India
33
Balsavar, Deepa (text/illus.)
Kaushal, Tara (Hindi transl.)
The seed = Bija
Chennai : Tulika, 2005. – [20] p.
ISBN 81-8146-110-X
(Bilingual ed.: English and Hindi)
Seed – Plant – Imagination
This
simple picture book for small children follows a young girl as she discovers a
tiny seed on the ground, plants it in an old pot, and carefully looks after it,
patiently waiting for something to happen. Once a thin stem sprouts, she
excitedly hurries to all her loved ones to share the miracle. Each family
member curiously asks her a short question about the minute plant and the
girl’s imagination immediately grows wings. The roundish, comic-book-like
watercolour illustrations showing the child and her family on the right-hand
pages, framed by the sparse text in English and Hindi, are contrasted, on the
left-hand pages, by more ornamental portraits depicting wondrous plants into
which the small seedling might one day develop. (2+)
Special Mention
34
Scott, Nathan Kumar (text)
Balaji, Theertham (illus.)
Mangoes & bananas
[Chennai, India] : Tara Publ., 2006. – [32] p.
ISBN 81-86211-06-3
Friendship – Hunger – Cooperation – Greed – Trick – Revenge – Folk tale
This
retelling of a classic trickster tale features one of the most popular
characters in Indonesian folklore, Kanchil the mouse deer. Fed up with the
exhausting daily search for food, the clever deer and his best friend Monyet,
the monkey, decide to plant their own garden and grow their favourite fruit:
mangoes and bananas. Yet when, at harvest time, the greedy monkey quickly
starts devouring all of the delicious fruit himself, quick-witted Kanchil
resorts to a trick to get hold of his due share. This story told in a cheeky,
energetic voice is translated into stunning illustrations in earthy shades.
Created in the traditional Indian textile art form of Kalamkari (the process
of which is explained in an appendix), the full-page pictures set against
monochrome backgrounds follow the protagonists bouncing through their
decoratively shaped surroundings. This book stands out both for its artwork
and the engaging text. (4+) <>
35
Singh, T. Bijoykumar [et al.] (text/retell.)
Suutari, Amanda [et al.] (illus.)
First sun stories : unusual folk tales from the North East
New Delhi : Katha, 2005. – 88 p.
ISBN 978-81-89020-33-0
North East India – Folk tale – Anthology
For this large-format anthology of 14 lesser-known folk tales from the north-eastern part of India, six writers and ten illustrators collaborated. Some of the stories are fairly amusing, such as the creation story from the Ao Naga tribe, which explains why the land of Assam is mainly flat whereas the neighbouring state of Nagaland is rocky and mountainous; other tales are more serious, such as the Assam legend of beautiful Joymala who is abandoned by her unfaithful husband and becomes queen of the elephants. The enchanting tales introduce young readers to the rich storytelling traditions of the so-called Seven Sister States with several tales appearing in print for the first time. (6+) <>