From picture books that touch upon themes of adoption and a dwindling tiger population to fantasy and young adult novels and non-fiction, there’s a lot to put on your reading calendar this year, from Indian publishers. PICTURE BOOKS Secret Tales from the Himalayas by Bulbul Sharma In this illustrated tale about friendship between animals and trees, a woodcutter wants to cut the ancient Deodar tree in the forests of the Himalayas. As the animals and birds hatch a plan to save their friend, the little reader learns about how the Himalayas were formed, how a small stream reach the sea and more. Publisher: Goodearth Books Tail Tale by Anushka Ravishankar, Mayur Vayeda and Tushar Vayeda Cat is fed up with her tail. It never does what it should. She now wants a brand new tail. A tail that she can choose.Two young indigenous artists —Tushar and MayurWayeda — bring another deliciously absurd tale from celebrated children's poet Anushka Ravishankar to life. Illustrated in the Warli style of art from Western India, this book is silk-screened by hand onto handmade paper. Publisher: Tara Books In My Heart by Nandana Sen Pia knows that she came out of her mother‘s heart, and her father’s heart. One day, she learns that she has a tummy mummy too! In her journey to find her birth mother, Pia discovers how her heart family has made her the way she is and that each person who loves her will always be a part of her. Publisher: Puffin The Story of Karna: The Unsung Hero by Shumita Sharma Deveshvar & Pia Alize An inspired and illustrated retelling of the legend of Karna, among the Mahabharata's most tragic and heroic characters, for a new generation. Publisher: Goodearth Books Keoladeo National Park by Priya Fonseca Something smells fishy when Sameera, Alex and Tarun are at Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur with their Uncle Avi, to look at Siberian cranes that have been spotted once again after more than 20 years. This part-fiction, part-encyclopaedia promises to be great for young birding enthusiasts. Publisher: Puffin One Lonely Tiger by Benita Sen This illustrated book tells the story of a rapidly shrinking Sunderbans, where one friendless tiger is left to play with his own black shadow. Around him, he has four frisky jackals, seven babbling sisters and nine delicious ticks, but where have his fellow tigers disappeared? Publisher: Puffin Parrot and the Merchant by Marjan Vafaeian This picture book brings to life one of Rumi’s finest fables, where merchant Mah Jahan collects birds in cages, but when she brings back a gift for one of them, she learns a surprising lesson. Publisher: Puffin The Jungle Radio by Devangana Dash With lush illustrations and a lyrical story, this is a musical guide to the many birdsongs contained in the Indian forests told through curious little Gul. Publisher: Puffin Twice Upon a Time by Payal Kapadia Keya is a princess, till she quits and finds the least suitable replacement for the job֫—brash, bubblegum chewing girl. And what happens when a real princess starts becoming a real person? Publisher: Puffin CHILDREN’S FICTION Puffin Classic: Selected Tales from the Kathasaritasagar by Somadeva Translated by Rohini Chowdhury, it’s the perfect introduction to Sanskrit literature for young readers, with stories drawn from the Arabian Nights to the Brothers Grimm. Publisher: Puffin Rattu and Poorie’s Adventures in History: 1857 by Parvati Sharma Rattu’s in a bad mood as her older sister Poorie is bullying her and as she wishes for a soldier to protect her, she gets not one, but two—enter the grand Uprising of 1857 and encounter Rani Lakshmi bai of Jhansi, Nana Sahib of Kanpur, Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar and more. Publisher: Puffin The Adventures of Biplob the Bumblebee: Volume 1 by Abhishek Talwar Lessons on science and conservation narrated by a Biplop, the busy bumblebee, teaching kids innovative and eco-friendly ideas. Publisher: Puffin The Adventures of Shrilok Homeless Vol2 by Pika Nani After taking Mumbai by storm, India’s favorite teen sleuth is back and this time he’s solving mysteries in London. Publisher: Puffin The Puffin Book of Holiday Stories Enjoy some wonderful holiday stories by authors including Ruskin Bond, Shabnam Minwalla, Jane D’Souza, Subhadra Sen Gupta, Nandini Nayar, Himanjali Sanker and more. Publisher: Puffin Ruskin Bond titles Rupa Publication’s bringing several titles from your favourite author. These include: Petals on the Ganga, Calypso Christmas, A Fire in the Night, Tales of Long Ago, The Bar that Time Forgot, A Love of Long Ago, Adventure Underground, Gone Fishing, Night of the Millennium, The Thing in the Upper Room, The Crooked Tree, Boy in a Blue Pullover, Rani of the Doon and They Never Get Caught. NON-FICTION Little Red Book of Sight Words: Terry O’Brien Another book for your collection, from the quiz whiz, to enhance your child’s vocabulary. Publisher: Rupa Publications Ramayana Colouring Book: Mala Dayal Most kids can’t get enough of colouring…and mythology! Combine the two and you may have a winner. Publisher: Rupa Publications Puppets Unlimited With Everyday Materials by Gita Wolf, Anushka Ravishankar, Ragini Siruguri, Dhwani Shah and Rohini Srinivasan Anything can be turned into a puppet, you just need to know how! Based on the principles taught by traditional Indian puppeteers, each puppet in this jolly book has been made from simple everyday material. It proves that once you know the basics, it is accidents, discoveries and a sense of humour which let you create a puppet. Have a set of puppets ready? Use our playscript, or go ahead and perform your own puppet play! Publisher: Tara Books The Vedas and Upanishads for Children by Roopa Pai This recently published book delves into the 'thought revolution' that happened in India 3,000 years ago, answering questions such as the following: What is the universe made of? How do I know I'm looking at a tree when I see one? Who am I? My body, my mind, my intelligence, my emotions, or none of the above? A great read for first-time explorers, of any age. Publisher: Hachette Wonder Kids: 100 Children Who Grew Up to Become Champions of Change by Anu Kumar The personalities of great people are shaped in their childhood. Read about the inspiring life stories of icons like Anne Frank, A.P.J Abdul Kalam, Marco Polo, Milkha Singh, Coco Chanel and others. Publisher: Hachette Unstoppable: 75 Stories of Trailblazing Indian Women by Gayathri Ponvannan Read about pioneering women, who were the first in their fields as doctors, lawyers, teachers, freedom fighters and more in India. The stories of Janaki Ammal, Sarla Thakral, R. Sivabhogam, Nadia Wadia and others are bound to inspire a whole new generation of rebel kids. Publisher: Hachette Superstars of the Indian Animal Kingdom by Supriya Sehgal Kids love animals and with good reason! Here’s a collection of stories about India’s famous animals and their interactions with humans, such as the monkey gangs of Jaipur and Machli, the queen of Ranthambhore. Publisher: Hachette Vocabulary Enhancer Pride and Prejudice, Macbeth, Wuthering Heights, 1984…the right word is now at your fingertips with this handy guide that brings you abridged versions of timeless tales. Publisher: Penguin Coming Round the Mountain: In the Year of Independence by Ruskin Bond A deeply personal memoir set against the Partition. Thirteen-year old Ruskin is back at school, doing all the things he loves. Whispers of a partition haunt the corridors of his school. Does the formation of new Independent India mean saying goodbye to old friends and with it the shenanigans they got up to? Publisher: Puffin This Book Will Save the World by Bijal Vachharajani Combat climate change one small action at a time with an arsenal of actions, jokes, limericks and cartoons. Publisher: Hachette 30 Fantastic Adventures in Science: Women Scientists of India by NanditaJayaraj and Aashima Dogra Meet the superwomen in science, with an introduction to trailblazers who have conquered fields across nature, the Antarctic, supercomputers and giant machines. Publisher: Puffin The Bournvita Quiz Contest Collector’s Edition: Volume 1 by Derek O’Brien The award-winning Bournvita Quiz Contest started as a radio programme in 1972, then shifted to television in the 1990s. Featuring 1,000 questions, carefully curated from the 20-year-old archives, it’s filled with anecdotes, fun trivia and thoughtful essays by those who worked on this much-loved show. Publisher: Puffin Fearless: Stories of Amazing Women from Pakistan by Amneh Shaikh-Farooqui This illustrated book chronicles the lives of 50 incredible women from the country – scientists, lawyers, politicians, activists and authors, among others. Publisher: Penguin First to the Top: Sir Edmund Hillary's Amazing Everest Adventure by David Hill How did Ed, a shy boy from the tiny town in New Zealand, grow up to become the world's most famous mountaineer and adventurer? This picture book tells the story of Sir Edmund Hillary and his climb to the top of Mount Everest. Publisher: Puffin From Leeches to Slug Glue: 25 Explosive Ideas That Made (And Are Making) Modern Medicine by RoopaPai A rollercoaster ride through the evolution of medicine, including facts about a Dutch cloth merchant who invented a cutting-edge lens to check the quality of the thread in his cloth ended up discovering microorganisms. Plus slug glue! Publisher: Puffin Let's Talk on Air by Rakesh Anand Bakshi Dive into the lives of 14 phenomenal RJs, including the legend Ameen Sayani, for an insight into their stories and some career advice. Publisher: Penguin My Book of Saints by Ruzbeh N. Bharucha A book on saints for children, journeying across the sands of time, told with wit and humour, by the author of the bestselling Fakir trilogy and Rabda. Publisher: Puffin Reignited: Volume 2 by Srijan Pal Singh So what do you want to be when you grow up? Learn about cutting edge careers, such as automobile and locomotion engineering; environment, energy and agricultural sciences; archaeology; nano and defence technologies; biotech engineering; physics; and a lot more! Publisher: Puffin Puffin Junior Lives: Shivaji by Sonia Mehta Learn about fearless Maratha king Shivaji, in this series of illustrated books, peppered with little-known facts. Publisher: Puffin FANTASY AND YA Lies We Tell by Himanjali Sankar A taut young adult novel about mental health, teen relationships and the challenges of friendship. Publisher: Duckbill Pops by Balaji Venkataramanan A funny and poignant middle-grade novel about a little child who meets his estranged father for the first time. Publisher: Duckbill 10 The start (with four books in 2019) of a new middle-grade non-fiction series with unusual and interesting information on subjects as diverse as the environment, history, politics and so on. The authors of the first four books are Ranjit Lal, Bijal Vachharajani and Radha Rangarajan, Shruthi Rao and Devika Rangachari. Publisher: Duckbill Bim by Arjun Talwar Written by a first-time author, this is a wacky middle-grade novel about a small boy living in a fictional town near Chennai, where jackfruit and coconut trees keep dropping fruits on people's heads. Publisher: Duckbill The Piano by Nandita Basu This graphic novel follows the story of a piano and its owners through time, from post-war Germany to modern India, through a strong visual narrative. Publisher: Duckbill Blessed by Deepa Agarwal In this fantasy novel set in the mountains, follow the fortunes of young girl with special powers, who is born to a poor weaver’s family. A tale about an unequal word for girls and boys, it touches on real life issues. Publisher: Hachette Adventures of Bhrigudev by Soumitra Ranade An intrepid 12-year-old combats villains as he searches for his father in this illustrated, middle-grade fantasy-adventure novel that loosely revolves around the Bada Imambara in Lucknow imagined as a Bollywood dreamscape. Publisher: Hachette Astra: The Prince of Starfall by Aditya Mukherjee and Arnav Mukherjee Ravana desperately seeks the astra hidden in Ashmaka. Can Varkan, the young prince of Ashmaka, outsmart him? Publisher: Puffin Children of Destruction by Kuber Kaushik A blind and telekinetic mass murderer, a girl bound to a shadowy demon and a genetically engineered pseudo messiah make for a magical and adventurous mix. For Alice, a teen with supernatural powers, things are about to get worse. Publisher: Penguin Ganesha’s Temple by Rohit Gaur The first in the Temple Wars series, when a bomb goes off at a Ganesh Chaturthi gathering in modern-day Kashmir, 14-year-old Tarun Sharma is caught up in a race against time. He also happens upon a mysterious cave that belongs to none other than Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. As it turns out, he needs Tarun’s help. Publisher: Penguin The Dwarkadeesh’s Gambit (Book 2 in the Kalki Chronicles) by Abhinav With ancient allies watching over him from the Himalayas and new ones at the society in Puducherry, Anirudh, the Tenth Avatar of Vishnu, is shaken by the powerful attack on himself and his mentor, Sage Dweepa. Publisher: Penguin
