and land was born, by Sandhya Rao.
Tulika, Chennai., This earthly yet out of the world explanation of the creation of land from an endless expanse of water comes from a tribe in Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh. It is one among several original, often surreal, stories of the birth of the earth popular in different parts of India.
In this version, the people beg god to create at least a small space where they can keep dry. So be it, says the lazy god, and initiates a process by which the jugni matas or magical mothers become bumble bees who meet the tortoise bearing a precious egg on its back. The egg hatches into dry land.
The illustrations, based on the original wall paintings done in red, black, blue, white and yellow on mud wash done by the tribals themselves, create a three-dimensional effect. Art by Uma Krishnaswamy.
(Ages 6 - 10)
Brahma's Hair, by Maneka Gandhi.
Rupa & Co., Calcutta. , 1989 A collection of mythological and folk tales regarding trees, plants, and flowers of India. (Ages 8 - 12)
Brother Against Brother and other stories, by Shinie Antony.
, Tales of King Vikram. Populated by kings in danger and selfless servants, beautiful damsels and loyal friends, these stories with moral dilemmas are as interesting as they are informative. (Ages 6 - 10)
Eecha Poocha, by Kala Sashikumar.
Tulika, Chennai, An endlessly entertaining cumulative tale from Kerala about Eecha the fly and her friend Poocha the cat. They make delicious rice soup. While Eecha flies off to fetch a jackfruit leaf with which to spoon out the soup, Poocha watches over the pot. But Poocha is hungry, so hungry. Aaaah.....! Available in Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, English.
(Ages 4 - 8)
Ekki Dokki, by Sandhya Rao.
Tulika, Chennai, An endearing Marathi folktale about two sisters. Ekkesvali has one hair on her head; Dhonkesvali has two and thinks she's great. What happens to them when they meet an old woman who lives alone in a clearing right in the middle of the forest...? Illustrated by Ranjan De, available in Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, Telegu, Marathi, Gujarati, Engli (Ages 4 - 8)
Favorite Fairy Tales Told in India, by Virginia Haviland.
, illustrated by Vera Rosenberry . For ages 8 and up. Eight wonderful tales. (Ages 4 - 8)
From the Mango Tree and other folktales from Nepal, by Kavita Shrestha.
World Folklore Series, Fifteen Nepali folktales ranging from the playful to the haunting.
(Ages 6 - 10)
Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, by Upendrakishore Roychoudhury.
Translated by Swagata Deb. Penguin, India, 2004 (Ages 4 - 8)
Grandma's Treasure Trove, by Rashida Islam.
Sahitya Press, UK. , 2000 Three well known folk tales in English and Bengali. 'The Seven Brothers Champa & their Sister Parul', 'The Hermit & the Mouse' and 'The Fox & the Stork' (Ages 4 - 8)
Jataka Tales, by several authors.
Media Fusion, Bangalore,
The Deceitful Bird
Greed does not pay
The Clever Monkey
The Lion and the Jackal
(Ages 4 - 8)
Majantali & Co., by Upendrakishore Roychoudhury.
Translated by Madhuchhanda Karlekar. Thema, 1997 (Ages 4 - 8)
Nyamia and the Bag of Gold, by Debjani Chatterjee.
Longman Education, UK. , 1994 illustrated by Pampa Panwar. Four folk tales from Africa, India, Bangladesh & Poland for primary school children. (Ages 6 - 10)
One grain of rice, by Demi.
Scholastic Press, New York., 1997 A mathematical folk tale. Illustrations inspired by traditional 16th and 17th century Indian art.
(Ages 6 - 10)
Panchatantra Tales, by several authors.
Media Fusion, Bangalore, New renditions of the Jataka Tales:
The Foolish Scholars
The Heron and the Crab
The Singing Donkey
The Talkative Tortoise
The Wise Rabbit
The Washerman's Donkey
Castles in the Air
The Mice and the Elephants
The Brahmin and the Crooks
(Ages 4 - 8)
Rama and the Demon King, by Jessica Souhami.
Dk Ink, NY. , 1997 (Ages 6 - 10)
Religious Stories, by several authors.
Media Fusion, Bangalore, A series about religious figures:
Ganesha
Hanuman
Jesus
Krishna
Mahavir
Parvathi
Shiva
Vishnu
Buddha (Ages 4 - 8)
Savitri: A tale of Ancient India, by Aaron Shepherd.
Whitman, 1992 Illustrated by Vera Rosenberry. In this tale from the Mahabharata, the princess Savitri outwits the god of death to save her husband. (Ages 6 - 10)
Seven Blind Mice, by Ed Young.
Philomel Books, NY. , 1992 In this retelling of the Indian fable, seven blind mice discover different parts of an elephant and argue about its appearance. (Ages 4 - 8)
Sufi Stories from Around the World, by Debjani Chatterjee.
Harper Collins, India. ., 1994 with black and white illustrations. Nineteen Muslim stories for children 9 - 12. (Ages 9 - 12)
Tales Old and New, by Mariam Karim Ahlawat.
Harper Collins/Indus, India. ., 1994 A collection of fairy tales. (Ages 6 - 10)
The Blue Jackal, by Mehlli Gobhai.
Prentice-Hall, New Jersey. 1968., A fable from the Panchatantra, about a timid jackal who was afraid of all the other animals until he jumped into a vat of indigo blue dye. (Ages 4 - 8)
The Blue Jackal, by Rashmi Sharma.
Vidya Books, Berkeley., 1992 Another rendition of the jackal story from the Panchatantra. (Ages 4 - 8)
The Elephant and the Dog, by Badri Narayan.
National Book Trust, Delhi., A story about the friendship
between an elephant and a dog. Available in Hindi, Tamil, Telegu, Gujarati, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada, Urdu and English. (Ages 4 - 8)
[Sawnet Review]
The Elephant-Headed God, by Debjani Chatterjee.
Lutterworth Press, Cambridge, and Rupa & Co., Calcutta., 1993 illustrated by Margaret Jones. 12 stories for ages 9-12. A collection of Hindu myths. (Ages 9 - 12)
The Enchanted Anklet, by Lila Mehta.
Lilmur, Toronto. 1985., A Cinderella Story from India, illustrated by Neela Chhaniara. (Ages 4 - 8)
The Gifts of Wali Dad, by Aaron Shepherd.
Atheneum, NY. , 1995 Illustrated by Daniel San Souci. An impoverished grass-cutter finds that gifts can be a mixed blessing. (Ages 4 - 8)
The Mahabharata: A Child's View, by Samhita Arni.
Tara Publishing, Chennai. 1996, The author started writing the story when she was 7, and it was published when she was 12. The two volumes are also illustrated by her.
(Ages 8 - 12)
The Monkey and the Mango, by Eknath Easwaran.
Nilgiri Press, Box 256, Tomales, CA 94971., illustrated by Ilka Jerebek. Retold stories that the author heard from his grandmother while growing up in a matrilineal familiy in Kerala. Ages 3 and up. (Ages 4 - 8)
The Monkey God and other Hindu Tales, by Debjani Chatterjee.
Rupa & Co., Delhi, 1993 Twelve stories for children 9-12, illustrated in black and white.
(Ages 9 - 12)
The Monkey Who left his Heart at Home, by .
, Contains 5 popular animal stories from the Panchatantra. This book has the
following stories:
1. The Singing Donkey
2. The Monkey Who Left His Heart At Home (AKA the monkey and the
crocodile)
3. The Crow's Revenge (AKA The Crow and The Serpent)
4. The Nosy Monkey
5. The Insistent Tailor Bird (Ages 4 - 8)
[Sawnet Review]
The Most Beautiful Child, by Debjani Chatterjee.
Cambridge University Press, 1996 A picture book about the Goddess Lakshmi and her owl. Lakshmi asks her owl to decide who is the most beautiful child in the world. (Ages 4 - 8)
The Naughty Mouse, by Susheila Stone & A. Welch.
Luzac Publishing, 1986, A story from the Hindu oral tradition about a resourceful mouse. Available in English/Arabic, English/Bengali, English/Chinese, English/Gujarati, English/Hindi, English/Punjabi or English/Urdu. (Ages 4 - 8)
The Ocean of Story, by Caroline Ness.
Lothrop Lee and Shepherd., 1996 illustrated by Jacqueline Mair, who studied color etching at Shantiniketan for this project. Selected tales from the folklore of India with introduction by Neil Phillips. The title is borrowed from the Kathasaritsagara, stories are from diverse sources. (Ages 8 - 12)
The Puffin Book of Legendary Lives, by Meena Arora Nayak.
Pegnuin., 2004 (Ages 8 - 15)
The Rajah's Rice, by David Barry.
, A mathematical folk tale adapted from an old Indian tale. When Zandra, the official bather of the Rajah's elephants, saves them from serious illness, she exacts from the Rajah a reward more costly than he realizes. (Scientific American books for young readers, 1994). (Ages 8 - 12)
The Right Decision and other stories, by Shinie Antony.
, More tales of King Vikram.
(Ages 6 - 10)
The Snake Prince and Other Folk Tales from Bengal, by .
, edited by Sahitya Press, UK. , 1999 Ten enchanting folk tales in English and Bengali. (Ages 4 - 8)
The Stupid Tiger, by Upendrakishore Roychoudhury.
Translated by William Radice. Harper Collins, India, 1981., (Ages 4 - 8)
Three Indian Goddesses, by Jamila Gavin.
Egmont, 2001 Three contemporary stories with mythological elements. When their cousin Durga comes to stay, Anil and Kiki find her a bit odd. Her clothes and manners are unusual, and she has a strange knack of seeing what is going on in people's minds. But when trouble threatens, Durga turns out to be a very useful person to know...
(Ages 8 - 12)
Who Will be Ningthou?, by Indira Mukherjee.
Tulika, Chennai, The Ningthous and Leima, king and queen of Manipur, rule well over their meeyam, their people. They have three sons and a daughter -- Sanajaoba, Sanayaima, Sanatomba and Sanatombi. The people are happy and live in peace. As the years roll by, it is time to decide who will succeed to the throne. The Ningthou and Leima desire that the throne go, not to the eldest son, but to the wisest, most able child. And so they hold a competition. Who wins the bout? Is the winner named the next Ningthou?
In this charming folktale from Manipur, writer Indira Mukherjee and the well-known painter A V Ilango recreate the land, the culture and values of Manipur as they gently lead the child to think about two very important issues: harmony with nature and gender equality. Available in Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, English (Ages 4 - 8)
Nonfiction
Aliya: Stories of the Elephants of Sri Lanka, by Teresa Cannon & Peter Davis.
Airavata Press, Victoria, Australia, A celebration of the elephants and their distinctive part in the mythology, culture, economy and ecosystem of Sri Lanka. More details at the book website. (Ages 8 - 16)
Asian Indians (Recent American Immigrants), by Susan Gordon.
F. Watts, 1990 Discusses immigrants from India, their reasons for coming, their lifestyles, and their contributions to the United States. (Ages 8 - 12)
Buddha, by Anni Shapiro.
Delacorte Press, New York, 1994 Picture book with collage illustrations.
(Ages 4 - 8)
Childhood Days, by Satyajit Ray.
Penguin India. First published by Ananda Publishers, Calcutta, 1982., 1998 An autobiographical memoir by the renowned filmmaker.
[Review at Parabaas] (Ages 8 - 18)
Count your Way Through India, by Jim Haskins & Liz Brenner Dodson.
Carolrhoda books, Minneapolis, 1990 An introduction to the land and people of India accompanied by instructions on how to read and pronounce the numbers one through ten in Hindi. (Ages 4 - 8)
Diwali: Khushiyon Ka Tyohaar, by MeeraMasi.
MeeraMasi, California, This dual language book in Hindi and English animates the traditions and liveliness of Diwali to children through rhyme, captivating pictures, and a read along CD providing both Hindi and English text.
(Ages 0 - 8)
Gandhi: Peaceful Warrior, by Rae Bains & Scott Snow.
Troll Associates, NJ, A biography of the man whose nonviolent passive resistance tactics influenced reformers in other countries. (Ages 8 - 12)
Hindi Gym, by Aarti Chandnani.
, Workbooks that make Hindi fun for kids. (Ages 4 - 8)
Holi, by Uma Krishnaswami.
Children's Press/Grolier, 2002 Part of the Grolier Rookie Read About Holidays series. (Ages 4 - 8)
I is for India, by Prodeepta Das.
Silver Press, 1996 Part of a series on countries and regions of the worlds, portrays India as a place rich with peoples and cultures, contrasts bustling cities with lush green paddy fields. Illustrated with photographs by the author. (Ages 7 - 10)
In the Country of Gold Digging Ants, by Anu Kumar.
Puffin Books, Penguin India, 2009 Astonishing stories about India written by explorers who came to
the country as pilgrims, students, traders, voyagers and fortune-seekers
from the 3rd century BC till the mid-twentieth century. These visitors left
behind fascinating accounts of their perilous journeys in an unknown land;
descriptions of what the people ate, wore and thought; who ruled them
and how; the strange animals of this land, and many more startling facts
which are often the only written historical records of those times.
Filled with incredible stories and nuggets of information, In the Country of
Gold-digging Ants brings alive the exciting adventures of eleven intrepid
men and women, and may just make history your most favourite subject.
(Ages 10 - 15)
In the Street of the Temple Cloth Printers, by Dorothy Field.
Pacific Educational Press, 1996 A finely sketched portrait in words and pictures, of the people who make and paint the fabled temple cloths of Gujarat in Western India. (Ages 8 - 12)
India (Where we Live), by Donna Bailey.
, The book depicts the life of a farm girl of dry, northwest India, and portrays life in the city of Jaipur, especially during the festival of Diwali. (Ages 4 - 8)
Mathematwist: Number Tales from Around the World, by TV Padma.
Tulika, Chennai, A world where numbers and mathematical concepts unravel in stories, folktales and anecdotes. So whether it's Dividing a Goose, Rounding up Camels or Gourmet Roulette, children at the math level of classes 6, 7 and 8 will have fun with words and numbers as well. (Ages 10 - 14)
Mother Teresa, by Joan Gruff Cluca.
, A biography of the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
(Ages 10 - 14)
Our Non-Veg Cow and Other stories, by Mahasweta Devi.
Seagull Books, Calcutta, 1998 Translated from Bengali by Paramita Banerjee. Stories of Devi's childhood in Bengal, growing up as the eldest in a family of nine. (Ages 8 - 12)
Ponni the Flower Seller, by Sirish Rao.
Tara Books, Chennai., The books in this series introduce and talk about a variety of working people, following them through a day in their lives.
Ponni goes from house to house selling flower garlands. In the morning she buys flowers in the market and strings them together. Then she sets off across the city to sell them. This book journeys with her as she walks her rounds.
(Ages 3 - 8)
Puppets Unlimited wtih Everyday Materials, by Anushka Ravishankar & Gita Wolf.
Tara Books, Chennai., Shifts the focus from the finished product to the process of accidents, discoveries and mistakes by which puppets can be made, from everyday materials and found objects. Besides detailed instructions on how to make puppets, it also contains information on traditional and innovative puppetry, and a section on scripting and performance.
(Ages 8 - 12)
Subcontinental Series, by .
Bobbie Kalman Books, Various authors.
India: The Culture, (Crabtree, N.Y. 1993)
India: The Land, (Crabtree, N.Y. 1993)
India: The People, (Crabtree, N.Y. 1993)
Pakistan: The Culture (2003)
Pakistan: The Land (2003)
Pakistan: The People (2003) (Ages 8 - 12)
The Children of India, by Jules Hermes.
Carolrhoda books, Minneapolis, 1993 Introduces the variety and richness of culture in India by describing the daily lives of children from different regions and social levels. (Ages 4 - 8)
Trash, by Gita Wolf & Anushka Ravishankar.
Tara Publishing, Chennai., Trash! is a unique combination of fiction and fact. Based on the real life experiences of ragpicker children, it tells the story of Velu, a runaway village child. He ends up as a ragpicker in a big city and must face the harsh realities of life on the streets.
The story is accompanied by facts and arguments which connect complex issues—ranging from child labour and child rights, to lifestyles, waste and recyclin (Ages 10 - 16)
[Sawnet Review]
Varnamala Geet, by MeeraMasi.
MeeraMasi, California, Hindi alphabet chart and accompanying CD. One side of the chart is written in Hindi script, while the other offers English transliteration - a helpful element to challenge yourself to learn, or to assist when you need a helping hand.
The accompanying CD includes a captivating Varnamala Geet song that you will find your children, and yourself, singing and humming all day! The CD also includes the spoken alphabet to assist with proper pronunciation, counting numbers from 1 to 30 and counting by 10s from 1 to 100. (Ages 0 - 10)
Fiction
A Brahmin's Castles in the Air, by Rashmi Sharma.
Vidya Books, Berkeley., 1993 A poor, young brahmin prefers daydreaming to taking action to better his life. (Ages 4 - 8)
A Gift for Gita, by Rachna Gilmore.
Second Story Press, 1996 In the third and last Gita book, Gita is now well settled in Canada and is thrilled that her beloved grandmother, Naniji, is visiting. An unexpected announcement from her father sends Gita's world spinning. She must now decide where her home and heart are. What will Gita choose? (Ages 4 - 8)
A Summer Adventure, by Shashi Deshpande.
India Book House, 1983, (Ages 8 - 12)
Aani and the Tree Huggers, by Jeanine Atkins.
Lee and Low Books., 1995 Illustrated by Venantius Pinto in an amalgamation of five Indian miniature styles of the 17th century. Based on the Chipko Andolan in India in the 1970s, young Aani and the other women in her village defend their forest from developers by wrapping their arms around the trees, making it impossible to cut them down. (Ages 8 - 12)
Aliya: Stories of the Elephants of Sri Lanka, by Teresa Cannon & Peter Davis.
Airavata Press, Victoria, Australia, A celebration of the elephants and their distinctive part in the mythology, culture, economy and ecosystem of Sri Lanka. More details at the book website. (Ages 8 - 16)
All About Nothing, by Neena Sabnani & Deeya Nayar.
Tulika, Chennai, Based on an animation film, the book explores the possible origin of ‘zero’ as used in mathematical calculations. The story is a fictional take on actual research done on the subject. A merchant living in Takshashila (north-western India) finds he has to do calculations all the time. But without ‘zero’, it is a complicated process indeed. One night, he falls asleep on his papers. When he wakes up, sunlight is streaming in through the latticed window, throwing circular beams of light on his calculations. An idea is sparked off. Eureka!
The people of the time – trade, trade routes, architecture, dress styles, dyes used, and so on – were also researched for authenticity in the film, which carries into the illustrations. The earthy colours and textures provide a vivid complement to the text. Bhojpatra (birchbark), used for manuscripts those days, has been used as a backdrop for an old-world feel. Available in Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada (Ages 6 - 10)
Amal & The Letter from the King, by Chitra Gajadin & Helen Ong.
St. Martin's Press, 1992, Poor health keeps Amal indoors, but it cannot quell his dreams or quiet his spirit. The dialogue is great for reading aloud. Adapted from the play "The Post Office" by Rabindranath Tagore. (Ages 4 - 8)
Animal Antics, by Debjani Chatterjee.
Pennine Pens, 2000 Chuckle at the crazy antics of the animals in Debjani Chatterjees amazing menagerie: the astro-turtle hurtling through space, the hippo who bellowed, the elephant under the bed, the snake who came to school, the adder who learnt yoga, the rabbit-magician, the bridge-building monkeys, the sloth who loved hanging around, and many more. Poetry. (Ages 4 - 8)
Animal Crackers, by Narinder Dhami.
Random House Children's Books, UK, When Sanjay gets a bump on his head from the school bully, he wakes up to find that everyone in the playground has turned into
an animal! The headmaster's a polar bear and Sanjay's best friend is a sheepdog. Even the ambulance that comes to take him to
hospital is driven by a gorilla and the paramedic is a penguin. Seeing his schoolmates in a new light gives Sanjay a clever idea
about how to defeat the bully. Will Sanjay's wily plan work, or has the whole world gone animal?
(Ages 7 - 9)
Aruna's Journeys, by Jyotsna Sreenivasan.
Smooth Stone Press, St. Louis., Aruna, an 11-year-old Indian-American girl, reluctantly visits India and in the process discovers more about who she is. Her feminist aunt in India helps her keep true to her own identity. (Ages 8 - 12)
Ashok by Any other Name, by Sandra Yamate & Janice Tohinaka.
Polychrome Pub. Corp, Chicago. , 1992 An east Indian boy wishes to have a more 'American' name and experiences mishaps as he searches for the perfect name for himself. (Ages 8 - 12)
Asian Indians (Recent American Immigrants), by Susan Gordon.
F. Watts, 1990 Discusses immigrants from India, their reasons for coming, their lifestyles, and their contributions to the United States. (Ages 8 - 12)
Atisa and the Seven Wonders, by Anu Kumar.
Puffin Books, Penguin India, 2008 A strange man crash-landing his even stranger flying machine into Atisa’s home opens a world full of wonders for the fourteen-year-old boy…Full of thrills, chills and spills, Atisa and the Seven Wonders weaves fact and fiction to take you on an action-packed, imaginative and informative exploration of the seven wonders of the ancient world. (Ages 10 - 15)
Beastly Tales from Here and There, by Vikram Seth.
, Ten enchanting tales in verse. "Of the ten tales told here, the first two come from India, the next two from China, the next two from Greece, and the next two from the Ukraine. The final two came directly from the Land of Gup.", says the author. Illustrated by Ravi Shankar, the well-known cartoonist.
(Ages 8 - 12)
Binya's Blue Umbrella, by Ruskin Bond.
, Illustrated by Vera Rosenberry. (Ages 4 - 8)
Buddha, by Anni Shapiro.
Delacorte Press, New York, 1994 Picture book with collage illustrations.
(Ages 4 - 8)
Camel Rider, by Prue Mason.
Charlesbridge (orig. Penguin
Australia)., 2007 Adam and his family live comfortably in a compound with other foreigners who work in the Middle East. When war breaks out and all foreigners try to escape, Adam runs away in an effort to save his dog, which has been left behind. Alone and without resources in the desert, Adam meets Walid, an abused camel boy who has run away from his cruel masters. Together they struggle to bridge wide gulfs between their cultures and languages in order to survive. Ultimately both boys learn about true friendship.
(Ages 10 - 14)
[Sawnet Review]
Chachaji's Cup, by Uma Krishnaswami.
Children's Book Press, 2003 Illustrated by Soumya Sitaraman
Why does Chachaji always insist on drinking his chai from the same chipped china teacup? A young boy learns the history of his family, uprooted during the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan. (Ages 4 - 8)
Cherry Tree, by Ruskin Bond.
St Martin's Press, 1991 Six-year-old Rakhi follows her grandfather's suggestion and plants a cherry seed. She learns to care for it through its difficult life as she grows up herself. (Ages 4 - 8)
Childhood Days, by Satyajit Ray.
Penguin India. First published by Ananda Publishers, Calcutta, 1982., 1998 An autobiographical memoir by the renowned filmmaker.
[Review at Parabaas] (Ages 8 - 18)
Count your Way Through India, by Jim Haskins & Liz Brenner Dodson.
Carolrhoda books, Minneapolis, 1990 An introduction to the land and people of India accompanied by instructions on how to read and pronounce the numbers one through ten in Hindi. (Ages 4 - 8)
Crocodile Fever, by Zai Whitaker.
With Rom Whitaker. Orient Longman, Hyderabad. , 1998 (Ages 8 - 12)
Diwali: Khushiyon Ka Tyohaar, by MeeraMasi.
MeeraMasi, California, This dual language book in Hindi and English animates the traditions and liveliness of Diwali to children through rhyme, captivating pictures, and a read along CD providing both Hindi and English text.
(Ages 0 - 8)
Excuse me, is this India, by Anushka Ravishankar.
Tara Publishing, Chennai, Illustrated with exquisite textile art, this is a story of travel through a child's imagination. The brilliant nonsense verse captures the surreal mixture of places, people and creatures that make up India. (Ages 4 - 8)
[Sawnet Review]
Fine Feathered Friend, by Jamila Gavin.
Egmont; Crabtree, 2002 In India, Raju is angry about spending two months on his aunt and uncle's farm while his family attends a wedding in England, but things looks much brighter after he becomes mother to a newly-hatched chick.
(Ages 8 - 12)
Gandhi: Peaceful Warrior, by Rae Bains & Scott Snow.
Troll Associates, NJ, A biography of the man whose nonviolent passive resistance tactics influenced reformers in other countries. (Ages 8 - 12)
Goddy Tales, by Shinie Antony.
, 6 tales for ages 8 - 12. "Meet Goddy. he is cool, he is funny and he is, ahem, God. When God makes a friend, size and lineage don't matter. Hence Goddy's best friend is a tiny creature, very common, but not exactly loved by mortal souls. Along with his father, best friend and sundry angels, Goddy deals with everyday problems just like u and me in this sneak preview of heaven..." (Ages 6 - 10)
Grandpa Chatterji, by Jamila Gavin.
Methuen, 1993 Neeta and Sanjay discover their loving and surprising Indian grandfather. (Ages 8 - 12)
Grandpa's Indian Summer, by Jamila Gavin.
Mammoth, 1996 Neeta and Sanjay go to visit their grandfather in Calcutta. (Ages 8 - 12)
Haroun and the Sea of Stories, by Salman Rushdie.
Granta Books + Viking, New York. ., 1990 Whimsical fantasy novel with lovely spoofs on names and places in the Kashmir Valley , never fully marketed to the young audience it was intended to reach. (Ages 8 - 18)
Hindi Gym, by Aarti Chandnani.
, Workbooks that make Hindi fun for kids. (Ages 4 - 8)
Holi, by Uma Krishnaswami.
Children's Press/Grolier, 2002 Part of the Grolier Rookie Read About Holidays series. (Ages 4 - 8)
Homeless Bird, by Gloria Whelan.
HarperCollins, Like many girls her age in India, thirteen-year-old Koly faces her arranged marriage with hope and courage. But Koly's story takes a terrible turn when in the wake of the ceremony, she discovers she's been horribly misled; her life has been sold for a dowry. In prose both graceful and unflinching, this powerful novel relays the story of a rare young woman, who even when cast out into a brutal current of time-worn tradition, sets out to forge her own remarkable future.Inspired by a newspaper article about the real thirteen-year-old widows in India today, this universally acclaimed best-selling novel, characterized by spare, lyrical language and remarkable detail, transports readers into the heart of a gripping tale of hope.
(Ages 10 - 14)
[Sawnet Review]
I is for India, by Prodeepta Das.
Silver Press, 1996 Part of a series on countries and regions of the worlds, portrays India as a place rich with peoples and cultures, contrasts bustling cities with lush green paddy fields. Illustrated with photographs by the author. (Ages 7 - 10)
In the Country of Gold Digging Ants, by Anu Kumar.
Puffin Books, Penguin India, 2009 Astonishing stories about India written by explorers who came to
the country as pilgrims, students, traders, voyagers and fortune-seekers
from the 3rd century BC till the mid-twentieth century. These visitors left
behind fascinating accounts of their perilous journeys in an unknown land;
descriptions of what the people ate, wore and thought; who ruled them
and how; the strange animals of this land, and many more startling facts
which are often the only written historical records of those times.
Filled with incredible stories and nuggets of information, In the Country of
Gold-digging Ants brings alive the exciting adventures of eleven intrepid
men and women, and may just make history your most favourite subject.
(Ages 10 - 15)
In the Street of the Temple Cloth Printers, by Dorothy Field.
Pacific Educational Press, 1996 A finely sketched portrait in words and pictures, of the people who make and paint the fabled temple cloths of Gujarat in Western India. (Ages 8 - 12)
India (Where we Live), by Donna Bailey.
, The book depicts the life of a farm girl of dry, northwest India, and portrays life in the city of Jaipur, especially during the festival of Diwali. (Ages 4 - 8)
Kali and the Rat Snake, by Zai Whitaker.
Tulika Books, Chennai, Kali hates school. And school hates him, he thinks, for he has no friends. The children there find him strange. He wishes his father
were an 'ordinary' bus-conductor or postman instead of a snake-catcher, even if one of the most celebrated in the Irula tribe. He
worries that others will see him eating fried termites (his favourite snack!) and laugh. And then one day, a large rat snake creates
havoc in the classroom . . . and Kali becomes a hero!
Available in Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, English (Ages 5 - 10)
[Sawnet Review]
Keeping Corner, by Kashmira Sheth.
Disney - Hyperion, 2007 Pretty as a peacock, twelve-year-old Leela has been spoiled all her life by everyone in her Gujarat village. She has never been interested in school and barely takes notice of the growing unrest between the British colonists and her own countrymen. Why should she? Her future has been planned since her engagement at two and marriage at nine. And now, as the day she moves in with her husband's family draws near, she's too busy collecting bangles and ribbons to care about much else.
But when Leela's husband dies, her life changes forever. Instead of being showered with gifts and affection, she is is forced to shave her head and give away her beloved saris and bangles. Leela is considered unlucky now, and will have to stay confined to her house for a year to keep corner in preparation for a life of mourning for a boy she barely knew.
When her schoolteacher hears of her fate, she offers to give Leela lessons at home. For the first time, despite her confinement, Leela begins to open her eyes to the changing world around her. India is suffering from a severe drought, and farmers are unable to pay taxes to the British. She learns about a new leader of the people, a man named Gandhi, who starts a political movement and practices satyagraha, a non-violent protest against the colonists as well as the caste system. The quiet strength of satyagraha may liberate her country. Could it be that she can use the same path to liberate herself (Ages 9 - 12)
[Sawnet Review]
King of the Skies, by Rukhsana Khan.
Scholastic, 2001 Set around the festival of Basant in Lahore, the "King of the Skies" is a young boy in a wheelchair, who is collaborating with his brother and sister to collect the most kites from the traditional aerial kite-battles. (Ages 8 - 12)
Kolaba, by Sandhya Rao.
Tulika, Chennai., Sonabai lives beside a tree that bears delicious red berries. Every day she picks the berries and makes sweets to sell in the market. She is very contented . . . until Kolaba the fox sneaks into her life. This Marathi folktale has enthralled several generations of children. Ranjan De's papercuts add to the mystery and bring Kolaba to life.
Available in Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, English.
(Ages 3 - 8)
[Sawnet Review]
Lights for Gita, by Rachna Gilmore.
Second Story Press, 1994 Newly arrived from India, Gita longs to celebrate Divali, the Festival of Lights, with the traditional fireworks. But the ugly November weather interferes and the friends she's invited can't come to her party. To make matters worse, the power goes out, plunging the city in darkness. How will Gita manage to overcome the darkness and find the light? (Ages 4 - 8)
Mathematwist: Number Tales from Around the World, by TV Padma.
Tulika, Chennai, A world where numbers and mathematical concepts unravel in stories, folktales and anecdotes. So whether it's Dividing a Goose, Rounding up Camels or Gourmet Roulette, children at the math level of classes 6, 7 and 8 will have fun with words and numbers as well. (Ages 10 - 14)
Maya Running, by Anjali Banerjee.
Wendy Lamb Books/Random House, Thirteen-year-old Maya was born in India and has grown up in Canada. She loves Manitoba, land of ice and snow, but sometimes she's not sure just where she belongs. The arrival of her glamorous cousin Pinky on a visit from India leads Maya to ask the Hindu god Ganesh, the Remover of Obstacles, to change her life. (Ages 10 - 16)
[Sawnet Review]
Mayil will not be quiet! , by Niveditha Subramaniam and Sowmya Rajendran.
Tulika, 2011 Mayil Ganeshan, 12 going on spirited 13, finally has her chance to say all she wants ? in her diary. But this is for her also an important step towards becoming ?Mayilwriter?, to make up for all the stories she hasn?t completed and the novel that didn?t know where it was going. So she begins. What she gives us is a spontaneous, sensitive, honest, intimate and often hilarious peek into the life and mind of an insightful young girl. The Mayil that emerges is as lovable and recognisable as the delightful sketches she presents of her Amma, Appa, brother, grandfather and friends. Mayil has all the confusion and confidence of adolescence as she faces everyday dilemmas of young people, as well as questions of gender stereotyping all around ? from Ramayana stories to Rajnikanth movies.
With enough to keep head, heart and funny bone tickled and happy, this is a must-read coming of age book by two highly talented young writers that will strike a chord with all who read it ? pre-teen, teen, and older. (Ages 10 - 12)
Milk Rice, by .
Perera Hussein Publishing House
Perera Hussein Publishing Hou, Journey to a strange village and learn the secret of their hats or travel in time to towns in Sri Lanka with a genie. Read about the dilemma of a cat that is forbidden to kill or dream about building an aeroplane that will fly over golden paddy fields. In this collection MilkRice enthusiastically presents nine stories for children from new and established Sri Lankan writers. (Ages 5 - 10)
Monkey's Drum, by Anita Moorthy.
Tara Books, Chennai., When Monkey gets a thorn in his tail, he asks the village barber to remove it for him. But the barber shaves the tip of Monkey's tail off by mistake. So Monkey demands the barber's knife in exchange for the missing hair. But it doesn't stop there...
This traditional rhyming story of the trickster monkey has always been a favourite grandmother's tale. Illustrated by Soumitra Sarkar.
(Ages 4 - 8)
Monsoon, by Uma Krishnaswami.
Farrar, Straus, Giroux, Illustrated by
Jamel Akib.
In a hot, dry city in northern India, a young girl
waits for rain. (Ages 4 - 8)
Mother Teresa, by Joan Gruff Cluca.
, A biography of the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
(Ages 10 - 14)
Naina's Adventure, by Enakshi Choudhuri.
Orbolo Books
, Available in English-Hindi, English-Bengali, English-Gujarati and English-Tamil. All text is in English script. A full glossary and pronunciation guide is provided.
Summary: Naina, a little girl who lives in America, longs to visit her grandparents who live in India. One night her wish comes true when she goes on a magical journey on the Goodnight Express to spend the day at her grandparents? home in India. During her adventure, Naina learns that as the Earth spins, day and night occur at various times in different parts of the world. (Ages 4 - 8)
Naming Maya, by Uma Krishnaswami.
Farrar, Straus, Giroux. , 2004 Maya is made to spend part of her summer in Chennai, India, with her mother, who is trying to sell her grandfather's old house. Soon Maya is drawn into a complicated friendship with eccentric Kamala Mami, who has been a housekeeper and cook for years in Maya's extended family. At the same time, Maya is thrust into an ocean of memories, all coming at her too quickly for her to understand. In particular, she is forced to examine the history of her parents' divorce -- all the more painful because she believes the trouble began with the choosing of her name. For years the tension has simmered in a cauldron of anxiety, secrets, and misunderstandings. It is only with the help of Kamala Mami and Maya's cousin Sumati that Maya is able to see what happened to her parents.
In this compelling first novel, a young Indian American girl finally learns that she can choose which memories to keep and which to let go. (Ages 9 - 12)
[Sawnet Review]
Neela: Victory Song, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.
Pleasant Company Publications, 2002 It is 1939, and 12-year-old Neela Sen and her family are preparing for the wedding of Neela's older sister. Neela knows her parents will soon be arranging a betrothal for her, too. She is far more interested in thinking about other things, including India's growing movement for independence from Great Britain. When her father is jailed following a march against British rule, Neela takes matters into her own hands and goes to Calcutta to find him. (Ages 9 - 12)
[Sawnet Review]
Our Non-Veg Cow and Other stories, by Mahasweta Devi.
Seagull Books, Calcutta, 1998 Translated from Bengali by Paramita Banerjee. Stories of Devi's childhood in Bengal, growing up as the eldest in a family of nine. (Ages 8 - 12)
Paper Boat, by Rabindranath Tagore.
Illustrated by G. Bochak, A child launches paper boats hoping someone in another country will find them. (Ages 4 - 8)
Picture Imperfect and other Byomkesh Bakshi mysteries, by Saradindu Bandopadhyay.
Penguin Books., 1999 Translated from Bengali into English by Sreejata Guha. Written long before Satyajit Ray's Feluda Series, Saradindu Bandyopadhyay's Byomkesh Bakshi mysteries heralded a new era in Bengali popular fiction. Set in the old-world Calcutta of the Raj, these stories featuring the astute investigator and his chronicler friend Ajit are still as gripping and delightful as when they first appeared. (Ages 8 - 12)
Ponni the Flower Seller, by Sirish Rao.
Tara Books, Chennai., The books in this series introduce and talk about a variety of working people, following them through a day in their lives.
Ponni goes from house to house selling flower garlands. In the morning she buys flowers in the market and strings them together. Then she sets off across the city to sell them. This book journeys with her as she walks her rounds.
(Ages 3 - 8)
Premlata and the Festival of LIghts, by Rumer Godden.
Greenwillow, 1996 A heroine with heart, young Prem braves the dark, and the wrath of the nasty Paru Didi, to get Diwali diyas for the house. (Ages 8 - 12)
Priscilla Rebels, by Maya Chandrasekharan.
, Priscilla is an American girl who studies at Grayfield Manor, a boarding school in Ooty, India. (Ages 8 - 12)
Puppets Unlimited wtih Everyday Materials, by Anushka Ravishankar & Gita Wolf.
Tara Books, Chennai., Shifts the focus from the finished product to the process of accidents, discoveries and mistakes by which puppets can be made, from everyday materials and found objects. Besides detailed instructions on how to make puppets, it also contains information on traditional and innovative puppetry, and a section on scripting and performance.
(Ages 8 - 12)
Rangbibi and Langra, by Sohaila Abdulali.
Ford Foundation, The books touch on issues such as tribal displacement, sexual abuse and access to health care. They involve an old woman, RangBibi, and a crippled monkey named Langra. The books are set in the desert, the forest and an urban slum. Each book involves a child or children in a crisis, and the stories show the children solving their problems with RangBibi's magical help.
These books are available in English, Hindi, Marathi and Tamil. They were widely distributed to rural health and education groups,
as well as in urban bookshops. Available from Sohaila Abdulali's website.
(Ages 8 - 12)
[Sawnet Review]
Ravi's Diwali Surprise, by Anisha Kacker & Kusum Ohri.
Modern Curriculum Press., 1994 Ravi is anxious to spend time with big brother, who is away for college, during Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. (Ages 4 - 8)
Robi Dobi, by Madhur Jaffrey.
Dial Books, NY ., 1997 An Indian elephant befriends a mouse, a butterfly and a parrot, and together they have many adventures. (Ages 4 - 8)
Roses for Gita, by Rachna Gilmore.
Second Story Press, 1996 Several months after moving from India, Gita longs to plant roses, to create a garden just like her grandmother's in India. But Mom is busy with her studies, and Mr Flinch, the mean old man next door won't even let Gita look at his lovely garden. Will she ever be able to plant the first rose she longs for? Will she and Mr Flinch ever be friends? (Ages 4 - 8)
Ruler of the Courtyard, by Rukhsana Khan.
Viking Children's Books, 2002 Saba, a girl in rural Pakistan who is afraid of chickens, is faced with what she thinks is a snake but turns out to be the 'nala' of Nani's salwar.
(Ages 4 - 8)
Shadowland, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.
Roaring Brook Press, 2009 The hero of the Brotherhood of the Conch series, now fifteen, is settling back into his life as an apprentice in the lush Silver Valley, nestled high in the Himalayas. There he continues to learn the secret arts of the Brotherhood. But suddenly his adopted home is reduced to a barren wasteland when his beloved conch, the valley’s source of magical energy, is stolen by an unknown force. Together with his friend Nisha, Anand embarks on what may be his most dangerous mission—traveling to the cold and forbidding world of Shadowland in his attempt to restore the conch to its rightful place, and his home to its original splendor. The third and final book in the series. (Ages 8 - 12)
Silly Chicken, by Rukhsana Khan.
Viking Children's Books, 2005 Rani, a girl in Pakistan, thinks her mother loves her pet hen more than she loves her in this story about sibling rivalry. (Ages 4 - 8)
Sonu: Adventures of a Lively Child, by .
Navneet Books, Stories about Sonu, a lively child.
(Ages 8 - 10)
Sorry, Best Friend, by .
, edited by Tulika, Chennai., Concerned by the divisive forces of communalism, and its influence on children, the Centre for Science, Culture and Education conducted a workshop to examine ways of dealing with the situation. This collection of short stories focusing on communal harmony is an offshoot of this workshop. It is the first in a series on affirmative themes. (Ages 8 - 14)
Stitching Stories, by Nina Sabnani.
Tulika, 2011 Stitching Stories is based on the award-winning documentary film Tanko Bole Chhe (The Stitches Speak), and looks at the art of embroidery in Gujarat, particularly the evolution of narrative through stitches. It tells the story of Raniben and her craft: how she and her family left Pakistan during Partition to make a life in Gujarat, how they lost everything in the 2001 earthquake and started again, and how they began to use their craft as a voice -- first to talk about the earthquake and then about their lives and thoughts. To round off the stunning appliqué visuals that tell the story are more gorgeous pictures in the section at the end of the book that makes you ?look? at the art of Gujarati embroidery. (Ages 10 - 12)
Subcontinental Series, by .
Bobbie Kalman Books, Various authors.
India: The Culture, (Crabtree, N.Y. 1993)
India: The Land, (Crabtree, N.Y. 1993)
India: The People, (Crabtree, N.Y. 1993)
Pakistan: The Culture (2003)
Pakistan: The Land (2003)
Pakistan: The People (2003) (Ages 8 - 12)
Thama and the Little Boy, by Kamala Laxman.
IBH Publishers, Bombay, 1983., Illustrated by her husband, the cartoonist R.K. Laxman. (Ages 4 - 8)
That Summer at Kalagarh, by Ranjit Lal.
Tulika, Chennai., A gripping tale set in the lush forests of the Kumaon hills -- Corbett country, brought to life with naturalist-author Ranjit Lal's photographic eye for detail. (Ages 10 - 14)
[Sawnet Review]
Aditi and the One-Eyed Monkey. An enchanting modern fairytale involving an unlikely foursome. A monkey sets out to explore the
world, joined by a curious ant and an elephant trying hard to be aggressive. They come across a
princess with a mission and rally around to help her. Armed with a cloak of invisibility, a sword of
courage and a ball of magic clay, the friends journey to the den of a fierce dragon who must be
tamed. Poor dragon! [Sawnet review]
Aditi and the Thames Dragon. In this delightful sequel to Aditi and the One-Eyed Monkey, the postal parrot brings a cryptic letter
with a British stamp for 'Aditi and Friends' -- an urgent call for help from twins Roshan and Rohit
in London. A River Dragon is in trouble!. The five friends set off and their adventures finally land
them on primetime television news!
This book was written for the children of Blue Gate Fields Junior School in London. The children
had read the first book and very much wanted Aditi and friends to come to London. Suniti Namjoshi
weaves fantasy, philosophy and feeling so deftly into a story that will keep readers enthralled.
[Sawnet review]
Aditi and the Marine Sage. Aditi and friends are on a mission again, this time to the depths of the Great Barrier Reef. From flights on dragonback over blue-green oceans to trips underwater there is much excitement in store. Only the elephant is worried. Will she finally find her name?
The Amazing Adventures of Little, by Swagata Deb.
Rupa, 2005 A girl called Little, her brother Pickle, and their Uncle Jojo, who is a scientist, an inventor and explorer. He takes them to new worlds, invents time machines...among the characters are a boy who comes from the future to taste alu parathas, and a thief who steals Pickle's Smell.
(Ages 8 - 12)
The Buggles, by Antara Ganguli.
Rupa, 2001 A fantasy novel with one central human character who finds herself in a frightening, magical underground world.The heroine is a fiesty ten-year old Indian girl and the rest of the characters are non-human. (Ages 8 - 12)
The Children of India, by Jules Hermes.
Carolrhoda books, Minneapolis, 1993 Introduces the variety and richness of culture in India by describing the daily lives of children from different regions and social levels. (Ages 4 - 8)
The Closet Ghosts, by Uma Krishnaswami.
Chilldren's Book Press, San Francisco. , 2006 Moving to a new place is hard enough without finding a bunch of mean, nasty ghosts in the closet. This looks like a job for Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god who can change shape in the blink of an eye and chase goblins and demons away with his thundering voice. When Hanuman answers Anu's plea for help, she rejoices — until she realizes those pesky ghosts don't seem to be going anywhere.
Illustrations by Shiraaz Bhabha (Ages 4 - 8)
[Sawnet Review]
The Conch Bearer, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.
Millbrook Press, 2003 The story opens in a poor section of Kolkata, where 12-year-old Anand is entrusted with a conch shell imbued with mystical powers. Anand's task is to return the shell to its rightful home high in the mountains. Will he succeed? Accompanied by a mysterious stranger and a resourceful street urchin, Anand will encounter good and evil - both in himself and in those around him.
(Ages 9 - 12)
The Dream Machine, by Subir Richa Ghosh Bansal.
Children's Book Trust, 1998 SAFAUW is a predatory outfit. It steals new and startling inventions and findings and announces them in the names of its members for fame and money. The scientific community is up in arms. Dr. Roy Chowdhury's Dream Machine too is in peril. This unique machine can not only convert dreams into visual images but let a person enter another's dream! His son, Shailesh, and his friend Lata, who knew its mysteries, are determined to save it from the clutches of the gang... (Ages 8 - 13)
The Feluda Stories, by Satyajit Ray.
Penguin, India, 1988. First published in Bengali by Ananda Publishers, 1971, A collection of detective stories starring Feluda and his partners, Topshe and Jatayu, set in Calcutta.
The Mystery of the Elephant God: More Adventures of Feluda
Feluda's Last Case
(Ages 8 - 12)
The Forbidden Temple, by Padma Venkataraman.
Tulika, Chennai, How was everyday life for children long ago? Did they have pets? Did foreign students feel homesick? What was it like to go
shopping in a big city? What sort of games did they play?
In this book, imagination takes off from carefully researched fact to create ten fascinating stories of children from times past,
panning India's history from around 3500 BC onward. Alongside are bits of interesting information -- easy to absorb, just enough
for added atmosphere. Finely etched pictures come together in collages to illustrate each story. A perky ant leads the trail through
a very visual activity section that makes tracking history so much fun! (Available from Tulika or orders@padmasbooks.com)
(Ages 10 - 14)
[Sawnet Review]
The Giant Who Looks for his Temper, by Santhini Govindan.
Scholastic India. Hindi Edition Boomba Chala, 2001 (Ages 4 - 8)
The Happiest Tree, by Uma Krishnaswami.
Lee & Low Books, 2006 Meena is excited about the class play, a new and improved version of Red Riding Hood. But when she learns that she must play one of the trees in the forest, Meena's excitement vanishes. She is just too clumsy to be a quiet, steady tree.
One day at the Indian grocery store, Meena sees a yoga class in progress, and the store owner convinces her to try the children's class. Little does Meena know she is about to find a way to grow from the inside out, just like a tree, and move beyond her feelings of clumsiness and frustration.
The Happiest Tree is a gentle and empowering story of a young girl's road to self-confidence. It is sure to spark interest in yoga, and provide comfort to all children as they struggle to overcome the everyday obstacles to growing up.
Illustrated by Ruth Jeyaveeran
(Ages 4 - 8)
[Sawnet Review]
The Hidden Treasure, by Shashi Deshpande.
India Book House, 1980, (Ages 8 - 12)
The Milkman's Cow, by Vidya Pradhan.
Children's Book Trust, 2005 Mother Cow refuses to budge from the middle of the road. A number
of grown-upsranging from a milkman to a wrestler and a policeman try to
force the cow to move, but they fail. Finally it is a young boy who solves
the problem. (Ages 4 - 8)
[Sawnet Review]
The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.
Roaring Brook Press, 2005 Set in contemporary India as well as that of several hundred years in the past, The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming continues the adventures of Anand and his efforts to become a fully fledged member of The Brotherhood of the Conch. This time Anand's journey takes him back to Moghul times, as he encounters powerful sorcerers, spoiled princes, noble warriors and evil jinns. Divakaruni is a master storyteller, and once again she weaves a vibrant tapestry of action, suspense, and rare beauty. Fans of The Conch Bearer as well as readers new to her work will be entranced. (Ages 8 - 12)
The Monkey in the Stars, by Jamila Gavin.
Mammoth, 1998 Combines mythological elements in a contemporary story. (Ages 8 - 12)
The Moon Over Crete, by Jyotsna Sreenivasan.
Holy Cow Press, Duluth, Mn. , 1994 A time-travel adventure novel with a feminist theme. Lily, the heroine, has an Indian mother and a Jewish father, and travels back in time to ancient Crete where men and women were equal. (Ages 8 - 12)
The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart.
Hatchett Books, USA, Dozens of children respond to this peculiar ad in the newspaper and are then put through a series of mind-bending tests, which readers take along with them. Only four children-two boys and two girls-succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and inventive children could complete. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules. But what they'll find in the hidden underground tunnels of the school is more than your average school supplies. So, if you're gifted, creative, or happen to know Morse Code, they could probably use your help.
(Ages 10 - 15)
[Sawnet Review]
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey, by Trenton Lee Stewart.
Hatchett Books, USA, The fabulous foursome readers embraced as The Mysterious Benedict Society is back with a new mission, significantly closer to home. After reuniting for a celebratory scavenger hunt, Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance are forced to go on an unexpected search--a search to find Mr. Benedict. It seems that while he was preparing the kids' adventure, he stepped right into a trap orchestrated by his evil twin Mr. Curtain.
With only one week to find a captured Mr. Benedict, the gifted foursome faces their greatest challenge of all--a challenge that will reinforce the reasons they were brought together in the first place and will require them to fight for the very namesake that united them. (Ages 10 - 15)
[Sawnet Review]
The Narayanpur Incident, by Shashi Deshpande.
India Book House. Reprinted by Puffin, 1995 8 August 1942. Quit India! Gandhiji warns the British. As he and most leaders are put in jail the very next day, the people rise in protest. As schools close down, and family moves to Narayanpur, a sleepy little village seemingly untouched by the turbulence in the country. But Narayanpur is seething within, and it all comes to a head when a group of children dare to confront the police.
(Ages 8 - 12)
The Only Witness, by Shashi Deshpande.
India Book House, 1982, (Ages 8 - 12)
The Parrot's Training, by Rabindranath Tagore.
Translated by Debjani Chatterjee. Tagore Center, UK. , 1993 (Ages 4 - 8)
The Rainbow & Other Stories, by Maneka Gandhi.
Puffin, 2000 A collection of fairy tales. (Ages 8 - 12)
The Road to Mumbai, by Ruth Jeyaveeran.
Houghton Mifflin., 2004 Along the road to Mumbai, Shoba and her monkey, Fuzzy Patel, make many new friends—mysterious monks, a curious camel, and a snake with a sensitive stomach, just to name a few. Shoba and Fuzzy are on their way to a top-secret monkey wedding. But you shouldn’t expect an invitation. According to Fuzzy, it will be the most boring wedding in the history of the universe. But magical things can happen on the road to Mumbai—and when trouble threatens to ruin the big event, unexpected friends come to the rescue. In vivid paintings filled with color and light (and more than one uninvited guest!), Ruth Jeyaveeran brings the beauty and excitement of India alive for children everywhere to enj (Ages 5 - 8)
The Roses in my Carpets, by Rukhsana Khan.
Fitzhenry and Whiteside, An Afghani boy in a Pakistani refugee camp cares for his mother and sister, until he finds work as an apprentice carpet weaver. The roses he weaves are a contrast to the starkness of his life, in this unsentimental, compassionate story about hope amid adversity. (Ages 8 - 12)
The Singing Bowls, by Jamila Gavin.
Methuen, 1989 A British teenager explores his father's adoption from India. (Ages 8 - 12)
The Song of the Scythe, by Debjani Chatterjee.
SIMT & Sahitya Press, UK, This picture storybook tells the
charming ghost story of Rashi's visit to Abbeydale Industrial Museum in
Sheffield. It is available in 5 dual language editions: English with
Bengali (trans. by Rashida Islam), English with Urdu (trans. by Basir
Sultan Kazmi), English with Arabic (trans. by Abdul Razak
Said), English with Cantonese (trans. by Cheung Lee) & English with
Somali (trans. by Mohamed M Noor). Illustrated by David Lumley. (Ages 6 - 9)
The Sower of Tales, by Rachna Gilmore.
Fitzhenry & Whiteside, King's men on horseback, riding through the Plains. Rumors and fear. Fingers flicked to ward off evil, whenever the Sorcerer Odhran is mentioned. Something is definitely not right, and Calantha isn't the only one to feel it. The Seers and the Gatherers all agree - the Essences have become twisted, hard to read. But why? No one seems to know.
Trying to shut out the discord, Calantha loses herself in the tales of the story pods - the story pods whose seeds are scattered nightly by the Sower of Tales. But then the unthinkable happens. There are story pods in the fields as always, but there is no new growth. Where are the seeds? What will become of the Plains folk without the Tales to bring them together? Has the Sower of Tales abandoned them?
In desperation, Calantha sets off on a harrowing journey to seek the Sower of Tales, only to be burdened with a terrifying task. Others will help her, if Calantha can trust them. Her dearest dreams - and her worst nightmares - will guide her, if Calantha can face them.
And she must. For the fate of the Plainsfolk, the fate of the Sower of Tales herself rests in Calantha's hands. And her one passion, the Tales, will make her more vulnerable - and more powerful - than anyone could have known.
(Ages 11 - 14)
[Sawnet Review]
The Surya Trilogy, by Jamila Gavin.
Mammoth-., 1997 This trilogy is the story of the interlinked lives of two families living in India and England between 1947 and 1951 The books provide a compelling account of life in India around the time of partition, thoughtfully contrasted with British life in the aftermath of the Second World War.
The Wheel of Surya. Marvinder and Jaspal flee from their burning village after Partition, and make their way to England to find their father. Methuen, 1992
The Eye of the Horse. Jaspal's and Marvinder's father is in prison. In different ways they both feel drawn toward India. Methuen, 1994.
The Track of the Wind. The Singh family is reunited. Mammoth, 1997.
(Ages 8 - 12)
The Umbrella Thief, by Sybil Wettasinghe.
Kane/Miller Publishers, NY. 1987, When each of the umbrellas he brings back to his village disappears, Kiri Mama devises a plan to track down the thief. A tale from Sri Lanka. (Ages 4 - 8)
The Why-Why Girl, by Mahasweta Devi.
Tulika, Chennai., Moyna lives in a little tribal village. She cannot go to school because she has to tend the goats, collect the firewood, fetch the
water… But she is so full of questions that the postmaster calls her the "why-why girl"!
Mahasweta Devi is one of India's foremost writers. In this delightful story, her first picture book, and the only children's book
she has written in English, she tells us how she meets Moyna (and her mongoose!) and helps her find answers to all the
why-whys in books, that Moyna herself learns to read.
Available in Tamil (translated by Ambai), Hindi, Malayalam (translated by Paul Zacharia), Kannada (translated by Girish Karnad),
Marathi, Gujarati, English. (Ages 6 - 10)
Tigress, by Helen Cowcher.
, A ranger and his herdsmen concoct a plan to save a tigress, her cubs, and other animals as well. (Ages 4 - 8)
Trash, by Gita Wolf & Anushka Ravishankar.
Tara Publishing, Chennai., Trash! is a unique combination of fiction and fact. Based on the real life experiences of ragpicker children, it tells the story of Velu, a runaway village child. He ends up as a ragpicker in a big city and must face the harsh realities of life on the streets.
The story is accompanied by facts and arguments which connect complex issues—ranging from child labour and child rights, to lifestyles, waste and recyclin (Ages 10 - 16)
[Sawnet Review]
Usha the Mouse Maiden, by Mehlli Gobhai.
Hawthorne Books, 1969, (Ages 8 - 12)
Varnamala Geet, by MeeraMasi.
MeeraMasi, California, Hindi alphabet chart and accompanying CD. One side of the chart is written in Hindi script, while the other offers English transliteration - a helpful element to challenge yourself to learn, or to assist when you need a helping hand.
The accompanying CD includes a captivating Varnamala Geet song that you will find your children, and yourself, singing and humming all day! The CD also includes the spoken alphabet to assist with proper pronunciation, counting numbers from 1 to 30 and counting by 10s from 1 to 100. (Ages 0 - 10)
YoungUncle comes to Town, by Vandana Singh.
Viking Children's Books/Penguin USA, In a small, sleepy town in northern India, three children gaze out onto a rain-drenched street, waiting for a most unusual guest. Who is Younguncle? Was he really kidnapped by the monkeys when he was little? Can he truly make a noise like a sewing machine? Will he ever Settle Down and Get Married? When he finally arrives, Sarita, Ravi and the baby know instantly that their lives will never be the same again...
(Ages 8 - 12)
