL WIND
By Santhini Govindhan. Illustrations by Vandana Bist
Children’s Book Trust, 2019, pp.16, R50.00
THE NEGLECTED SEMICOLON (BECHARA ARDHAVIRAM)
By Nabanita Desmukh. Illustrations by Ajanta Guhatakurta
Children’s Book Trust, 2019, pp.16, R50.00
The books reviewed are bi-lingual titles published in English and Hindi in 2019.
Hot Jalebis is a story which depicts the crazy rush and dangers of an Indian street. A young boy is told to bring jalebis from the nearby jalebi stall. He is repeatedly reminded by his grandmother about the crows and eagles that swoop down suddenly. He also has to overcome a temptation to eat the jalebis. Beautifully illustrated by Ankur Mitra, it tells us that every warning, every advice, however small must never be ignored. This book as it captures the values of obedience in a fun way, and also gives readers a taste of the famous Indian sweet, the jalebi.
Chhutki and Cheero is a story which depicts the fears of a little girl, whose mother tells her a fairy is going to come to meet her, but instead, Chhutki encounters a creature whose contrasting fears enables them to help each other get over their fears. Accompanied by fascinating, flowing illustrations by Prashant Soni, it tells us that every fear, however little, is significant. It shows that even fear can make friends. People might buy this book to tell their children that even if they are afraid of the dark, they are not alone, and there might be others who might be scared of something that they aren’t.
The Neglected Semicolon is a story which revolves around the semicolon, an important but unnoticed punctuation mark. For readers who are beginners, this book will introduce you to new punctuation marks, such as the curly question mark, the explosive exclamation mark and more. With the help of colourful illustrations by Ajanta Guhathakurta, the story portrays the fact that no matter who you are, no matter how small your job, you are always contributing to a bigger cause. People should buy this book to teach this life lesson to their children, and of course, to teach children basic punctuation, so maybe they take a better approach to grammar.