Check out these 45 children’s picture books by Indian authors from 2018

The Wifi has stopped working and it’s up to little Shivi to show her bored parents that there is a perfectly wonderful life to be enjoyed beyond their screen-craze.  Published by Pickle Yolk Books.

The Tree Boy

By Srividhya Venkat, Nayantara Surendranath

Be careful what you wish for! Lonely Sid is transformed into one of those brainless trees he detests. Will he ever be back to being Sid again? Published by Pickle Yolk Books. 

Machher Jhol

By Richa Jha, Sumanta Dey

When Gopu’s father (Baba) falls sick, the visually impaired little boy negotiates the markets and traffic of Kolkata, to reach his grandma’s house to get her to cook Baba’s favourite fish curry. Published by Pickle Yolk Books.

Puu

By CG Salamander, Samidha Gunjal

In this book on manual scavenging, a little girl struggles to find acceptance in a world that judges her on the basis of her family’s occupation. Published by Scholastic.

Pigeon Poop

By Seema Chari, Aparajita Vasudev

Pigeons Percy and Parvati decide to have some fun on a green window sill, on a winter morning. But Aunty S is waiting to shoo them off. Published by Scholastic.

Fooled You

By Debashish Majumdar, Niloufer Wadia

It’s April Fool’s Day and Rina’s got just one thing on her mind – not to get April Fooled.

Published by Scholastic India.

Pink and Blue

By Ritu Vaishnav

In this book, with quirky artwork, a m other has a conversation about gender stereotypes with her child. Published by Puffin.

The Ammuchi Puchi

By Sharanya Manivannan, Nerina Canzi

Aditya and Anjali love listening to their grandmother’s stories, particularly the scary one about the ghost in the tree. But the night their grandmother passes away, something happens that is more mysterious and magical than any story. Published by Puffin India.

Zippy Messes Up

By Anitha Balachandran

When the rain drives them indoors, Zippy and his animal friends learn a lesson in cleaning up after creating a mess. Published by HarperCollins.

The Very Wiggly Tooth

By Reshma Thapa, Canato Jimo

Bunu’s loose tooth refuses to come out! Published by Pratham Books.

The Little Red String

By Madhumita Srivastava

Nani has just finished knitting a cap and the leftover string is perfect for Moni and Viru to play with. Published by Pratham Books.

Laundry Day

By Mathangi Subramanian, Shambhavi Singh

It’s Mary’s favourite time of day, when her neighbours get together for washing day. Published by Pratham Books.

The Pottering Pig

By Rohit Kulkarni, Priya Kuriyan

Mini, the potter, finds all his beautiful pots broken and blames his pet pig Lalita (inspired by her real-life counterpart). Published by Pratham Books.

The Sunshower Song

By Vinayak Varma

The sun is shining on a rainy day and all the animals of the jungle get busy preparing for music and magic at the jackals’ wedding! Published by Pratham Books.

My City, My Dogs

By Abodh Aras, Sumedha Sah

The roads are the playground for these street dogs of Mumbai. Published by Pratham Books.

You Can’t Find Me

By Jemma Jose

Mia is great at hide-and-seek. Can you find her and the items on her Ma’s shopping list? Published by Pratham Books.

Farida Plans a Feast

By Maegan Dobson Sippy, Jayesh Sivan

Join Farida and her tiffin box as she makes animal friends along the way. Published by Pratham Books.

Under the Invisibility Cloak

By Varsha Joshi, Radhika Tipnis

What would you do if you had an invisibility cloak? Arnav and Tanisha head to the library to find out. Published by Pratham Books.

Mutthasi’s Missing Teeth

By Mamta Nainy, Debasish Sharma

Mutthasi has lost her dentures. Can Nithya help her grandmother? Published by Tota Books.

Tomato Flood

By Nitayee Parikh Sharma, Alankrita Amaya

One day, Veer and Ananya squish and squash Baba’s freshly grown tomatoes and throw them at each other. Soon, they have a bumper harvest of tomatoes. Published by Tota Books.

I Love You More

By Karishma Mahbubani, Suzzanne Rebello Naaraayan

Jay has a new bed, but can he sleep alone? He suspects his Ma doesn’t love him anymore. Published by Ms Moochie Books.

Suddenly Cow

By Sowmya Rajendran, Samidha Gunjal

It was a boring day. Till a cow appears suddenly, just when Anu is wondering what to do with her breakfast of upma. The cow continues to pop up throughout the day. Published by Ms Moochie Books. 

Sera Learns to Fly

By Vinitha Ramchandani, Nirzara Verulkar

Do small creatures dare to dream? Sera, the ant does! Published by Katha.

The Adventures of Woka Chimni

By Preeti Vyas

Travel with the feisty Woka Chimni, an adorable house sparrow as she visits the Sunderbans and Pangong Lake. Published by Puffin and FunOkPlease.

The Insect Boy

By Shobha Vishwanath, Monami Roy

Creepy crawlies and winged insects disturb baby Roy, who grows up to dislike them. But one day, things change. Published by Karadi Tales.

Picture books are perfect for early readers.

Sadiq Wants to Stitch

By Mamta Nainy, Niloufer Wadia

Sadiq loves stitching colourful patterns on rugs, but his Ammi wants him to tend to livestock. Published by Karadi Tales.

The Tale of Babban Hajjam

By Ira Saxena, Mayukh Ghosh

Babban Hajjam wonders why barbers who go to the palace to give the king a haircut never return. When it is his turn, Babban gets his answer. Published by Karadi Tales.

Varsha’s Varanasi

By Chitra Sounder, Soumitra Ranade

The first of the City Series, the book captures the flavour of Varanasi through Varsha, a young girl out in search of her father. Published by Karadi Tales.

The Crocodile’s Tail

By Sayoni Basu, Manasi Lamba

Kumeer the crocodile wants to eat a jackal for dinner, and bullies his friend Nandu the crab into helping him. Published by Karadi Tales.

Vibhuti Cat

By Shikhandin, Shubham Lakhera

Magesh is special; he’s no good with words and his movements get jerky when he’s upset. He loves playing with his brother Vignesh and his Vibhuti Cat. But can he take Vibhuti cat to school? Published by Duckbill.

Neel on Wheels

By Lavanya Karthik, Habib Ali

Neel’s wheelchair transforms itself to fight dragons and monsters and chase away scary creatures of the night. Published by Duckbill.

Adil Ali’s Shoes

By Fawzia Gilani Williams, Niloufer Wadia

Everybody likes Adil Ali but nobody likes his worn out, patched shoes! But when his friends gift him a new pair for Eid, his old ones won’t leave him! Published by Tulika.

Soda and Bonda

By Niveditha Subramaniam

A quirky story of two friends, Soda a dog who feels like a dog and Bonda, a cat who feels like a dog! Published by Tulika.

The Colour Thief

By Stephen Aitken, Sylvia Sikundar, Sandhya Prabhat

A grouchy giant decides to scoop all colour out of the world, but a little girl who can’t see helps him see the world in a completely new way. Published by Tulika.

The Jungle Storytelling Festival

By Janaki Sabesh, Debosmita Mazumdar

The animals in the jungle, including Lion, Monkey and Tortoise are getting ready for a storytelling festival. “C-c-can I tell a story too?” asks Ostroo the ostrich. Published by Tulika. 

Maoo and the Moustaches

By Arunima Chatterjee, Prabha Mallya

Maoo the kitten looks up and is terrified by Murali Mama’s thunderous moustache! Published by Tulika.

Red

By Sagar Kolwankar

A poignant story about how armed conflict ravages a child’s everyday world. Published by Tulika.

Music for Joshua

By Chatura Rao, Satwik Gade

Joshua loves music, but isn’t expecting to learn to play an instrument anytime soon, till he hears the notes of a guitar and follows a music teacher from house to house. Published by Tulika.

A home of our own

By Meghaa Aggarwal, Habib Ali

Sunehri and her friends decide to play house and put together old plates and bowls, empty packets of chips, a broken helmet…things they’ve collected while working in the city on whose streets they live. Published by Tulika.

Four

By Poile Sengupta

A cat has four legs, a chair has four legs… Four is special for Ela will be four tomorrow! Published by Tulika.

Shabana and the Baby Goat

By Samina Mishra, Roshini Pochont

Wherever Shabana goes, Kajri the little goat follows. They are best friends! But there is a problem that Shabana must solve. Published by Tulika.

I Didn’t Understand

By Mini Srinivasan, Shubham Lakhera

This story about bullying, sharing, playing is seen through the eyes of Manna, who has Down’s Syndrome.

Why the Elephant has Tiny Eyes

By Pow Aim Hailowng, Priya Kuriyan

Look Up!

By Kavitha Punniyamurthi, Ruchi Mhasane

What do Mimi and Gulu see in the sky? Laddoos, flowers, a bear… A bilingual book published by Tulika.

Little Anbu

By Christy Shoba Sudhir, K P Muraleedharan

Every day little Anbu follows Soosaiamma’s food cart. Does he get anything to eat? A bilingual book published by Tulika.