When the Royal Chapati Cook quits, there is no one to make the fluffy-puffy chapatis that the king loves. Can they find another champion chapati maker at the Grand Chapati Contest?
About the Hook Book Series
In a world where children’s books often feel cut from the same cloth, Hook Books stand out as a vibrant blend of imagination, humour, and heart. Crafted as a bridge between picture books and early chapter books, this series delivers stories that spark joy and wonder, while remaining rooted in age-appropriate learning.
Hook Books keep the fun going with:
Short, digestible bits of text (perfect for budding readers)
Bright colour illustrations that pull kids into the story
Themes that speak to the everyday lives of children—plus a sprinkle of whimsy!
From fantasy tales to those that touch on more advanced ideas, Hook Books ensure that young readers are always in for a treat, no matter their reading level. Even better, these books take children on journeys through different parts of India, giving them a taste of the rich diversity of our world through local flavours, landscapes, and cultures. Whether the story takes place in bustling cities or quiet villages, Hook Books make every setting feel like home.
ISBN: 9780143450962
Pages: 40
Avg Reading Time: 1 hrs
Age: 0-11
Country of Origin: India
Ismat's Eid
- Author Name:
Fawzia Gilani Williams
- Book Type:
- Description: Ismat the shoemaker decides to buy his family special gifts for Eid. He is persuaded by the shopkeeper to buy a pair of trousers for himself. However, there is only one last pair and it's too long. But long trousers can always be shortened, can't they? Eid arrives, and with it comes a shock and a surprise. This crisp adaptation of a delightful Turkish tale has been affectionately told and illustrated, replete with cultural resonances.
5 Fantastic Facts about the Indian Constitution
- Author Name:
Ashok Rajagopalan
- Book Type:
- Description: India’s remarkable Constitution introduced to children through five fantastic facts and animated pictures, to celebrate 75 years since adopting it to become a Republic. These facts are based on 5 Cool Things You Did Not Know About the Indian Constitution, a video by actor Swara Bhaskar. Ashok Rajagopalan, creator of the beloved Gajapati Kulapati series, captures our democracy’s lively spirit with warm, humorous visuals. As young readers explore their quirky details, they absorb a sense of India’s diversity. At the end, 'The Constitution and Me' section features activities for children to engage with some of the ideas in the book.
Sorry Best Friend
- Author Name:
Githa Hariharan +1
- Rating:
- Book Type:
- Description: A collection of short stories focusing on communal harmony. Includes writers such as Zai Whitaker, Poile Sengupta, Githa Hariharan and Shama Futehally.
Khidki Mein Woh Hauwwa
- Author Name:
Meghaa Gupta
- Book Type:
- Description: There is a BIG monster that only Montu can see, that shows up whenever he’s angry or sad, and makes him even more angry, even more sad. One day, when he hurts his leg and is stuck at home, he starts to draw. He draws the window, the tree outside and… the monster! But as he keeps drawing, the monster gets smaller and smaller. What’s happening? Pictures and text gently tell this story of a boy who learns to deal with his inner demons, illustrating how art can heal.
Tumhi Hey Karu Shakaal Ka?
- Author Name:
Ashok Rajagopalan
- Book Type:
Pashu Maharani
- Author Name:
Christy Shoba Sudhir
- Book Type:
- Description: Lined up on a street are noisy motorbikes, honking cars, crowded buses, impatient autos... In their midst sits a queenly Maharani! At the heart of this funny little vignette is a cool-as-a-cucumber cow, an all too familiar character of an Indian streetscape. Nancy Raj’s full-of-life pictures bustle with detail and drama, capturing the bovine and the boisterous as everyone tries to unseat her highness. 2018: The Hindu Young World-Goodbooks Award – Best Picture Book 2018: Honor Book, South Asia Book Award
Tara Khojak
- Author Name:
Harshvardhan Kadam +1
- Book Type:
- Description: Have you ever tried to catch the moon? Is the moon really that far away? A curious little girl really doesnít think so, but her elder brother keeps telling her otherwise! Can she convince him? Find out as she shares a delightful dialogue with her Dada. Another timeless gem from Gurudev.
ADITI ADVENTURES - MEETING GRENDEL
- Author Name:
Suniti Namjoshi
- Rating:
- Book Type:
- Description: Looking for a Deep Rose that may make Aditi’s grandmother feel better, the adventurers go to the coast of Devon in England. There they meet the little boy Grendel who lives under the sea, prowls around at night scaring others, can’t remember anything and doesn’t care about it. Re-casting ‘monster’ characters from the Beowulf story, the author wonders if what we see depends on how we see it. Do stories make you look at things differently? Could you be you today, if you didn’t remember who you were yesterday?
Thatha at School
- Author Name:
Richa Jha
- Rating:
- Book Type:
- Description: It is Grandparents Day at school, and everyone is excited. Not little Oviyam, who is embarrassed at the thought of her schoolmates seeing her grandfather Thatha in a dhoti, a traditional wrap-around lower. She tries her best to convince him to skip the event but he insists on attending. Will Oviyam rise above her insecurities and own up to her dhoti-wearing Thatha in front of everyone? Richa Jha's light, breezy words, along with Gautam Benegal's soft playful colour palettes and vividly illustrated frames help the reader both empathise with Oviyam's fears and strongly hope for her baseless insecurities to rid her troubled mind.
Let's Go!
- Author Name:
Anthara Mohan
- Book Type:
- Description: 10, 9, 8, 7 – count the children as they come leaping, riding, zooming in on cycles, scooters, rickshas… A racy counting book with a different mode of transport on every spread! Children with completely different personalities brighten up the streets.
Beauty is Missing
- Author Name:
Priya Kuriyan
- Rating:
- Book Type:
- Description: Tesamma's beloved buffalo Sundari is missing. No one knows where she has gone. But soldier Jinsi is confident that she will find her. She searches the entire village, asking people about the buffalo and looking for clues. Will Jinsi be able to find Sundari? What is the mystery behind the disappearance of the music-loving buffalo Sundari?
THE KING AND THE KIANG
- Author Name:
Mariam Karim Ahlawat
- Book Type:
- Description: Kunzang is a strange child of nature, with hair as wild and red as the rhododendrons she lives among. People say that one look from her crimson eyes can make wishes come true. She rides untroubled on her graceful kiang through Sikkim's Yumthang valley. But then, along comes the powerful king, Bhu-pen, who sees the kiang and wants it... A lyrical story with vibrant pictures that capture the unrestrained beauty of nature in the wild.
Waanalee Waanalu
- Author Name:
Gayathri Bashi
- Book Type:
- Description: Rain can be fun. But sometimes, “lots and lots and lots of rain” is frightening — when water comes into homes and washes everything away. Floods and other natural calamities do happen, children do get caught in them, and other children see it all on television. How do they make sense of it? The book talks to children through rhythmic, repetitive text and evocative visuals, ending with the important reminder that if you look after nature, nature will look after you. It enables conversations that can heal and empower.
Shunya Saval
- Author Name:
Bibhas Sen
- Book Type:
- Description: A wry, hilarious and satirical take on the GATT Treaty and its implications for India, told from the point of view of one farmer affected by it.
Thathu Aur Main
- Author Name:
Geeta Dharmarajan +1
- Book Type:
- Description: A magically beautiful story about Malar and her grandfather. A laptime, bedtime, anytime story for you to share. Enjoy! A beginnerís book for children learning to read.
The Unboy Boy
- Author Name:
Richa Jha
- Rating:
- Book Type:
- Description: Young Gagan is at ease being what he is: quiet, gentle, sensitive, and an animal and book lover. But his family and friends think of him as being not boy enough, and want to make him more boy-like. Gagan, however, has enough tricks up his sleeve to show the world that there are no boy-boys or unboy-boys. Just boys. And just girls. Gender stereotyping has strong under currents in the social fabric of India and in many cultures around the world. Richa Jha tackles this difficult subject with unburdened simplicity and lightness of tone. Gautam Benegal brings the characters to life with sensitivity and electrifying dynamism. His gentle and endearing water colours match the mood and pace of the story, making it an unforgettable read.
THIS IS ME, MAYIL
- Author Name:
Niveditha Subramaniam +1
- Rating:
- Book Type:
- Description: Meet Mayil Ganeshan, a young writer at Not Yet Sixteen who is fiercely fun, madly morose, and prone to spontaneous combustion. Mayil is back, and this time she is edgier, bolder, and older. Known as the unstoppable 'Mayilwriter,' she rants in rhyme, ponders in verse, and doodles in between. Though she experiences moments of clarity, Mayil also deals with anger, confusion, and self-doubt. Nevertheless, she keeps her chin up and vows to never put her pen down. Age 13+
Dubkir Jonno Ghor
- Author Name:
Priya Narayanan
- Book Type:
- Description: Yasmin’s home is a tin box, burning hot in summer and freezing cold in winter. But Dubki, her stray dog friend, has no home at all. How unfair! So Yasmin decides to build one for Dubki, just like she has seen her Ammi and Abbu build for others. A heart-tugging story on a child’s idea of home, centred round a family of migrant workers who construct big houses while living in hovels themselves, displaced and longing for their own home far away. Told in the voice of little Yasmin, it speaks straight to the child reader. Illustrations evoke a gentle glow of joy and hope.
Sheela's Two Homes
- Author Name:
Nina Sabnani
- Book Type:
- Description: Sheela is any happy child growing up in Sukkur, Sind – playing with friends, sewing dresses for her dolls... She lives with her uncle whom she calls Baba, father, just across the road from her real parents. The turbulent times in the run up to Independence don’t touch her. Till suddenly, there’s Partition. The gentle unfolding softens realities of a childhood quite far removed from today’s readers. Springing from yet another animation film by Nina Sabnani, it is her mother’s own story, and she continues that connection with the choice of visuals – fragments of cloth, touches of embroidery, that tell of a life across two countries, with two fathers, in two homes.
Aarima Haau
- Author Name:
Meghaa Gupta
- Book Type:
- Description: There is a BIG monster that only Montu can see, that shows up whenever he’s angry or sad, and makes him even more angry, even more sad. One day, when he hurts his leg and is stuck at home, he starts to draw. He draws the window, the tree outside and… the monster! But as he keeps drawing, the monster gets smaller and smaller. What’s happening? Pictures and text gently tell this story of a boy who learns to deal with his inner demons, illustrating how art can heal.
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