Chetan Sharma’s illustrations and comic touches in ‘Wet Paint’ by Asha Nehemiah; Ages 5-7, are certain to draw laughter on every page as parent and child bond over the book.
Drop by the scenic town in Kerala created by Kruttika Susarla in ‘The Big Bad Fight’ by Yamini Vijayan; Ages 5+, to meet Anna and Kichu — two best friends who had a big bad fight.
‘Chitti’s Travelling Book Box’ by Kavitha Punniyamurthi; Ages 7+, is the story of Chitti who realises the tractor that her father has abandoned is the ideal for her library of books.
‘Kolam Kanna’ by Vibha Batra; Age 8+, explores what happens when a young boy, an ‘outsider’, wishes to participate in a ‘ladies only’ Kolam Kondattam contest?
‘Dakshin: South Indian Myths and Fables’ Retold by Nitin Kushalappa MP; Ages 9+ years, explores 15 oral folktales from south India including in Kodava, a vanishing Dravidian language.
The Misadventures of a Diamond Thief by Lubaina Bandukwala; Ages 9+, explores 15th-Century Hyderabad, a clan of time-travelling thieving djinns and the Shah-i-noor and what they have in common.
Despite addressing themes like gender stereotypes, bullying, economic disparity, Bipathu and a Very Big Dream by Anita Nair; Ages 9+, carries the pure innocence of Malgudi Days.