JANUARY
1. The House That Sonabai Built by Vishakha Chanchani and photographs by Stephen P. Huyler
This sensitive telling of Sonabai's story follows her transformative artistic journey from the tactile experience of her first creations in clay, innovative experiments with colours and light, and unfettered play with pattern and design to being embraced by the art world.
Excellence in Book Production, Federation of Indian Publishers, and Darsana National Awards 2015
Vishakha Chanchani at a telling of Sonabai's story
2. Being Boys edited by Deeya Nayar & Radhika Menon with illustrations by Niveditha Subramaniam
"...while Being Boys presents itself as an anthology of short stories with young male protagonists, what stood out for me was its inclusion of narratives that one would be hard pressed to find in mainstream Indian publishing... Being Boys brings together a diverse range of authors, and an interesting mix of narratives - fables, memoirs, diary entries, historical fiction..." - Saffron Tree
Writer-filmmaker Devashish Makhija tells the story he contributed at the launch at Bookaroo Pune
3. A Bhil Story by Nina Sabnani and Sher Singh Bhil
"Each page is beautifully composed and packed with colourful detail... making each page a stunning visual experience." - Saffron Tree
Nina Sabnani and Sher Singh Bhil at the launch at the Kala Ghoda Festival 2015
FEBRUARY
1. The Talking Bird by Swati Sengupta and pictures by Sayan Mukherjee
"When I opened the book, the first thing I noticed was the colour palette. These were strong Indian hues of bright blue and garish orange; deep emerald and snazzy purple. Sayan Mukherjee clearly understands that we Indians like our colours to be eye-catching... The author, Swati Sengupta, understands that, for a picture book for a five-year-old, you need a good read-aloud style." - Goodbooks,in
Swati Sengupta at the launch of the book
MARCH
1. Wings To Fly by Sowmya Rajendran and pictures by Arun Kumar
"Short, sweet narration of the story of Malathi, stirring young guns to start looking at great people's lives and to tell them there is an interesting story in everybody's life. The visuals imprint Malathi's journey in the young reader's mind, and create a lasting impression..." - Plusminusnmore
Storyteller Ameen Haque and para-athlete Malathi Holla
2. Girls To The Rescue by Sowmya Rajendren and pictures by Ashok Rajagopalan
"The stories, as they are narrated, have a timeless feel to them, equally enjoyable to young readers, and to older ones - teenagers, young adults, and adults. Simple enough that a 6 year old might enjoy the narration, yet profound enough that older readers might find layers that mean different things to them." - Saffron Tree
APRIL
1. Gender Talk: Big Hero, Size Zero by Anusha Hariharan & Sowmya Rajendran with pictures by Niveditha Subramaniam
"This book states a lot of facts without hiding anything. The truth is not morphed to make it sound better. That way it is different and more effective than textbooks, because, how much ever text books are supposed to tell the truth, they only touch the basics and in the process not touch upon a lot of things." - Saralya P Narayan, 15 years old, Chennai
Writers Anusha Hariharan and Sowmya Rajendran, and Schools of Equality's Gulika Reddy at the launch
MAY
1. Flutterfly by Niveditha Subramaniam
"The uses for this book are as limitless as your imagination... Bold pencil strokes bring the characters to life, and Niveditha Subramaniam has a knack of infusing her drawings with movement and humour..." - Goodbooks.in
Raksha Bandhan special
JUNE
1. Kanna Panna by Zai Whitaker and pictures by Niloufer Wadia
"The beauty of this story is that it works at many levels. It creates an awareness about blindness in young children, both its outward appearance and inner abilities. Kanna is normal in all ways and his parents and companions come to discover that in the course of the story. Like all good stories, it is left to the reader to reflect on what is left unsaid... The greatest attraction of the book is the visual impact that Niloufer Wadia manages to convey with her beautiful illustrations..." - Goodbooks.in
Writer Zai Whitaker at the launch of the book
2. Mara And The Clay Cows by Parismita Singh
"Mara and the Clay Cows combines two things that Indian publishing still doesn' see enough of one, an original graphic narrative... and two, a story set in the North- eastern regions of the country. Mara.. is a layered story and I found myself discovering facets to the book long after I had finished it. It is, of course, a story of magic and adventure, and a child's quest for family. It also humorously questions gender stereotypes, asserts the need for non violence and environmental preservation..." - Saffron Tree
JULY
1. Our Incredible Cow by Mahasweta Devi and illustrations by Ruchi Shah
"Ruchi Shah takes Nyadosh the cow to a surreal level, visualizing Nyadosh as one who becomes what she eats!... Thinking about the life and times of the story's context (it was written in Bengali in the late 1960s) asks of the reader a pause for reflection." - Goodbooks.in
After making an edible cow at the launch
2. Follow The Ants by Amrutha Satish and pictures by Soumya Menon
"The book is a delightful way to introduce toddlers to everyday words and make them observe things around us... The words are simple and in each page we learn a new word which is what we see everyday and yet never make an effort to tell our kids about it. The book is a great way to teach a young child new words and trigger a discussion about things around the house." - IndianMomsConnect
Illustrator Soumya Menon at a telling of the book
AUGUST
1. Dungi Dance by Bhavna Jain Bhuta and pictures by Kavita Singh Kale
"...the drum and beat sounds are bound to be a great hit with storytellers and read-aloud-ers as well as young children between the ages of three and five." - Goodbooks.in
Author Bhavna Jain Bhuta at a telling of the story
2. Neelu's Big Box by Nandini Nayar and pictures by Shreya Sen
A big box, her grandparents’ walking sticks, Amma’s long red dupatta… Neelu has everything she needs for her big, strong fort. But – oh no – she trips and falls, and the box becomes flat! Whacky pictures take us on a colourful ride into a child’s imagination.
Author Nandini Nayar telling the story
3. Bhimrao Ambedkar: The Boy Who Asked Why by Sowmya Rajendran and pictures by Satwik Gade
"I greatly enjoyed this book, and if it were up to me, I would gladly place a copy in every child's hand."- Goodbooks.in
Illustrator Satwik Gade at the launch of the book
SEPTEMBER
1. Salim The Knife-Sharpener by R Amarendran and pictures by Ashok Rajagopalan
Kutak-katak… zoing-zoing… bzzzt-bzzzt… zzzk-zzzk… Salim goes from village to village sharpening knives. But who needs knives sharpened every day? Some days he hardly makes enough money for a good meal. Now, with Eid coming, he decides to try his luck on the other side of the jungle. Does he get enough work? Does he get a good meal?
Author R Amarendran and illustrator Ashok Rajagopalan at the launch
2. Righting Wrongs: A Handbook Of Child Rights For Teachers by Monisha Bajaj
This handbook helps educators to create awareness about child rights among children. Featuring landmark laws and treaties, real stories and statistics, ideas for discussion, worksheets and questionnaires, it delves into the history of the child rights movement to show how young people can themselves be empowered to usher in social change.
OCTOBER
1. Sultan's Forest by Kamla Bhasin and photographs by Bina Kak
Tiger cub Sultan and his Ammi have a special friend they call Junglee Bina. “Bina is bold. She’s not afraid of the forest or the animals,” says little Sultan. Bina loves the jungle, and wanders there on her own for hours, taking photographs. It is these stunning photos that show us Sultan’s life in the Ranthambore forest, even as he tells us the story of a warm relationship between a woman and the wild.
NOVEMBER
1. The Boy And Dragon Stories And Other Tales by Suniti Namjoshi and pictures by Krishna Bala Shenoi
Sweeping through spans of fantasy, reality and time, the author of the popular Aditi Adventures gives us a set of stories that once again take children on a ride through magic realism. And with confused dragons, cricket playing giants, mirror books and little girls who don’t see why they should cry, they once again say as much between the lines as through the light, lively text.
DECEMBER
1. Dum Dum Dho: Rhymes And Rhythms edited by Radhika Menon & Deeya Nayar with pictures by Anjora Noronha
The drums beat in a swirly whirl of rhythms and rhymes for little ones – a colourful kaleidoscope of originals from well known writers, familiar favourites from the Oluguti Toluguti collection, sounds and resonances from a world familiar to children.
December 15, 2015