Guru does not discriminate; he loves all kinds of murukkus. He absolutely loves the sounds they make when he munches on them! KARUKKU NORUKKU! KARUKKU NORUKKU! But his Amma refuses to let him eat as many as he wants. One day, Guru manages to get a whole packet all to himself. Now all he needs is a way to sneakily eat it – without sharing, that is! Saritha Rao’s delightful text, with endearing illustrations by Vibha Surya, promises tons of fun and loads of munching in this hilarious story. 6+ years

When a herd of elephants creates trouble in the jungle, do the little rabbits run away in fear? No! From Aztec to Chinese, there are many versions of the story about the rabbit in the moon. The illustrations for this bilingual retelling are based on the pithora folk style of central India, which derives from cave art.

Mati pesters her grandmother and father for her own plot of land. When she does get it, she works hard. And then she hears that a company wants to make a coal mine in their village – the enormous black pit that will eat up all their lands, like it has in the next village… As always, Rinchin powers her questions through irresistible storytelling. The little girl’s anxiety about losing her land to “a monster machine” cuts close to the heart as it takes head-on an issue that is ravaging tribal Chhattisgarh, where this story is set, and every other place where there is ‘development’ at a cost.

Do you know that there were once seven cities within the city of Delhi? Can you imagine that Delhi once ran a tram service? Have you ever heard about the drool-worthy sixteen-layered paratha that you get only in Delhi? Can you believe that Delhi runs the largest fleet of environment-friendly buses? All of this and a lot more abound in this anything-but-typical travel book for the young. Just like the city of Delhi, there’s nothing ordinary about it!

The old snake is punished – the frogs will now ride on him. The frogs jump for joy – but they had better watch out! This unusual bilingual retelling of a Panchatantra favourite swings sympathy in favour of the snake. Stunning pictures are based on wooden folk toys from Channapatna in Karnataka, a craft style that came centuries ago from Persia.

Playtime on the terrace takes a turn when a strong wind sweeps Chhotu off his feet and carries him up and away to the clouds and the birds! The light and lively illustrations whirl us to the sky and back.

What would you do if your friend went missing? Wandering Wave has lost her good friend, Beulah. Wave travels to far away lands to get her back and meets all kinds of different creatures. Would you like to join Wave on this frumble-drumbling adventure to reunite her with Beulah? Written by award-winning author Geeta Dharmarajan and illustrated by Sreeja Basu, this tale is a captivating addition to KATHAís Ocean Literacy Series.

Isha’s house is being built from scratch by a lot of people. Join her as she discovers all the tools they use to build it.

A thrilling book based on a true story of an encounter with the endangered cat in the Western Ghats of India. Perched on a treetop at a waterhole in a reserve forest in Kerala, the author and his friend, Natarajan, an Irula tribesman, were waiting to sight a tiger. This was when Natarajan told him the story of his first encounter with a black panther in the Anamalai Hills – which happened after he had been roaming those hills for forty years! Stunning pastels bring to life the majestic black panther.

ìAs you sow, so shall you reap.î ìBig mouthfuls often choke.î All these were just aphorisms for me. But thanks to those irresistible, mouthwatering jalebis, I learned quite a lot.

The book is a short story of an uprooted boy who grows up to be a man in a new India, where his parents have migrated. To his folks, it is a new habitat. The problems of the family are heavily overshadowed by a newly independent India. By actively participating in the new dream of the country, they are able to carve out a place for themselves. As the kid grows, he gains education in different schools. Then he finishes college in a premier institute of India with an opportunity to study further in the US. How and with what mindset does he utilise his time in the US to understand how the Americans have developed their system to such an efficient level, always giving way to a better and progressive way of doing things? The goal is to excel in every chosen endeavour. An attempt is made to find the secret of this system in every human effort which is providing to its citizens the highest standard of living in the whole world.

Gulab’s classmates call her ‘Stinky Gulab’, and it’s not because she smells. Her father is a manual scavenger, made to clean drains and gutters with his bare hands, even today! “Why do you do it?!” asks Gulab angrily. With determination and a little help from science, she takes the first bold step towards change. Addressing a deep-rooted social evil, the story nudges young minds to question the inequality and indignity that other children like themselves have to face. Strong illustrations evoke the feisty Gulab as she refuses to let school bullies, or society, chip at her spirit.

Little Puppy loved to jump and wag his tail. And he loved to lick. He licked everything he could find. Then one day, he peeped out through the open gate of the garden Ö And guess what happens next? A story that helps the child discover the joys as well as responsibilities of keeping a pet.

Often referred to as the ?Birbal of Bengal’, Gopal was a barber by caste. Intelligent and sharp-witted, with a sense of humour, Gopal earned the title of court jester in the court of Maharaja Krishna Chandra of Krishnanagar. A collection of humorous stories. It is a good book to read for 11+ years.

Something's fluttering around! It settles on a shoulder here, on a nose there… What is it? Where did it come from? And where is it going? Follow the splash of orange to find out! Lively illustrations with a vivid pop of colour put you on the trail of a story that needs no words.

राजकुमार सुलतान और उसका अजीबोगरीब सपना, परछाई की तरह सुलतान के साथ चलता उसका मित्र - सुलेमान, बेहद वफ़ादार और हवा को भी मात देता घोड़ा - फ़तेह, नटखट, शरारती और जादुई कारनामों वाली जादुई बिल्ली - भूरी, सात रहस्यमयी चेहरे और उन चेहरों की तलाश में एक रोमांचक सफर पर निकले सुलतान और सुलेमान ने कभी नहीं सोचा था कि उनका सामना होगा जादुई जंगल, जिन्न और नागमानवों से। क्या वे अपनी मंज़िल को ढूंढकर वापस अपने देश लौट पाएंगे?

Tired of life in Mumbai with his Chacha and Chachi, Arif runs away. He hops onto a train to Chennai, then smuggles himself onto a boat going to… the Andaman islands! Rich with adventure and humour, full of the wonders of nature, this book is also filled with details about the unique, misunderstood world of the Jarawa, a tribe in the Andamans whose very survival is being threatened, especially by the forces of so-called development. Nature drawings by Indraneil Das are beautifully offset by Ashok Rajagopalan’s soft pencil sketches.

Every day, Kempi the cow wanders through the bustling city streets. But today—uh-oh—did she get stuck in a traffic jam, or was she the reason behind it? What unfolds next is a heartwarming and humorous tale that could easily take place in any Indian city. With its delightful blend of laughter and emotion, this story captures the chaos and charm of urban or semi urban life. Featuring stunning illustrations of typical Indian cityscapes, it’s a story that resonates with children of all ages!

Four delightful tales from Arunachal Pradesh on how the world came to be ñ two brothers create the world; a river wanders over the mountain; the dove sings a lullaby; a wayward sun tries to scorch the earth.

Raya held her first spider when she was just four! She loves to roam around the backyard looking for creepy crawlies. One day she spots a spider as big as her palm – an Argiope anasuja, her scientist mother tells her. Raya watches it closely, and discovers it doing something strange. A simple storyline and dramatic illustrations draw children into the web of this spider. Once in, they get to meet a multitasker who is an architect, web designer, silk spinner, weaver and above all, a protective mother. A book that changes the way they might look at small critters.