All Families Big and Small

Snip

Publisher: Pratham Books
Author and Illustrator: Canato Jimo
Translated in Hindi, Marathi, Kannada and Tamil by Pratham Books

Canato Jimo’s wordless picture book will leave you feeling utterly enchanted and filled with joy following the antics of two little ones who lay their hands on a pair of scissors. True, we must never leave scissors around for little hands to find, but what happens in the pages of this book will only bring a smile to your face, and another, and another.

Pops!

Publisher: Dukcbill, An Imprint of Penguin Random House India
Author: Balaji Venkataramanan
Illustrator: Twiggy

A young boy’s attempts to reconcile the image of his estranged father with the rather less wonderful man who actually turns up in his life. A funny and loving look at families and how they learn to live, together or not.

Nadya

Publisher: Scholastic India
Author and Illustrator: Debasmita Dasgupta

The book takes up an idea that is important – how children cope when parents separate. This graphic novel sensitively deals with the issue and urges to build their lives moving on. The illustrations are softly bold and the child’s joys and sorrows are beautifully conveyed.

Noon Chai and a Story

Publisher: Tulika Publishers
Author: Adithi Rao
Illustrator: Ghazal Qadri
Translated in Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu

This heart-warming story has an underlying spirit of resilience and love. The book indeed feels like the dried rose petals that Deidi, Amiya’s grandmother, preserved within the pages of a book. The story of Deidi flows gently through the book, shared over a cup of noon chai. The book is a reminder that a story is waiting to be told and a book waiting to be written by each of us if only we care to look, listen and write.

Reva and Prisha

Publisher: Scholastic India
Author: Shals Mahajan
Illustrator: Lavanya Karthik

In this story, Reva and Prisha are two children sharing a home with two mothers, Runu and Pritam. A sensitive portrayal such as this one, capturing a glimpse into the lives of queer people by a queer author does not feel tokenistic at any point in the book and in fact underscores that life is a rainbow in its multifarious dimensions. The illustrations add a different dimension to bringing the characters alive, highlighting some unique sides to this family.

Chitty: A Dog and Her Forest Farm

Publisher: Kalpavriksh
Author: Serow
Illustrator: Rajiv Eipe
Translation published in Hindi and Marathi by Eklavya

Chitty is a dog who is taken from the streets of Pune to a life in a forest farm in the Western Ghats. We are introduced to her world at the farm, her growing years, her adventures and her deep, abiding relationship with Serow. The illustrations bring this green, wet, funny, scary world alive. The sensitive portrayal of Chitty’s passing is a meditation on the nature of life that is such a rare opportunity for children to relate to it in writing.

हमारी गाय जनी

प्रकाशन: एकलव्य
लेखन: अभिलाषा राजौरिया
चित्रांकन: रमेश हेंगाडी / संकेत पेठकर / सौमित्र रानडे

सुबह चार बजे से घर में हलचल थी। नन्दा गाय ने जन्मा मुन्ना। फिर तो घर के बच्चों का मन कहीं नहीं लगा। प्यारी-सी कहानी जो इन्सान और जानवर के बीच के रिश्ते को सहजता और संवेदनशीलता के साथ सामने रखती है।

स्कूल में ताता

प्रकाशन: एकलव्य
लेखन: ऋचा झा
चित्रांकन: गौतम बेनेगल
अनुवाद: शिवनारायण गौड़
Original titlte: ‘Thatha at School’ by Pickle Yolk

स्कूल में ग्रैंडपैरेंट्स डे है।
सब बहुत उत्सुक है।
सब।
सिवाय ओवियम के।
ग्रैंडपैरेंट्स डे एक बुरा विचार है, वह कहती है।
जानिए ऐसा क्यों।

चश्मा नया है

प्रकाशन: एकलव्य
लेखन: बच्चों की लिखी कहानियाँ
चित्रांकन: शुभम लखेरा

यह “अंकुर सोसाइटी फॉर अल्टरनेटिव्स इन एडुकेशन” के बच्चों द्वारा लिखी गयी कहानियों का संकलन है। यह एक असाधारण संग्रह है। ‘भाई की बकबक’; ‘नेकलेस’; ‘दुआ’; ‘पुत्री का ख़त पिता के नाम’; ‘खिड़की, हवा, मछली और मैं’ अगर डायरी लेखन है तो उतना ही कहानी लेखन भी है। लगता है बच्चे खुद ही वह साहित्य रच लेते हैं जिसकी उन्हें भावनात्मक या बौद्धिक ज़रूरत महसूस होती है।

दुनिया मेरी

प्रकाशन: जुगनू प्रकाशन, इकतारा
लेखन: गुलज़ार
चित्रांकन: एलन शॉ, फ्रीडा शॉ

छोटी-सी दुनिया मेरी इतनी बड़ी है,
आँख की कटोरियों में आके खड़ी है…

सिर का सालन

प्रकाशन: एकलव्य
लेखन: खादीरबाबू
चित्रांकन: गुलाम मोहम्मद शेख
अनुवाद: सुशील
Original title: ‘Headcurry’ by DC Books

सिर का सालन खदीर के परिवार में इतवार के दिन भोजन पकाने की ऐसी कहानी है कि मुँह मे पानी आ जाए।